# potatoe towers



## Annemette (Sep 5, 2012)

I have tried to make a potatoe tower and for a long time it went well, but now 2 out of 3 towers have dyed - any idea why?

I started planting the potatoes in april and over the summer they have grown nicely while I have been adding soil (see attachment). But in early August they started looking more and more dried out. I have not watered them alot - could that be the reason?

Any experience here with vertical potatoes or other vertical veggies?

Green regards

Anne Mette


----------



## Tammy (Jun 21, 2012)

I only planted potatos once, several years ago, but didn't use this technique. I just planted them in the ground and kept mounding soil up on them as the plant grew. But this would probably be about the time that the plant part above the ground would start to dry out anyways. Did it get the flowers on the top part of the plant? If I remember correctly, once it flowers, then you'll want to cut back on watering and as the plant starts to dry up, you'll stop watering all together. This will allow for the skins on the potato to set and dry up for digging and storage. 

I hope someone will come along and correct me if I'm mistaken about this.


----------



## stephanie (Jun 21, 2012)

I did some in a 55 gallon barrel last year with mixed results, I kept adding dirt to the barrel until it was full. But to start you are supposed to put around 6 inches of dirt place your seed potato's then cover with more dirt and as they sprout and come up threw the soil you ad more soil but don't completely cover the leaves leave about an inch of the potato plant showing and repeat this till the barrel is full. make sure to have plenty of drainage holes or the plants and potato's will rot.Think if I was to do it again in a barrel I would do the initial 6 inches of soil and cover the seed potato's with soil then after that I would just use straw to cover the plants as they grew till it was full of compacted straw then leave them alone till the tops die back then harvest.


----------



## Patty (Jun 22, 2012)

This was my 2nd season with potatoes. Both seasons turned out great. I dug a trench, loosened the soil in the bottom a little, then put in the potatoes (having cut and seasoned them first) about 12" apart. Then covered with about 3 inches of soil. As they began to grow up, I covered with another layer of soil, and kept doing that until the plants were well on their way, then left them alone. When the plants fall over and turn brown, it's time to dig up the potatoes. I never used straw or any kind of mulch and it has worked out well. I've heard recently that you shouldn't plant potatoes in the same spot each year, but I don't know if that's true. Anyone know for sure?


----------

