Growing Potatoes (Part Two)

got 'em in the ground today. 

You can catch up by reading Part One


So my handy dandy chart of What to Plant Now tells me in my area to plant potatoes around mid February on through April.  I am already disobeying.  An old gardening book I have reads I can plant potatoes anytime I am at least 3 weeks from being 28 degrees which I am pretty sure I am unless we have another Polar Vortex.  In that case I have a plan.  I will cover everything with hay until the crisis passes.

This morning I raked, piled and burned a 41 x 32 area where I grew weeds black eyed peas and lima beans last year.  We had so much rain during the spring and summer that weeds totally took over this area.  Didn't get enough produce out of it to talk about.  I turned the Chickens out into it to clean it up. They ate, scratched and pooped here for about 4 months.  I hope they have ate a lot of weed seeds and insect eggs while they were at it.

Next came some deep tilling.  I tried to start the tiller but couldn't and had to call Papa Bear away from his barn building.  Two pulls and he had it started.  I told him I could till but after two swipes I was struggling.  The URI has whipped my butt and I am still rather weak.  Papa Bear took over and had it tilled up in about 30 minutes.

Next I measured out my rows by pounding some pieces of PVC three feet apart on each end of the rows.  I strung string between the pieces to mark my rows.  I am going to be able to get in four rows with the 20 pounds of seed potatoes I purchased.

I opened up some three layered feed sacks and laid them at the end of the row. Newspapers or cardboard would have worked as well.  I threw some scrap cypress boards over them to temporarily hold them down until I can get some wood chips in there.  I am bound and determined to stop some of the weeds this year.  It's not pretty but I don't have any neighbors to complain!

Next I made my trenches underneath the rows I have marked.

Just tilted my hoe and used the corner to make a four inch trench.

Potatoes have been sitting a day and a half since I cut them into chunks so they are turning dark as potatoes do when cut.

I placed my box between two rows and planted two rows at once working back and forth placing the seed potatoes 12 inches apart.

When all the seed potatoes were in the trenches I covered them with dirt.  Here they are all tucked in for their dirt nap.  

In the next few days I will work on getting more paper down and topping it with goat poop and hay.  If all goes well we should see some green in two or three weeks.

The ground was a little damp when I planted so I did not water at this time. I may use a little commercial fertilizer on the potatoes as the soil is still poor in this area and we want taters....lots and lots of taters!

Stay Tuned!