Potato Barrel Test.
 

I would like to ask some of the more adventurous potato growers out there to do something.

I would like them to grow potatoes in a barrel and document the growth of the potato to see if they really do what some on line claim they do.

Here is what I have read.
You can keep piling soil on the vine as it grows and new potatoes will keep forming on the vine.
In time the whole barrel will be full of potatoes from top to bottom.

I have looked on line for pictures of this and have yet to find any real photos of this.

I would like to see proof of the plant putting on new potatoes on the vine as it is covered.

So far all I have found is barrels kicked over and drawings.

A good way to do this would be to get a big trash can and cut the thing down the side so you could split it open and see the growth up and down the vine.

I dont live in potato growing country or I would do it myself.

Any takers?

Cheers.:)

Worth

Worth, I've yet to see this happen. At least to the extent that some people claim. I've tried more than once, but for me it's been mostly a waste of growing medium.
I think my problem is that they dry out when I try to stack the soil too high. Automated watering would probably help.

With you living in one of the warmer climates, I would imagine that you would have no trouble with sweet potatoes; just a thought. I love sweet potatoes.

Charlie

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/URL/?QHBIN[/URL] 21 August 2009 How a Potato Plant Grows
There is a great deal of information on the Internet about growing potatoes in tires, boxes and indicating that large quantities of new tubers can be produced with high vertical hilling. The view propagated is that potatoes grow from branches all along the main stalk. This is utter nonsense, as the pictures indicate. New tubers are formed around the seed potato and always slightly above it.
My potato growing test box was opened today. The pictures speak for themselves. Clearly there is no advantage in carrying out excessive hilling when growing potatoes. The purpose of hilling is to insure the tubers are covered, since light affects potatoes producing a green appearance, which is an indication of solanine, which is harmful if ingested in large quantities.. For comparison one Pontiac Red was dug in the same row, which was almost identical to the test box potato in appearance.

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BKWAI[/URL] 11 September 2010 Yukon Gold Test Box Potatoes
Yukon Gold Potatoes were harvested today. A total weight of 23.5 pounds was harvested from the 4 by 4 foot test area. The quality is excellent. Another plant could probably be placed in the center of the area without crowding. The average weight per plant was 5.9 pounds. From my experience anything over 4 pounds is acceptable.
For reference.
[URL]http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XWWLI[/URL] 19 May 2010. Test to determine quantity by weight of four Yukon Gold potatoes.
A box 4 by 4 feet by 11 inches high was made in ideal soil and location to determine the quantity of potatoes by weight that can be produced. Each plant has about a foot on each side to insure minimum crowding of the root system. The seed potato was planted just below ground level and covered with soil about two inches on top.
Soil was placed in the corners for the first hilling. After the first hilling the growing plant will be covered adequately with bedding wood chips until the end of the season.
This test is to establish by weight the quantity, and size quality of potatoes that can be grown in a small space.
[URL]http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CZJZE[/URL] 26 June 2010 Yukon Gold Potato Growth in 4 by 4 foot Test Box
The potatoes were hilled once and heavily mulched. A string was tied around the vegetation to keep upright. The premise being that the more vegetation exposed to the sun feeds the new tubers. This opposed to deep hilling and hiding the vegetation.

[URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=30203[/URL]

It seems that the ordinary commercial potato doesn't but there are species that will.

[url]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=28185[/url]

[QUOTE=Doug9345;395802][URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=30203[/URL]

[SIZE=4][COLOR=Red]It seems that the ordinary commercial potato doesn't but there are species that will.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=28185[/URL][/QUOTE]

This is the only thing I would like to see not the exotic potatoes.
The normal potato is what you read about on line as far as the barrel potato is concerned.
Russet.
Red.
Thin skinned white.
Yukon Gold.

Worth

If you have to buy soil or other growing media (and I assume you would because if you have garden beds to plant potatoes in you wouldn't be doing it) the cost of the soil outweighs the worth of the few potatoes you will get. I tried it, not in a barrel but in one of those much advertised potato grow bags and I did get a few potatoes but not enough to ever bother with again and all of the potatoes in the apparatus were at the very bottom where the seed potatoes were planted, none further up the stem as was supposed to be the case. If you figure in the cost of the grow bag, plus the cost of seed potato as well as the cost of soil that was an expensive little bucket of fingerling potatoes I grew. Next time take the money to the farmer's market and buy 50 pounds of nice big well grown potatoes...
Karen

