I want to grow potatoes?

@cynthiann (18602)
Jamaica
February 9, 2009 2:00pm CST
My girlfriend called me today and said that she wanted to grow potatoes. I got very excited over this as I also had decided to grow potatoes. I already had some old potatoes sprouting in a cool dark place. She said that she had read how to do it by using old car tyres. Evidently you put down one tyre then put earth in the tyre and plant the seedling. when it grow high you then put a second tyre over the first and put in more earth. You can go up to 3 or 4 tyres. she says it seems likely to can then reap massive amounts of potatoes from the seedlings. It sounds great as I want to put some in if planted in a container then it would be less work. I have planted bananas and plantains, sugar cane and fruit trees and a breadfruit tree. But I miss the good old English potato. I like the dry ones like the Idaho potatoes. I'm also planting string beans and pumpkin in my efforts against the massive increase of food prices. Have any mylotters planted potatoes and if they have, does this way sound feasible?
12 people like this
22 responses
• United States
10 Feb 09
I think that potatos should be the national vegtable. Other than that i think that your relationship is really dull if you get excited over potatos. You should give your girl friend a little bit more to talk about.
4 people like this
• United States
10 Feb 09
i grow potatoes every yr u plant them on valentines day put the eyes up and cover in dirt once they are up u keep a mound of dirt around them they do great if your plant keeps blooming and no product u planted on blooming day which u might as well pull it up that is why u plant on valentines day best product day
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
Thank you for responding. Welcome to Mylot - I see that you are a new member. I hope that you enjoy it here and make friends.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
Dear Myst1111 - Thank you for responding. I like the idea of planting them on Valentine's day. Thanks for this and enjoy Mylot.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 Feb 09
I have heard nothing but good things from the tire version. I like planting the new potatoes or red potatoes. I will have to say if you are growing them in a planter put them in more shade than called for because they will get too hot. I had quite a few of the that produced a lot but I think I would have gotten more if they had been in more shade. Clay pots are also best for this!
4 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
9 Feb 09
This is great tinkerbell. Thank you for responding as I now know where to put them in my garden as I do live in a hot country. what I don't understand is if yo have to keep the sprouting part covered for much of the growing time? Many thanks for responding
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
10 Feb 09
be careful with the tires, some times they release toxins
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (63643)
• United States
10 Feb 09
I probably wouldn't have thought of it myself except this very point came up about growing veggies in tires and around railroad ties on Freecycle recently.
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
I hadn't thought of that. I am going to get advice re this point. I appreciate you response. Many thanks for this advice.
3 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
10 Feb 09
i have never heard ogf them done like that but that doesn't mean a thing. lol my grandaddy use to raise potatoes & i use to help him dig them. of course i thought it was fun back then but now i couldn't even get down to dig. lol i hope u have good luck w/them. let me know how they do. groceries are so outrageous i need to be raising something. tried to have a little garden last summer but it didn't do worth a hoot.my aunt told me a long time ago i had a brown thumb instead of a green one.
3 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
10 Feb 09
i hope they turn out well. i wasn't knocking the way u were going to do it. growing poratoes just brought back fond mempries of my grandaddy.
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
I have no intention to dig and am too old to dig potatoes - trust me.Lol If you read the responses to my post you may just get encouraged and try to grow some in tyres. It sounds so simple and something that I can do. Thank you for responsing to my post. Blessings
3 people like this
@Humbug25 (12540)
9 Feb 09
Hi there cynthiann Well I can honestly say that I have never heard of this method ever. I did, lets say, bury some potatoes around about September last year and a plant did grow from them through the earth in my veggie patch. I was told to cover them over with earth every time I saw the leaves coming through again but they grew too high by the time I noticed them for the first time. Then we didn't spend any time out in the garden because it got colder and now I have no clue what is going on down in the depths of my veggie patch. I did grow courgettes last year quite successfully but my pumpkin plants got trampled by some workmen. I saved some seeds from the pumpkins we used for Halloween and dried them out. I am not sure how to start them off, any ideas? When spring finally arrives I will be able to get out into my garden and dig over my veggie patch and see if there any spuds buried under the earth. Maris Pipers are my favourites, great for making roast potatoes and chips! Let me know how you get on!
