skip to main content

Vegetable Gardening

potato bin ? when do you stop mounding!!!?

15 years ago

This is our first year growing potatoes and it SEEMS they're doing OK. We're using homemade bins and are at level 3, needing level 4, which we haven't built yet. We noticed some flower buds on a few plants the other day, but no blooms yet.

Our question is "When do you stop mounding"? Please don't tell us we've gotta keep doing this until the fall!! As it is, all we seem to get done in the garden is "fill up the potato bins"!

TIA for all of your sage advise & wisdoms.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

fostina1
15 years ago
at 6 foot unless you got a ladder. lol jk i have no clue.
Belgianpup
15 years ago
Stop when you want to. The only real rule is to cover the tubers deeply enough so sunlight can't touch the tubers, and it sounds like you're well past that point.

Sue
Related Discussions
Mounding up potatoes
Q
Comments (7)
The mound or hill around the potato plant is bigger at the base and it can get kind of conic as you build up. But usually potatoes are planted in rows. This way they are not mounded individually, but the whole row is hilled. The hills/mounds will not be washed becaus they are not that steep and also the tops will protect them. You can mulch the hills if you want. Actually, you can mound with straw, with sprinkle of soil on them. As I mentined, the hills are just housing for tubers, so the soil or straw does need to have nutrients in it. Only the root, that grows under the seed needs the nutrient. Also, I do not think that it is necessary to keep mounding till harvest. You do that for the first 2.5 months or so, then just leave them alone. Remember, the purpose of hilling is to provive room for the tubers to grow in it. A potato plant doe not grow a new tuber every day, but it statrts a whole bunch of them around the time it blooms. From there on enrgy is spent to grow them bigger.
...See More
Potato bins - continue potato conversation
Q
Comments (3)
You could surely do a portable composter. You can make one (I want to, but still need the soil) http://ft2garden.powweb.com/sinfonian/?page_id=12 But you can also get this folding composter, it is a roll, we had them at Ace last year (no longer) - black plastic full of small holes. Three stakes hold it in the ground and you could use that. It's pretty cheap and is not bad looking. I think you could also do one with chickenwire and then wrap that bamboo fencing stuff around it for looks. Fill that up and use it. GGG
...See More
Questions about Potato Bins
Q
Comments (30)
Greetings all! Grew sweets (Beauregard) in a rope bin. Harvested today. I was really nervous about them, b/c I had only seen vids and posts about regular potatoes in a bin. I planted 7 Home Depot transplants: 5/6/10 using lobster compost mixed with topsoil. I kept adding soil until the vines reached the top of the bin, no fertilizer. I checked on them in early September, as we had a really hot summer and I wanted to see if anything was happening down in that bin. I found scrawny roots mixed in with purple scrawny roots. So I gave them a really good soak a few times over a couple of weeks, them left them alone when the weather started to cool. We had an early frost and the vines had yellowed, but I didn't have time to check the bin and several rains came and went until I decided to check them today - the leaves were blackened. It's been really cold - 30s, 40s, 60s, so I doubted anything was going to happen. [IMG]http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx28/goofyboysmama/1289182167.jpg[/IMG] If pic doesn't post (don't know what i'm doing) I got 8-9 usable potatoes. Really pleased with myself - now I'll have to see if they will cure in my cold, drafty house.
...See More
How high do you build potato boxes
Q
Comments (24)
Well, I built Greg L.'s bin to his specifications. So I used roughy 3 foot 2x2s. There's no reason you couldn't go higher. Although there are possible issues to consider. One is your season. You want to let the plants grow at will and get bushy well before frost kills them. Another point is that I didn't find nearly as many potatoes in the upper 1/3 of the bin. Now part of that was probably my laziness at covering, but I do believe at some point you get diminishing returns. Possibly also the added weight of the soil would inhibit tater growth down below. All that leads me to continue to recommend the potato bin as designed. However, tires solve some of those problems. Of course tires are only so wide so you give up lots in the number of seeds you can start. Hehe I could talk all day on the various methods and materials used to grow potatoes vertically. I did a ton of research before I found those bins. Good luck and enjoy! Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure
...See More
User
15 years ago
This was my first year too so it's good to hear what to do. Won't be long and I will stop too. Vines are so healthy!

A ladder. LOL Reminds me of a question I had from some Californians who had moved here to Kansas. "Why so many two story houses," they asked. I explained that in the winter, when you're snowed in, you go upstairs and jump out a window.
tcstoehr
15 years ago
I keep wondering how much hilling actually does any good. No matter how high you hill them, they end up with the same number of vines, the same length vines, and the same number of leaves. IMO, at some point, the potato-producing potential of the leaves is reached and any more hilling is a waste of time. I have no idea what that height would be.
wild_forager
15 years ago
tcstoehr, hilling isn't for the leaves or stems, it's for the roots. Potato platns will form new tubers along the stem where it has contact with the soil.
carawaykara
15 years ago
I have read that it is best to stop hilling once they are in bloom, and that is exactly what I plan to do this year. Incidentally, my potato plants are doing excellent and I have found that they require little to no attention. I dug a trench about 10 inches deep, fertilized, put down tubers and covered with pine needles. Haven't had to water since and am hilling with more pine needles.

John

Related Stories

LIFE Hard Winter? 9 Ways to Battle Cabin Fever

By Becky Harris

We know a lot of you are trapped where it just won’t stop snowing. Here are some ways to survive

FUN HOUZZ 10 Truly Irritating Things Your Partner Does in the Kitchen

By Mitchell Parker

Dirty dishes, food scraps in the sink — will the madness ever stop?

LIFE How to Get Along With the Neighbors — and Live Happier at Home

By Laura Gaskill

Everyone wins when neighbors treat one another with kindness, consideration and respect

KITCHEN ISLANDS What to Consider With an Extra-Long Kitchen Island

By Eric Reinholdt, Architect

More prep, seating and storage space? Check. But you’ll need to factor in traffic flow, seams and more when designing a long island

EDIBLE GARDENS 6 Summer Edibles That Can Really Take the Heat

By Steve Asbell

When garden temperatures soar, these herbs and vegetables rise to the challenge

PLANTING IDEAS Stretch the Budget, Seasons and Style: Add Conifers to Your Containers

Small, low-maintenance conifers are a boon for mixed containers — and you can transplant them to your garden when they’ve outgrown the pot

KITCHEN DESIGN 7 Steps to Pantry Perfection

By Christine Tusher

Learn from one homeowner’s plan to reorganize her pantry for real life

FUN HOUZZ 14 Things You Need to Start Doing Now for Your Spouse’s Sake

By Mitchell Parker

You have no idea how annoying your habits at home can be. We’re here to tell you

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Squash

By Marianne Lipanovich

Almost foolproof and with cheerful flowers, squash comes in a wide range of varieties to plant in spring

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Sweet Summer Crops

By Marianne Lipanovich

This guide will help any gardener get started on growing the freshest warm-season veggies and berries for summer

Sponsored

Landscape Management Group

29 Reviews

High Quality Landscaping Services in Columbus

More Discussions

Veggie Tales >>> May 2024

28

Guess what caused this leaf damage?

8

More bite marks

2

Slugs war won, kinda

7

What are easy-to-grow veggies for pots, and that won't need trellises?

4