[QUOTE=KarenO;395807]If you have to buy soil or other growing media (and I assume you would because if you have garden beds to plant potatoes in you wouldn't be doing it) the cost of the soil outweighs the worth of the few potatoes you will get. I tried it, not in a barrel but in one of those much advertised potato grow bags and I did get a few potatoes but not enough to ever bother with again and all of the potatoes in the apparatus were at the very bottom where the seed potatoes were planted, none further up the stem as was supposed to be the case. If you figure in the cost of the grow bag, plus the cost of seed potato as well as the cost of soil that was an expensive little bucket of fingerling potatoes I grew. Next time take the money to the farmer's market and buy 50 pounds of nice big well grown potatoes...
Karen[/QUOTE]

Karen the reason I am quoting you is I want to make sure people read it.

Potatoes are so cheap I would never waste my time or money growing them in a container that I had to buy everything for.
And I dont like blue potatoes not one bit.:no:
The color throws me off.:lol:

My family grew long rows of potatoes and we stored them.
Everything was more or less free all we had to do was work.
If we didn't work we didn't eat potatoes.
And as Durgan said the reason we hilled the potatoes was to just cover the things so they didn't get green.

Worth

[QUOTE=Doug9345;395802][URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=30203[/URL]

[B]It seems that the ordinary commercial potato doesn't but there are species that will.[/B]

[URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=28185[/URL][/QUOTE]


It seems that the ordinary commercial potato doesn't but there are species that will.
[B]Convince me[/B]. Those silly pictures posted clarify nothing.

Durgan you seem to on some kind of campaign with this. I nor ANY body else has to convince to you of anything. I connected this thread to others that had hashed the subject over a bit. All you are accomplishing is to make a number people, including myself discredit, anything you have to say about anything. Anybody that reads either thread can figure out where you stand there is no need to keep haranguing everyone that makes any post slightly contrary to you belief system.

I wouldn't be calling out except that you took direct exception to what I posted. I posted it in that manor specifically to be as diplomatic as possible.

I for one think the subject is far from complete and warrants much more discussion. Given the range of growth habit that tomatoes and other Solanaceae have, it doesn't surprise me that potatoes would as well.

I started this NEW thread so this wouldn't happen.
I am well aware of the other threads thus the reason for this one.

All I want to see is a barrel full of big juicy potatoes from top to bottom grown in the manner we have spoken of.

Any other photos from past threads mean nothing to me as I dont see the big barrel of potatoes.:)

Worth

I suspect that I can generate it. Potato stems seem to root easy enough. If, as I add layers, I break some stems off I'm going to generate new plants and potatoes at higher and higher levels. It not what you mean, but I can show you a barrel full of potatoes.

[QUOTE=Worth1;395860]I started this NEW thread so this wouldn't happen.
I am well aware of the other threads thus the reason for this one.

All I want to see is a barrel full of big juicy potatoes from top to bottom grown in the manner we have spoken of.

Any other photos from past threads mean nothing to me as I dont see the big barrel of potatoes.:)
Worth[/QUOTE]

Succinctly stated.

My position is not opinion. It is substantiated by cold, hard, visual, irrefutable, evidence. It stands until something evident to refute is posted.

I take umbrage at the photos posted supposedly to suppoert long stolens or whatever. They hardly qualify as meaningful photos.

Those links posted where so silly at the time, that I simply gave up, assuming my level of comprehension was superior to some others. I seldom post opinions, but deal is facts with often something to support such. And all is subject to change if support is offered to substantiate a new position.

[QUOTE=Durgan;395868]
assuming my level of comprehension was superior to some others. I seldom post opinions, but deal is facts with often something to support such. [/QUOTE]

That is the most insulting things I've seen posted here on Tomatoville yet.
You even include one of the moderators in that statement.



Worth I know that you didn't intend for this thread to go this way. I didn't know if you where aware of the other threads or not and wanted to people to see what had already said about it. I find it helpful if someone pulls past threads together so that new people know what has been said in the past and conversation can go forward.

[QUOTE=Doug9345;395871]That is the most insulting things I've seen posted here on Tomatoville yet.
You even include one of the moderators in that statement.



Worth I know that you didn't intend for this thread to go this way. I didn't know if you where aware of the other threads or not and wanted to people to see what had already said about it. I find it helpful if someone pulls past threads together so that new people know what has been said in the past and conversation can go forward.[/QUOTE]


Thats ok The reason for this thread is because I had read the other ones some time ago.
I just wanted to start with a clean slate.:lol:

No worries I'm getting beat up on another thread today for something I didn't say.

