TK, I'm taking a stab at potatoes myself this year. But, since my yard space is limited, I'm growing them in a half whiskey barrel! You must remember to put drainage holes in the bottom, and tho it didn't say so.. I put a few strategically placed rocks to help with draining. Some compost & topsoil, but not too much.. you want your barrel to be kinda low starting out. This is because as the potatoes grow, they will pop up from underneath the soil, and you need to keep adding more soil to keep them buried until they are ready. I used a couple of potatoes with a bunch of "eyes" on them, and cut them into a couple of sections, and just popped them in. This was all I was told I needed to do. Likely, I'm only going to grow more bugs.. but I hope to see something else there too..lol. The directions said to put about 5-6 pieces in with the eyes, and then the plants will multiply.. should get a good little bit for a little container. *fingers crossed*

Meg

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I reject your reality, and substitue my own!
My favorite digital camera photos that I took.
My family, garden, and a bunch of misc. photos!

Spuds are great to grow. The amount of produce you get for the input can be huge. I planted 15 spuds a bit bigger than a squash ball last season and got just under 30 KG of potatoes in a bed about 8' x 5'. Bargain.
Here's a link to how to do it. Note the potatoes under straw method. I've used that too and it's a cracker.
http://home.vtown.com.au/dbellamy/vegetables/spuds1.html
Also note that while it's ok to use potatoes from the pantry, if you buy certified disease free seed potatoes you are gauranteed not to bring any new diseases into your garden with them. They cost roughly the same as regular eating potatoes and are normally available from produce or feed n grain stores at planting time for your area.

I decided to try potatoes this year and am amazed at how well they are growing I have them growing in the dirt and have straw piled around them. They are 10-14 inches tall. It was driving Missy nuts wanting to dig them up so I let her dig one yesterday. Apparently they weren't ready cause we only had a few potatoes on it. She was tickled though and that's what counts I'll be cooking them and my green beans I harvested tonight!

According to what I found out you don't harvest the potatoes until the top plant dies down. I can't wait to see how many we get when they are really ready to dig up!

G-Mom

Hey TK. Don't invest in a cow or horse. (Unless you really want to). Invest in a cow or horse owner and tell 'em to give you a call when the stables have been cleaned out and they wanna get rid of it. People who have racehorses etc are often very happy to get rid of the stuff. A dairy nearby maybe?? When i was a kid my dad had a trailer parked at a local stables. The owner either gave him a call when it was full or towed it round and parked it in the backyard. Bewdy.
Dad fed a family of nine kids from his vege patch for many years.

I recently went to the ag show in the town i live in. I actually didn't go till the next day after it finished though and i filled a pickup with manure. It's all tucked in at home now composting away for when i get back to plant my potatoes. Yummo:)

So I don't own a vehicle.

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So is that why you wanna get a horse? Where you gonna put it?

I think you just need to make friends with the owner of a manure producer. I have horses myself and 4 put out more than I need. While I don't have a rig to deliver to my friends (my b-i-l is using my beatup pickup while his is being fixed) and you live just a mite far away, maybe your soon to be friend would be able to deliver to you. Call around to some local stables or dairies....it doesn's hurt to ask that is for sure. The worst they can say is no.

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GO DAWGS!

Thank you for the time line. I need all the help I can get. That gives me lots of time to get the rest of the garden in good shape.

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can you start potatos just be sticking one that has "eyes" all over it in the dirt?

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y203/lilpuppolo/
"If you want to talk bollocks and discuss the meaning of life,you're better off downing a bottle of whiskey.That way you're drunk by the time you start to take yourself seriously"

thanx longy,
the ones i tried in the ground were rather small,a little smaller than an egg. i hope it works. i might have to move them (knowing it works) to a different spot i don't really like where i put them thanx again

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y203/lilpuppolo/
"If you want to talk bollocks and discuss the meaning of life,you're better off downing a bottle of whiskey.That way you're drunk by the time you start to take yourself seriously"

thanks bill,
i don't know why,but i tell some of the "newbies" to use the forum search. can't really rekon why i don't use it

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http://photobucket.com/albums/y203/lilpuppolo/
"If you want to talk bollocks and discuss the meaning of life,you're better off downing a bottle of whiskey.That way you're drunk by the time you start to take yourself seriously"

Are you useing potatos you buy at the store or seed planting ones the seed pototas are best they produce much better I grow them every year.