Wine Barrel planting

[Guest guest]

I've decided I'm going to get a couple of wine barrels and plant sweet potatoes in one and reg. potatoes in the other one. I've been told that this is the easiest method for growing potatoes(not having deep non-rocky soil here).

I've never grown either sweet or reg. potatoes before. Is there anything I need to know or any advise from veteran potatoe growers on here? Would love to here any advise. ;-)

sluggy

[Guest guest]

Never tried sweet potatoes, but I did grow potatoes back in PA. They are very easy to grow. There are several easy methods. People even grow them in plastic garbage cans, although I personally would not. You can either put dirt or straw in the bottom of your container/hole, put the seed potatoes in, and cover with a few more inches of dirt/straw. As the plants grow, you keep adding in dirt or straw. Then when it's harvesting time, you simply push aside the dirt/straw, and pick your potatoes. I think Ruth Stoudt pioneered this easy method back in the 70's.

 

You must be a mind reader, Sluggy! I've been eyeing up wine barrels at HD, thinking about getting a couple for potatoes too, lolol. I haven't talked myself into it yet, for lack of space, but I haven't given up on the idea yet. I didn't consider sweet potatoes, but that might be a great idea that will finally motivate me, lolol. ;-)Keep us posted,

Cyndi

 

In a message dated 3/30/2008 1:36:12 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, arcure writes:

 

I've decided I'm going to get a couple of wine barrels and plant sweet potatoes in one and reg. potatoes in the other one. I've been told that this is the easiest method for growing potatoes(not having deep non-rocky soil here).

I've never grown either sweet or reg. potatoes before. Is there anything I need to know or any advise from veteran potatoe growers on here? Would love to here any advise. ;-)

sluggy

 

Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home.

[Guest guest]

Cool! I was cooking some sweet potatoes last night for dinner, and thinking I really need to try them this year. Ellen, where do you order your seed potatoes from? I love the fingerlings.

 

Cyndi

 

In a message dated 3/31/2008 9:20:31 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, stringweaver writes:

 

You can buy sweet potato starts by mail order. That has it's advantages, especially if you live in a short season area-you can choose faster yielding varieties. But you can also start your own with a grocery store sweet potato. I've always bought mine, but here's what I've read about starting slips:

 

Stick toothpicks in the potato and suspend it halfway in a glass of water. It should develop roots at one end and shoots at the other. Sometimes it just gets slimy-in that case, compost it and try another. If/when you get shoots, let them grow to about 6 inches in length, then break them off and root those in water. When they've got a good growth of roots and your soil is warm (above 60 F), plant them outside. If they are happy, they produce abundantly. I haven't tried them in wine barrels yet, I imagine you could grow 3 or 4 vines in a large wine barrel.

 

You're supposed to cure them after harvest in a warm, humid place, then store them at about 50 to 60 degrees-their texture and flavor will improve with storage-though they are not bad right out of the ground. Curing is my problem, In Utah there is no humidity-ever, and not much warmth in October. But they seem to do ok anyway. I'm planning to set up a barrel or two of them this year.

 

I plant my regular potatoes in mid april in a deep raised bed. I dig a trench down the length of the bed, put the potatoes in the trench about 14 inches apart and cover them with a couple inches of soil. As they grow I pull the soil from the trench diggings over them until they reach ground level, then add mulch above that. I run a drip tape alongside the trench for watering. You can start stealing a few new potatoes when the plants start to bloom. For storage, let them grow until the tops start to die, or your first frost. Dig them up and lay them out in a protected space for a week or so to cure (I put them on a tarp in my carport), then bag them up or box them and store in the cellar in the dark. And enjoy them all winter. I will get about 50 pounds of russets from a 20 foot row, 30 pounds of fingerlings.

 

Home grown potatoes really do taste much better than store bought potatoes. My favorites are All Blue-a baking potato with lavendar flesh and the most amazing flavor and Swedish Peanut, a buttery nutty fingerling. I'll also be trying a couple new varieties this year, LaRatte, which Barbara Kingsolver raves about in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Red Thumb, both fingerling varieties.

 

Ellen

 

Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home.

[Guest guest]

You must be a mind reader, Sluggy! I've been eyeing up wine barrels at HD, thinking about getting a couple for potatoes too, lolol. I haven't talked myself into it yet, for lack of space, but I haven't given up on the idea yet. I didn't consider sweet potatoes, but that might be a great idea that will finally motivate me, lolol. ;-)

 

 

You can buy sweet potato starts by mail order. That has it's advantages, especially if you live in a short season area-you can choose faster yielding varieties. But you can also start your own with a grocery store sweet potato. I've always bought mine, but here's what I've read about starting slips:

 

Stick toothpicks in the potato and suspend it halfway in a glass of water. It should develop roots at one end and shoots at the other. Sometimes it just gets slimy-in that case, compost it and try another. If/when you get shoots, let them grow to about 6 inches in length, then break them off and root those in water. When they've got a good growth of roots and your soil is warm (above 60 F), plant them outside. If they are happy, they produce abundantly. I haven't tried them in wine barrels yet, I imagine you could grow 3 or 4 vines in a large wine barrel.

 

You're supposed to cure them after harvest in a warm, humid place, then store them at about 50 to 60 degrees-their texture and flavor will improve with storage-though they are not bad right out of the ground. Curing is my problem, In Utah there is no humidity-ever, and not much warmth in October. But they seem to do ok anyway. I'm planning to set up a barrel or two of them this year.

 

I plant my regular potatoes in mid april in a deep raised bed. I dig a trench down the length of the bed, put the potatoes in the trench about 14 inches apart and cover them with a couple inches of soil. As they grow I pull the soil from the trench diggings over them until they reach ground level, then add mulch above that. I run a drip tape alongside the trench for watering. You can start stealing a few new potatoes when the plants start to bloom. For storage, let them grow until the tops start to die, or your first frost. Dig them up and lay them out in a protected space for a week or so to cure (I put them on a tarp in my carport), then bag them up or box them and store in the cellar in the dark. And enjoy them all winter. I will get about 50 pounds of russets from a 20 foot row, 30 pounds of fingerlings.

 

Home grown potatoes really do taste much better than store bought potatoes. My favorites are All Blue-a baking potato with lavendar flesh and the most amazing flavor and Swedish Peanut, a buttery nutty fingerling. I'll also be trying a couple new varieties this year, LaRatte, which Barbara Kingsolver raves about in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Red Thumb, both fingerling varieties.

 

Ellen

[Guest guest]

On 3/31/08, cyndikrall <cyndikrall wrote:

 

 

 

Cool! I was cooking some sweet potatoes last night for dinner, and thinking I really need to try them this year. Ellen, where do you order your seed potatoes from? I love the fingerlings.

 

Cyndi

 

I'm trying a new place this year-they had LaRatte, which I wanted to try.

 

find them at potatogarden.com.

 

Ellen