I think all of you guys are great and sometimes people including myself come across wrong.

What can you do?;)


Worth

I had to look up the definition of "umbrage."

[URL]http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NRHSB[/URL] 5 September 2013 Russian Blue Potato Harvest.

The blue potatoes take a bit of conditioning for acceptance. I read somewhere that the highly coloured produce has beneficial nutritional effects. Whether true of not I don't really know, but felt it was no hardship to encompass it where possible.

At first I didn't like any potato that was not pristine white, but since have been accepting of almost any off white color. To wit, I have become a garbage gut.
I might add my same prejudice extended to tomatoes. Those yellows and dark types, etc., took a bit of mind shift.

[QUOTE]I take umbrage at the photos posted supposedly to suppoert long stolens or whatever. They hardly qualify as meaningful photos.[/QUOTE]

Durgan, I'm very sorry to hear that you are offended at my photos. Next time I will be sure to submit all photos that I take to the official Durgan Board for review. I'm sorry, but you are not the authority to determine what potatoes will and will not do. You grow very nice potatoes, but not all potatoes grow the same way.

I won't go down this road any further other than to just call out the fact that you just can't let this topic go without hijacking every thread on the matter and posting the same links and restating that you disbelieve the photographic evidence from previous threads.

OK all fighting aside!!!! I thought about trying the barrel but decided money was not worth what I could grow. I am doing them in my raised bed if the freeze did not kill them. Boy I hope it did not! I have never tried to grow potatoes before so this is an experiment. As far as the barrel potatoes go I have seen youtube video after youtube video and they only get a few potatoes. Decided to just put them in the raised bed instead.

[QUOTE]The blue potatoes take a bit of conditioning for acceptance. I read somewhere that the highly coloured produce has beneficial nutritional effects. Whether true of not I don't really know, but felt it was no hardship to encompass it where possible.

At first I didn't like any potato that was not pristine white, but since have been accepting of almost any off white color. To wit, I have become a garbage gut.
I might add my same prejudice extended to tomatoes. Those yellows and dark types, etc., took a bit of mind shift. [/QUOTE]


[SIZE=6]SO![/SIZE]


[SIZE=7][/SIZE]

Worth, you might try this. It works for me most of the time
 

[QUOTE=Worth1;395860]I started this NEW thread so this wouldn't happen.
I am well aware of the other threads thus the reason for this one.

All I want to see is a barrel full of big juicy potatoes from top to bottom grown in the manner we have spoken of.

Any other photos from past threads mean nothing to me as I dont see the big barrel of potatoes.:)

Worth[/QUOTE]

My potato towers are 3' tall x 3' square. I plant three varieties in them, German Butterball on the very bottom, Pontiac at mid level and YuKon Gold at the top.
When the Butterball vines reach the top of the tower, i fill in and plant the Pontiacs. I use a mix of compost and rotted sawdust and fill in as the plants grow.
I've had good luck doing it this way.:yes: I've never gotten potatoes at the top of the towers by just planting one time at the bottom.

Ken

[QUOTE]My potato towers are 3' tall x 3' square. I plant three varieties in them, German Butterball on the very bottom, Pontiac at mid level and YuKon Gold at the top.
When the Butterball vines reach the top of the tower, i fill in and plant the Pontiacs. I use a mix of compost and rotted sawdust and fill in as the plants grow.
I've had good luck doing it this way.:yes: I've never gotten potatoes at the top of the towers by just planting one time at the bottom.

Ken [/QUOTE]

That makes a good use of space, but you still may be limited in the yield to what those three potatoes produce normally, not in a tower. I doubt you exceed that. All are commercial type potatoes that have been bred fro machine harvesting and for not growing tubers on stolons.

After what I have seen, and this is admittedly speculative to a large degree, to even make an attempt at seeing if a tower/bin approach works, in any way that realistically increases yield over normal growing methods, a different type of potato is necessary. One that produces tubers off stolons and stems, so that as the stem is increasingly buried, it sets multiple layers of tubers. One of the threads linked to above shows photos of several potatoes that had set small tubers off stems and stolons. Another trait that likely would be useful is very long season potatoes (120-150 days), so that the plant grows throughout the season, setting tubers very late at the topmost layer.

This may not be possible in areas that have short seasons as frost may kill off the plant before it is able to bulk up any additional potatoes other than the initial bottom layer.

