9.23.2011

Potato Tower Wrap-up - Out with a Whimper

Lucky the Roo, surveying his domain.
I ended up harvesting the last of the potatoes within two weeks of the initial harvest. I never got around to writing about it, as the yield was okay, but nothing to write home about (although others have had better results). That said, I like the compact growing method of the tower, and will try again next year. Definitely want to try growing sweet potatoes, and I think our weather here will support the process. In the towers themselves, will probably try a 50/50 compost/soil mixture next time, with a bit of organic phosphorus added, instead of using pure compost. Some day I'll test the compost we make here on the property, but I imagine it's fairly high in nitrogen due to the large amounts of wood shavings and chicken poo from cleaning out the coop.

Another thing I learned: if you want fresh potatoes to last for more than a few days, you need to cure them. Whodathunkit? Not I, and I was hoppin' mad at myself for letting the spuds go to waste like that. Tsk!

6 comments:

  1. I'm hearing pallets make a great tower. And Deb... pine needles. They go NUTS with pine needles!

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  2. WeldrBrat, would you believe our soil is too alkaline to support pines & traditional conifers? We do have some forms of cedar, but no pine at all. Our local garden center doesn't even sell them.

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  3. Soooo...how does one "cure" fresh potatoes?

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  4. VWalters - see this link for how to cure potatoes... http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=314705

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  5. This is generally a wonderful website i should say,I enjoyed reading your articles. This is truly a great read for me. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work

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  6. @cctv karachi: thanks for your comment!

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