3 people like this
@Humbug25 (12540)
9 Feb 09
Well I did managed to grow a small pumpkin but it was no bigger than a cherry tomato!! LOL It was way too late in the season and slugs ate it but it wouldn't have grown much more than that anyway! I dare say that if the workmen hadn't of stood on them then I might have had some pumpkins in time for Halloween!! Well I will give them a go again this year and see what happens!
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
9 Feb 09
Many thanks humbug. You've helped me a great deal. I heard that they have ot be covered a few times with earth each time you see the tip - what i want to know is how many times? With the pumpkin, I just planted the a few seeds in the ground. The vine tends to go all over the place so you can gently lift the top of the vine and point it in the right direction! some people dust the seeds with an insecticide to stop them from being eaten by bugs but I never bother with this. They have a saying out here that if a pregnant women jumps over the pumpkin vine then it will bear heavily. LOL Mind you, when I was pregnant with one of my sons I remmber giving a little hop over the vine one day! I hope that you get some potatoes. String beans are easy and also cherry tomatoes can be grown in anything
3 people like this
• United States
9 Feb 09
that's the way we grow potatoes too.we put them in mounds.i don't know what breadfruit tree is. does it ready taste like bread or does it look like bread? how long does it take a banana tree to grow?I think banana are a tree.I which we had your weather.we are all filling the pinch these day but, sounds like you are well on your way to cutting those bills.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
9 Feb 09
The breadfruit tree is a huge tree and the breadfruits are treated like any starchy food. You can boil it roast it, fry it when cooked etc. It can also be stuffed with meat and baked in the over. The bananas are actually plants and they take 8 months to grow but small plants emerge and grow during this time., so you cut down one plant that has borne fruit and another one is there still growing.Bananas look strong but believer me they are prima donnas and fall down in the wind! what I don't understand is do you keep putting earth on the potato as it grows to cover the ends? The tips? I don't understand the process at all. I know that they are reaped when they begin to flower. That's about it. The next few years are going to be about survival and we will not be able to import food as we have been doing.Thank you for your kind response
3 people like this
• United States
9 Feb 09
We use to cut a section with an eye in it.so one potatoes can make a number of new plants.they let them cure(put them in a dark dry,cool place)If i remember it did not take long maybe a week or two.the curing let the out side harden up.then you plant like you are making sand castles the bottom wall is the largest and the next wall is a little smaller and so on.make sure the potatoes do not touch each other. they will rot where they touch.if i remember right we put them below ground four to six inches.i know different type potatoes we planted a little bit different.you said your was english i don't know about them.you may want to ask someone that live around you.i don't want to led you wrong.thank you for tell me about the bread fruit and banana.
3 people like this
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
10 Feb 09
It does sound like it will work, but it also sounds like more work than needed. I've grown potatoes in containers just using dried leaves. Rake up a bunch of leaves, fill up a 5 gallon bucket (or bigger container) and drop the sprouting potatoes in.
