I appreciate those who are honest enough to make a video of what a failed crop looks like. We often learn more from that than we do when we watch videos of the ideal crops producing great yields and making us all look like amateurs. Thanks for the video.
It was refreshing(?) in a way to see a man who had the courage to post his failure....which we will all have when trying new things. Thomas Edison once said of his failures, "I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work." Edison was fairly successful in his life. We always have the old baseball cliché about the batter who is only successful 30% of the time is a GREAT hitter. Good luck in your future. Life is all about perseverance.
Potato tuber growth is limited by the soil temperature. The problem with the potato box is the sun heats up the soil too much. If it was kept cool, by using straw around the outside, had shade for the hottest part of the day, or a cool growing season, the results would be better. The optimal temperature for tuberization is 20C (68F). Above this, around 25C (77F) and the plant doesn't produce hardly at all. Possibly painting the box white to reflect the sun may help as well.
Even though you didn't get much, thanks for posting, it's good to show trial and error. You prob helped a lot of people not waste their time with the tall box method. Hope you get more potatoes next year with another method! I'm going to grow some in a 5 gal bucket I think.
I love you're effort, and I sure hope it works next time! yall dont be upset, try try again, please keep us posted!! please. yall are showing real life, which helps us tremendously!! will be watching for next crop, such positive attitude!!
Thanks for sharing your results. I've never grown potatoes in my garden, but thought about it this year seriously and looked at these potato box ideas. There must be more to it than just the box.
If you don't mind some unsolicited advice...your dirt is too heavy for a box that tall. Do the first layer 75% sawdust 25% dirt. Use straw for all the rest of the hulking up. Yes, potatoes will grow in straw. Remember, you need equal plant size to root size. You need a strong healthy plant for good potatoes so grow the plant first then. back off the fertizer so it will spend it's energy making potatoes. Hope that helps.
thanks for that info mucngow2 - this is exactly what my problem was last year - next to no potatoes - i know i am late in finding this but it all helps - i thought it might have been the heat of last summer down here but i am suspecting i had too rich compost for them to be bothered growing the actual spud for me - thanks again
Thank you! That was my thought as well, it looks a little to heavy. I do have straw though, I'll be adding that in my potato towers update video! My cardboard boxes have about the same mass, so I wonder how close I can get to the advertised 100lbs per box! Thanks for the tip!
Im sorry about your dog, that is so sad. That is my neighbors dog although i do have one, they definitely become a part of your family. would be horrible to lose him, sorry for your loss!
Och, my heart goes out to you!!. The same thing happened to me last year, I grew potatoes in 5 gallon buckets and got a total of 12 potatoes. But I am trying again this year. Also, what courage to post a video where the results were less then great.
this experience was a success. it was an opportunity to learn about the process and it yielded some great feedback in the comments. good job and thanks for putting it up a video of your hard work so the rest of us would benefit!
I really feel for you-still,better luck next time! Hope 3 years is enough to get over your loss-my tip (for what it's worth) is to use good quality seed potatoes-shop bought ones are often sprayed to inhibit sprouting and may be imports not suitable for local conditions-well done for not swearing in front of the family!
Can i suggest you try a plastic fertilizer sack, Open it , roll it down as you would a sock/stocking, until its about 4" high, put in your soil and seed potatoes,and each time your plant shows its self, roll sack up another 4" put more soil in and keep doing this until your sack is full (as you done with your wood boards), and pierce it all over with digging fork to let air in. When harvest is due take a sharp knife slit the bag open and (hopefully) enjoy your harvest with less labor. Take Care, Greetings from the Emerald Isle
@Watchman 4 Jesus I share my success as well as my failures, the reason the video is called Potato Box Harvest is because i was harvesting my Potato Box. I wonder why a religious man would comment is such a negative way? Bad day maybe? God Bless! By the way, this video is a few years old.
James Meloy i would agree. when you took your side off it should have fallen out free but looked like mostly clay. also how many seed potatoes did you plant? i only saw one or two plants taken out. check your soil also as you need it rich in phosphorus to develop good roots.
Joe Kehoe Well I have done this twice and have since stopped along time ago.I put a potato about ever 6 inches, so in an container this size I would have 8 or 10 in. I would not recommend this to grow potatoes anyway. The yield is just not there. I make my own grow bags from garden fabric. I'll use about about an 10 gallon size and put 8 potatoes in each bag. I'll get 30 to 50 pounds a bag. I give away a lot of potatoes and still have plenty to seed the next year. This year I have had thunderstorms playing hell with them. Had an 2 month gold plant killed by the winds had 10 pounds of taters. This is just a sad case. Plus it looks like he used top soil. Never use top soil!
