Rahab222
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 354
- Planting Zone
- 9B
Okay, I have both pest questions (that I will post in the appropriate thread) and a show and tell on my 2014 garden. I am still in the process of expanding/planting, so the garden is still trashed. However, I wanted to show you my potato boxes (4' x 4'). I am using a variety of soils and mixes throughout my garden area to see which ones will produce the best. In my potato boxes, I used a raised bed mix with rock dust and various other ingredients that I purchased from my favorite, local nursery. Because potatoes prefer acidic soil, and the bedding mix is "neutral," I shredded up a bale of pine needles and blended them into the bedding soil mix before dumping everything into the box and planting my seed potatoes on Valentine's Day, 2014. I did two additional 4' x 4' boxes with the same bedding mix, but without the shredded pine needles. The box with the pine needles blended in really took off and the other two boxes pale in comparison. I've taken photos to show you.
The box in the picture by itself has Red Pontiac potatoes with the shredded pine needles blended in with the mix to add acidity. I planted these in furrows with a partial seed potato in every square foot of the box (4/furrow length). I got three furrows/box = 12 plants. I kept just the surface watered lightly for two weeks and then used Jobe's Organics Fertilizer Spikes for Vegetables, 2-7-4, that I bought at Home Depot around each seed potato. Houston has had light rain almost every day since I added the fertilizer spikes, so I haven't had to water. These potato plants simply shot up and filled the entire box. I have hilled them once, two weeks ago, but it's time to do it again. I will hill all three boxes for the second time this weekend, as we are supposed to have a break from the rain.
The photo with the two boxes side-by-side, I did the same as outlined above, but I didn't add in any shredded pine needles to the soil in the box on the left. The smaller plants in the box on the left are Yukon Gold, but are comparable in size to the second box of Pontiac Red potatoes I planted without any shredded pine needles either. When I hilled the potatoes two weeks ago and realized the difference, I put shredded pine needles on top of the other two boxes of potatoes, as it was too late to blend them into the soil. I haven't finished layering the top of the Yukon Gold potato box completely, yet, because of the rain.
I had to add an additional board to the box of Pontiac Reds where I added the pine needles in with the original raised bed mix to keep the mix I used to hill the potatoes from falling out. This box is now 18 inches deep and the other two boxes are still their original 12 inch depths, i.e. I haven't needed to add a third board to them.
It's time to hill them again. My question is, do I just hill the potato plant up to the bottom row of leaves or six inches up on the plant, which will cover some of the leaves?
The box in the picture by itself has Red Pontiac potatoes with the shredded pine needles blended in with the mix to add acidity. I planted these in furrows with a partial seed potato in every square foot of the box (4/furrow length). I got three furrows/box = 12 plants. I kept just the surface watered lightly for two weeks and then used Jobe's Organics Fertilizer Spikes for Vegetables, 2-7-4, that I bought at Home Depot around each seed potato. Houston has had light rain almost every day since I added the fertilizer spikes, so I haven't had to water. These potato plants simply shot up and filled the entire box. I have hilled them once, two weeks ago, but it's time to do it again. I will hill all three boxes for the second time this weekend, as we are supposed to have a break from the rain.
The photo with the two boxes side-by-side, I did the same as outlined above, but I didn't add in any shredded pine needles to the soil in the box on the left. The smaller plants in the box on the left are Yukon Gold, but are comparable in size to the second box of Pontiac Red potatoes I planted without any shredded pine needles either. When I hilled the potatoes two weeks ago and realized the difference, I put shredded pine needles on top of the other two boxes of potatoes, as it was too late to blend them into the soil. I haven't finished layering the top of the Yukon Gold potato box completely, yet, because of the rain.
I had to add an additional board to the box of Pontiac Reds where I added the pine needles in with the original raised bed mix to keep the mix I used to hill the potatoes from falling out. This box is now 18 inches deep and the other two boxes are still their original 12 inch depths, i.e. I haven't needed to add a third board to them.
It's time to hill them again. My question is, do I just hill the potato plant up to the bottom row of leaves or six inches up on the plant, which will cover some of the leaves?
); a pint of kumquat/orange marmalade that was the first batch I made with my Ball jam machine; and two pints of Candied Jalapeno Peppers that I made last week (I think I'm going to have to adjust the recipe. She's going to be my taste critic after the candied jalapenos sit two more weeks.) We also took a stroll through my garden and I picked her some ripe tomatoes, peppers, purple onions and strawberries to take home with her, too. She's decided we need to have a once a month "canning session" at my place. Next month, we're going to try to make apple butter jelly.