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
Thiks is incredible! There are so many resourcerful people at Mylot. Do you keep watering the leaves? Thanks for your input and thanks also for responding
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
My girlfriend phoned today (she's going to do it too) and said that we should use mulch and no fertiliser. I do have a compost heap here at owrk so I am going to use some of this. I think that I will use the tyres and the garbage can container method. I am gett6ing so excited over this projest as I am trying to be more self sufficient., Thak you for responding again.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
10 Feb 09
Yes, I grow potatoes...and think since they were invented! LOL! I have grown every method...and the tire method is far superior...and far LESS work! Potatoes MUST be hilled as they grow...that is hoeing the soil up around the plant, as potatoes do not grow deep into the soil! That is why they don't/won't do good in containers! Fill the bottom tire with soil, plant your potato, as the potato grows keep adding soil and repeat this process! Keep it well watered! But NOT soggy! Depending on your growing season you can continue adding tires, I can, in my growing season add 6-7! Harvesting is so easy, have a bucket & wheel barrow handy, take off top tire...remove potatos, soil in wheel barrow, and continue process! Do not re-use that soil for potatoes, next year unless you sterilize it as it may have either weevil or nematode eggs! It can be used for a member of the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers) etc...but make sure to add nitrogen (thru manures to the soil) Potatoes, nightshade family are heavy nitrogen feeders! Rather than pumpkins, I would suggest you plant any member of the squash family, and they benefit from hilling too! Do not plant two different varieties of one squash family in one container...or in close proximity..their geneology is so close they will cross pollinate! Please feel free to PM me for help!
2 people like this
• Canada
11 Feb 09
The reason I suggested squash (in it's many forms)as they are from the same family, as pumpkins....you can only eat, preserve so much pumpkin...but their are species of squashes that will keep all winter....to help keep you in fresh veggies!
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
13 Feb 09
Oh, now I understand. Thank you for clarifying it for me. and many thanks for taking the time to respond. Blessings
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
11 Feb 09
Thank you for responding and also for the information given. I really appreciate what you have said - good advice that I will take. I was planning to plant the pumpkin around the back of my house and just let it run! I really like the tyre method though and am now looking/begging for old tyres. I wish that I had known before how easy it is to do. If I run into difficulties then I will definitely pm you for help! Many thanks again. I so appreciate your response. I really want to be pro active re rising prices and food shortages that we will experience this next year where I live. Blessings
2 people like this
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
10 Feb 09
One of the gardening shows I watched years ago showed how to plant potatoes in a garbage can (a 32 gallon trash can). As they explained, it would make it much easier to harvest the potatoes rather than trying to dig them out of the ground. You need a container that is large enough for the potatoes to spread out and get large. That's why a 32 gallon trash can would be great. I don't know how much potatoes are where you are, but you could buy a few in the grocery store and plant them and get plenty of potatoes. Just make sure that you don't over water them and you make sure that there is good quality soil that you are planting them in. I plant potatoes all the time, but I harvest them before they get too big, they're "new" potatoes and are wonderful and have a strong potato taste. I do plant them in a garbage can so that they are easily harvested...planting them in tires would be great, except if your ground gets hard then it would be hard to harvest them. Plus the tires would retain too much heat for the potatoes to grow well, you would be watering them an awful lot.
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
You have made a good point re planting in tyres as I live in a hot country but I do have plenty of water. Maybe I should put the Tyre in a spot where it is not in the sun all day. What do you think? I must say congratulations are the garbage can planting for potatoes. I'm glad that you do it as I may call upon you for advice! LOL Thank you so very much for responding. I use to love the new potatoes and eat them with butter and mint! Oh the memories! Blessings
2 people like this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
10 Feb 09
Sounds tiring. Ok, that's my dumb pun for the day, sorry... Anyway, nope I have never planted potatoes. Let us know how it works out!!!
