Planting potatoes

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-plant-potatoes

as a kid, i was in charge of potato section in our garden.... too bad i don't remember much - only that it was a separate section and that we put them in in rows and piled soil on top of them, so there were sort of trenches between the row where water could get to them.

I really don't like that idea for a whole bunch of reasons. Dag's information is much better. Although, you do not have to be so fussy about spacing or planting in a row and the video doesn't talk about mounding - very important to get lots of potatoes.

i'm no expert, but i think it would just suck the life out of the soil for a number of years afterwards...but that's an uneducated speculation.

Part of the problem is potatoes like an acid soil and most other veggies don't. Also, if planted in the spring, the potatoes would be ready before the other veggies are done producing and when you dig the potatoes you would disturb the roots of the other plants and possible cause them to go into shock or at least slow down their production. But the biggest reason is "hilling" - as potatoes grow it is important to keep light off of the foliage by mounding up soil around the new green growth. The potato plant will continue to make tubers if you continue to mound the foliage. This would be impossible if you ave a pepper plant or brussel sprout growing on top of them.

couple of thoughts re my potato growing, 1st. try going to your garden center and buying a few lbs of "seed potatoes" cut out the "eyes" with a good few inches of the meat still on the eyes, dig down about 10 to 12 inches and plant the eyes up under a few inches of soil and fill up to the top and several inches more (a mound) then when you start harvesting the "new" potatoes you can just lift up the straw, pick the ones you want then lay the straw back down, you can continue harvesting your spuds this way all season.

Thanks Green Witch and dys!

I don't know where I came across the idea but it must have been in an article on spin gardening or small plot gardening. I'm trying to find ways to make better use of my small area this year but maybe this isn't the way to go.

Back to the drawing board....

fill up to the top and mound with straw, edited for clarity re use of straw.

You can grow potatoes in whiskey barrels or buckets (with drainage holes) to save space. I used to live near a guy who did them in tires, he just stacked a new tire on when it was time to mound. I have no idea if the tires leak in anyway into the food.

Here are some step by step instructions. You have to scroll down a little:

http://mostlyiwillbegrowing.wordpress.com/how-to-grow/

One important point is of course what variety you plant. Not that it's different in planting but in eating

(I had to take care of the potatoes as well .... and always forgot, which row was what variety, sometimes even mixed the seed potatoes. But this freed me from having to do it again.)

Whenever I plant taters, I always use the DYS method. The "new taters" are great for charcoaled veggie packs in the summer. Potatoes do need the extra sulfur to maintain a low pH, and, as GW said, most all other veggies, except blueberries , like alkaline soils.
I plant my taters away from the tomatoes cause they will exchange viri. Print out a list of "companion plants" and use that as a guide for what goes next to what. Taters DO like to be planted near, beans corn, cabbage, and marigolds. TAters DO NOT like maters,any of the squash or pumpkin family, cucumbers, green or redpeppers, and sunflowers.

Let me see if I've got this straight...

Dig a hole 10 inches deep. (How big around should the hole be?)
Plant the potatoes a couple of inches deep.
Fill the hole with straw.
As the plant grows, continue to mound soil around the plant.
Then just lift the straw to harvest the potatoes?

That sounds easy!

Thanks for the companion ideas, farmerman. I'm hoping to start planting next weekend!