Here is a thread from another web site that was documenting my 2013 experiment, until I killed them :(

[URL]http://tatermater.★★★★★★★★★.com/thread/946/potato-bins-2013[/URL]

[QUOTE=NathanP;396186]That makes a good use of space, but you still may be limited in the yield to what those three potatoes produce normally, not in a tower.

After what I have seen, and this is admittedly speculative to a large degree, to even make an attempt at seeing if a tower/bin approach works, in any way that realistically increases yield over normal growing methods, a different type of potato is necessary. Another trait that likely would be useful is very long season potatoes.
[/QUOTE]

I'm not really interested in heavy yield. If i were, we would be growing them in the ground. Like you, i don't think the yield from towers (the way i do it) can come anywhere close to growing potatoes the normal way.

I grow potatoes just for what we can use right away. We like to have 'new potatoes' to eat with green beans and tomatoes during the summer. Any potatoes we do have stored will be gone by Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I have three towers that i use for potatoes. One of those i use for 'new potatoes.' The bottom boards will come off pretty easy and lets me harvest enough for a good meal.
When it's time to harvest, most of the potatoes are in the center of the towers because i've already robbed all the potatoes around the edges.:lol:

Using one of the Peruvian potatoes and laying the stems in a not quite horizontal spiral and covering it as it grew might be the way to go. It would be interesting to see what would happen.
If i can find the right type of potato, i might try it.

Ken

@Ken4230
That is a nice idea to use vertical space.

@Worth
Good luck with your tower. Yukon Gold only will grow close to the base of the plant...no need to hill, you might need to try other varieties for the bottom part of the tower.

I won't try towers but If I were to do it........,I would plant CIP366256 early, add soil until I got 8in or so up..say 2 months of growth.....then thin out the many branches to have sun reach the middle of the plant.....and then plant Yukon gold in there..... and add about 6in more of soil and mulch.


By the time Yukon Gold dies down then the CIP366256 is ready also done bulking as it is a long season potato. Both are yellow inside and tasty~!

Worth just for the sake of your tower success....if interested I can send you one CIP366256. Send me a PM.

And if you do it, take pictures~~:))

[QUOTE=wmontanez;397813]@Ken4230
That is a nice idea to use vertical space.

@Worth
Good luck with your tower. Yukon Gold only will grow close to the base of the plant...no need to hill, you might need to try other varieties for the bottom part of the tower.

I won't try towers but If I were to do it........,I would plant CIP366256 early, add soil until I got 8in or so up..say 2 months of growth.....then thin out the many branches to have sun reach the middle of the plant.....and then plant Yukon gold in there..... and add about 6in more of soil and mulch.


By the time Yukon Gold dies down then the CIP366256 is ready also done bulking as it is a long season potato. Both are yellow inside and tasty~!

Worth just for the sake of your tower success....if interested I can send you one CIP366256. Send me a PM.

And if you do it, take pictures~~:))[/QUOTE]

Wendy I just cant grow potatoes here it gets too hot too fast for the experiment I think.
They are growing some huge potatoes in the Pan Handle that are pretty good.
But it is almost 1000 miles from here.

Thanks for the offer though.:yes:

Worth

Too hot in Austin for potatoes? Ok great to know....in case I get a job offer there....I will have to decline or learn to grow corn :)

[QUOTE=wmontanez;397892]Too hot in Austin for potatoes? Ok great to know....in case I get a job offer there....I will have to decline or learn to grow corn :)[/QUOTE]

I dont know for sure I just read someplace about how after the soil got up to 70 degrees the plant would stop producing potatoes.

They do sell the seed potatoes here though.

One year I grew some on a whim in a 5 gallon bucket.
Everyone made fun of me and no one took care of the plant but me.
I had just enough potatoes for me with some green beans.
All of the mooches showed up and I ran them off.:lol:

Remember the story of the little red hen.

Worth

@Worth
I am originally from the Caribbean and there is hard to grow potatoes. Yukon gold does fine in the mountain region where soil is cooler but humid so many other problems.

Do as the locals do, right....but still freshly dug new potatoes are heavenly~~

[QUOTE=wmontanez;397974]@Worth
I am originally from the Caribbean and there is hard to grow potatoes. Yukon gold does fine in the mountain region where soil is cooler but humid so many other problems.

Do as the locals do, right....but still freshly dug new potatoes are heavenly~~[/QUOTE]

I love new potatoes and you just cant buy them.:(

Worth

what constitutes a "new potato"?