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
11 Feb 09
Good pun batman! why not join us in planting? Even a 5 gallon container can give you a lot of potatoes. Thanks for responding. Beam me up Scottie
2 people like this
• United Kingdom
9 Feb 09
That sounds like a very good idea! I only live in a one bedroom flat and I don't have a garden or anything but I heard that you can just buy a very large pot that you can place by the window and you can grow a potato or two! I don't know if this makes a lot of sense though as you're not going to be able to grow enough to make a meal! I'm sure that there's a sense of achievement to be had once you start growing your own vegetables. You may have a good plan and I wish you a lot of luck with it. Andrew
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
9 Feb 09
Andrew - thanks for responding. You should reap about 10lbs of potatoes if you plant two seed potatoes or let a potato sprout at the eyes. There should be at least two eyes on each piece planted. Once the potato plant is two inches tall then you put more earth, or compost or potting filler on it. I'm really going to try and do it and see how it works out. When the plant appears agin, then you cover it when it reaches two inches tall. why not try it with me? Many thanks for responding - so encouragingly too. Blessings
2 people like this
@lilcee (2703)
• United States
9 Feb 09
That sounds interesting. We've been thinking of trying a garden too. We tried one before but it didn't do well because of our soil here in Florida. When we lived in New York we had a big garden and it was nice but here in Florida we have a hard time growing things. We'd like to try it again. The potatoes in tires sounds interesting. Let us know how it goes.
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
9 Feb 09
I promise you that I will. My girlfriend is hunting down old car tyres so that we can get started. Use mulch too - potato peelings to help enrich your soil. But it is good to do it in pots or containers. Many thanks for responding
2 people like this
• United States
10 Feb 09
Wow good for you two. I had never heard of planting potatoes in tires but it seems like a great idea. My aunt has planted them in 5 gallon buckets for years and does basically the same things plants them near the bottom then as they grow covers them with dirt till the bucket is full. she gets a bucket full of taters when they are all ready i was amazed the first time she did this. We to hear in PA are all preparing for gardens as fresh produce is thru the roof and there are so many nastys in the store bought canned kind
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
11 Feb 09
Thanks for responding. I am amazed at the responses I have got and the information that mylotter's have given me. We have to do the best we can and save in these tough times. One way to save is to plant food - and to plant our little plots organically. Do you know if your aunt had holes in the bucket for drainage?
2 people like this
@mrgeebee (133)
• United States
10 Feb 09
years ago when i lived on a farm we used to cut the eyes out of the potatoe , (quarter them ) and lay them on the ground and cover them with hay . the hay kept them from the weather allowed the rain to keep them wet . worked well , no digging
3 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
Now this is news to me. I did not know that they would grow in hay! They seem so easy to grow. Thak you for responding to my post.
2 people like this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
9 Feb 09
I have grown potatoes in straw to keep them cleaner than when they grow in dirt. I never tried to grow them in tires but this is what I found. http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/sanders98.html To begin, pick a spot that is out of the way and perhaps out of sight where you can stack your tires. Loosen the soil just enough to allow for some drainage and place the first tire. Fill it with soil, being sure to fill the inside of the tire casing as well. Take your seed potatoes and cut them into pieces that have at least two “eyes,” or sprout buds in each piece. It doesn’t hurt to let each piece dry for a day or two before planting it. Plant three or four cut potato sets into the soil in the tire center. Cover the sets with enough soil to bring it level with the top of the opening. Once the new potato plants get to be about eight inches tall, add another tire and add soil around the plants until just a couple of inches of the tops are above the soil. Repeat this process for the third and subsequent tires. As you add tires and soil to the ‘tater stack, the plant stalk is covered with soil. As you do this, the existing stalk will send off roots as well as grow upward to once again find the sunlight it needs. Since you are gradually raising the soil level eight inches or so at a time, the plant is able to keep growing without suffocating. At the same time, you are creating a 24- to 36-inch tap root off of which many lateral roots will develop. Each of the lateral roots can produce additional potatoes at three or four levels instead of only one. When you water the plant, be sure that the soil is thoroughly moistened all the way down to the base of the pile. Since the tires also act as an insulator and heat sink for your potatoes, the added warmth will stimulate the lateral roots to multiply more quickly, giving you more potatoes. To harvest your crop, wait until the top dries up and begin to remove the tires, working your way down the stack and harvesting the potatoes as you go.
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
10 Feb 09
One never loses by trying something new. it may fail but then you know of one way that wont work.