Thanks for posting your video. I am trying this method this year for the first time and keep seeing all of these success stories, but ya never really see the end. Which makes me wonder how successful it all really is. I appreciate your putting yourself out there with this. Wonder if the variety makes a difference, fertilizer? Guess I'll do more research. Nothing like actually trying and then fixing what wasn't working. God Bless!
Im starting out and i hear potato sacs may be helpful for novices. also be sure to test the acidity of the soil, add stuff like limestone dust to your soil, and NEVER reuse the same soil. I'm sure it must had been hard for you to not produce any crop. Your experience has definitively been a reality check for me because i assumed most harvest will yield pounds and pounds of potatoes. Good luck this year!!
it WAS worth the effort!! it was great anticipation working on it right?? please keep me and hubby informed, you're teaching us MUCH MORE than you'll EVER REALIZE! bless you for helping us!!
We have tried the potato boxes for the past four years and have had improvement each year, though not what we were hoping for. Recently I read that potatoes can be determinant and i determinant like their cousin tomatoes. The best varieties to plant in a potato box are late seaso because they will continue to set potatoes all season whereas early varieties only set fruit once and all of your potatoes will be in the bottom six inches of soil. We are trying three boxes this year, one early, one mid season and one late. We'll see! In addition keep your soil light, use compost or mix with lots of humus,(we use coir) add layers regularly, plant in full sun and water frequently.
I know this is old, but kudos for you for posting it, I have so many growing failures, this shows how hard it can be to grow organic food for yourself!
One thing that got my immediate attention was the whole at the bottom of the box. I think you have made some mice very happy with your potatoe box. When you grow potatoes in a box you have to put some chicken wire at the bottom, start with a layer of well rotten organic manure and good soil. Don't finish the whole box, start just with one board. Fill the bottom of the box with that mix and plant your seed potatoes. Let your box grow with the plant. That way you force it to grow high. It works!
the reason this happened is because the new potatoes can only grow above the original spud, so you would have wanted to plant them at the bottom, and slowly bury them until the top of the box. the node buried would subsequently grow new chains and groups of potatoes. the best way is leave your spud in the cabinet for like 3 months a huge stem. you bury the spud bottom and stem going upward into a pot or anything really and you will get massive families
Sorry that you did not get as many as you would like to get.Congratulations on the courage that you had to post a bad experience. You have taught many of us in the youtube family that, in order to help others, sometimes you have to expose your failures. Most important you have taught your kids a great leason.Iam in Toronto CANADA and I will be starting soon with my potatos for the very first time,and I have learn a great deal from your video.THANK YOU.Reboot don't give up.
Oh, just remembered... Leibig's Law of Minimum... The result of an action is not determined by the abundance of all resources, but the the single biggest limiting resource. This requires knowledge, and honesty. That's what is so noble about farming... It's very honest.
I appreciate your video and your honesty. I have considered growing potatoes using this style but you have revealed to me that I shall continue to plant and harvest the old conventional way. I'm thinking there is a lot more effort for poorer yeild doing it this way. Thanks for sharing this and last years gardening tip.
Potato soil has to be very light (not compacted) try a lot more sand and saw dust or larger organic particles. you will see a much bigger crop 10 fold!
this is an old video, i tried lighter soil and still had poor results, im not a fan of the tower anymore. i had more success growing them in the ground this past season
Thank you for sharing. Looks like to me you have plenty for some French fries, with a little chili and shredded cheese on top....Good Golly Miss Molley, NO disappointment there for SURE. Good luck and thank you again for sharing.
I really, really appreciate you sharing this experience. I know you've been hammered with criticism on this. You video is very valuable because it shows potato box risk that others pretend doesn't exist. Few people on social media have the guts to depict life as it really is. Thanks.
Thanks! Its funny sometimes to see how people react. I actually tried this multiple times with varying results. After all was said and done i think the conventional growing method was the easiest.
the fact you have your kids fully involved in this leaves huge respect for you lenty200. You may want to include some clay and some fresh compost from garden and natural food waste. your soil seemed a little too refined and thin, it was very light and very dry. When potatoes are in the ground they seek out the nice areas of moisture, clay keeps the moisture in and the mild compaction ensures no excess air preventing the entire root zone from being exposed to empty air.
Dense meaning heavy and the potato needs room to grow. It can’t if the soil compacts because of weight! Don’t give up! This is my second year growing some sort of potato I watched 100s of utube videos before watching yours. You are a success in my book. You grew a potato or two! My first sweet potato harvest was only 6 lbs in a 60 gal tubby. But I will try again this year! Maybe I’ll post a video. Who knows
I have never grown in a box before. That's a cool idea. I was watching you folks pull the soil out. I noticed it might help if you build your next box put some screen on the bottom and mix in some straw and used coffee grows old news print too and night crawlers.