3 people like this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
13 Feb 09
Thanks for the BR
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
I think that I am becoming knowledge about potatoes and have learnt so much from everyone who responded. Your response was incredible and has given me the confidence to do it. After all, what can I lose? Nothing to lose but knowledge gained. Thank you again for responding so carefully and deeply to my post. Blessings
3 people like this
@cheenlly (3476)
• Philippines
10 Feb 09
This is very informative. I would like myself to try this because i really have to find ways to productive. If i grow potatoes, i may able to earn from it or i can use it personally as i also love potatoes. I am just confused about what you said putting another tire from the first, so it mean you will ruined the first one which already had a grow plant...sorry if this may sound silly but i am just confused. I am just interested to learn your way. I have never tried growing potatoes and after reading this, i am very much interested.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
No yo are not silly at all. Look at my responses and you will learn, just like I am doing, how easy it is to do and we can do it. I am determined to do it. You can get as much as 30lbs of potatoes from the tyres as you reap. You take off the first tyre and reap the potatoes of that one and then take off the next tyre and do the same. We can do it if we want to survive and we have to learn about it and try. You let the plants in the first tyre grow to 8 inches and then put on the next tyre leaving just a tip of the plant out and when that plant grows another 8 inches you put on another tyre, again leaving out the tip of the plant. After the third tyre you let the plant bloom and flower and then die down. Then you reap. Read the previous posts and you will understand better. Thank you for responding
1 person likes this
@laglen (19759)
• United States
10 Feb 09
we did potatoes last year. We did them in large decorative pots. We did very well just started them at the bottom and layered on the dirt as the plant grew. It looked very nice and we got quite a few potatoes.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
I cannot believe the creativity of persons on Mylot. This is amazing. I am definitely inspired to do it in the near future. I live in a hot country so I expect that I could do it all year round. Thank you for responding.
1 person likes this
@seabeauty (1480)
• United States
10 Feb 09
I am not into gardening however that tire thing sounds interesting. I do have a big back yard for growing things but the soil is made of red clay and some parts are hard and rocky and some parts of the soil are soft. Do you place the soil and potatoes inside the rim of the tire or in the hole/center part?
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
I think that you would have to get some lighter soil and mix with what you have, Ort you can use potting soil to lighten it. If you read the last posts from deebomb and anomalie you will understnad better. Yes, you must put soil in the rim of the tyre too. Plant three potaoes in the tyre spaced out. Let us do it together and be productive. Many thanks for responding
1 person likes this
@mammamuh (582)
• Sweden
4 Mar 09
I've never heard of useing tires - but the method is working - here many people use the sam method, but with other things than tires. I'll plant potatoes this way this year - but not in tires ;-) I use pallet collars - it's a 80 x 120 cm big frame that is foldable and that is about 20 cm high. They can be put on top of each other and be as high as youl like. I've grown potatoes all my life - when I was small we had a very big field where we grew potatoes that lasted all year for several families.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
4 Mar 09
I was thinking of starting one set of tyres and then another set about 6 weeks later. I am jusat getting ready to plant. I did not know that potatoes vould be grown the year round. Many thanks for this info and thanks for responding
@BlueGoblin (1829)
• United States
10 Feb 09
Potatoes are the easiest thing in the world to grow. However, potatoes grow best when they are little small balls. (I don't know how else to describe it.) Potato peels will grow but not as fast nor will they be ready by fall. I tried it and my potatoes were very small. I just replanted them for next year. Make sure you bury them deep enough or they will pop up during the rainy months. Planting them in tires will probably work. I never done it but it sounds feasible.
2 people like this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
10 Feb 09
Thank you for responding Blue Goblin, I call the small potatoes "new" potatoes. I really did not know that potatoes can grow from peelings too! I am so amazed at what I've learnt. I am going to plant them in tyres and see how they do. Then I will let everyone know the results. I live in a hot country so I will probably have to ensure that they get sufficient water. I've just thought that it is likely that I can plant them all the year round. what do you think?
1 person likes this