I've planted potatoes 5 times now using different methods and I've found that I've had the best results just planting deep in normal 12 inch deep potting compost in a raised bed. When I've layered up more than one 6 inch layer, the upper layers just don't have much in them. Aside from that, potatoes have grown fairly easily for me, but I always start with seed potatoes rather than the grocery store variety.
Today, 28 Jan 16, is a cold and windy day here in northern Ohio so I'm watching videos to prep for this years garden. After seeing your harvest I'm feeling bad for you after all the work that you put into this project. I've certainly had my share of disappointing results. Sometimes the hardest part is trying to figure out what went wrong. Here's to next year.
In my experience, potato’s just like to grow where the seed potato was planted. They don’t like to go up the stem too much. I actually found that out the hard way but you live and you learn
When I first saw the soil I was thinking there won't be many potatoes. I will keep that I'm mind.as I get soft loamy soil for my first try. I'm starting my own box this year and sometimes you learn from the failures. Thanks for the video and good luck next time. I'm sure it will be better
I was actually planning to give this a try this year but I haven't seen any success stories so I'm thinking a bit differently right now. I may try it but I won't go past two feet high because the problem may be the shear weight of soil compacting the bin too much. I appreciate you showing that it didn't work for you so others, like myself, can look for another method that has a higher yield.
Thanks for taking the time to shoot the video! Failure is part of life but to a lot of people the family time is some thing that will be remembered for the rest of your family's life! God bless!
Thank you for sharing. As a semi newbie it is good for me and others to see the hardships of other gardeners. It's an art but also full of trial, error, and random conditions. Chin up
Very nice. I planted some store bought new red potatoes several years ago and we have gotten a few potatoes each year. I guess I miss a couple at harvest and they grow into new plants next season.
don't know if anyone has told you yet, but hay and manure is prefect for potato growth, and makes it alot easier to harvest. I put about a loose double hand full of hay and three small hand fulls of manure as I build up my mounds during the season. thanks for the video and effort. i'm going to slot some 4x4s and stand them up for corners. then slide some 1x6s i have on the sides
I first heard of this idea years ago. I have tried using stacked tires, two litre milk crates and various sizes of wooden boxes. in them I grew white potatoes, red skinned potatoes, red thru out potatoes, purple potatoes, purple skinned potatoes, yellow potatoes and blue potatoes. I grew early varieties, mid season varieties and late season varieties. I fertilized using commercial fertilizers, compost and I even 'peed in the potato patch'. I always got the same result-a few piddley potates.
I'd also recommend adding either vermiculite or perlite to the mix. Something to help keep the soil lighter/fluffier. It looked very compacted as you removed the soil.
I admire your persistence...& the box construction was amazing! Some things to remember, more air/drain holes, as taters prefer dryer conditions [Ireland/rain/heavy soil/blight] YOUR soil looks perfect, nice & sandy [me SO jealous, ankle deep in Oregon clay] Mix in some pine needles for acidity, & mulch with them too, to keep dirt from splashing up onto the plant [that blight thing again] Keep going, trying is half the fun, other half is the eating, & I'll bet those 4 made a good meal!
there are 2 kinds of potatoes, determinate & indeterminate. I have searched & read that for spuds to work in a box you must use the indeterminate varieties. I'haven't had much luck using Norland so this year I am trying Red Pontiac for the reds & Bintje for white spuds. I'll see how it works this fall.
Doug Watchorn yes Doug I just learned this also.....on Hollis and Nancy TH-cam....he really goes through this...russets seem to be indeterminate....NOT Yukon Gold and NOT Pontiac Red..VARIETY MATTERS.
It stimulates thinking and could save people from wasting a lot of time. In gardening, there is a LOT of trial and error. I don't know anyone that has 100% success!
We seldom see videos about things that didn't work. It is a shame because we don't learn anything if we only see the successful things. We may learn to mimic them but we don't learn why things work or fail. Thank you for posting
Thanks for the video Lenty. Very much appreciated. There was nothing about the video that was a waste of time. Very informative. In reading about 100 of the posts, there is certainly an enormous amount of ignorance and under-education about growing a plant.
that looks fun. I never thought of growing it vertically in a box/container. We grew some purple/blue potatoes and they're so small like fingerling potatoes.
Soil was way to heavy. You should not only lighten it up with what a lot of others have said but maybe try and use a 55 gallon plastic drum and set it up off the ground.i respect you all for posting this video and not giving up.thumbs up in my book
Next time try big 5 gal plastic containers and drill holes in the bottom. Makes better than upright. If you liquid feed then your plant really gets the nutrtion it needs to produce the amt you're looking for. Like another viewer said...you could have caused more heat with your box. Bugs that significant should have been your first sign as a possibility they ate your crop inside the soil. I think it was a great concept that needs tweeking. Dont give up!
You are correct. There is a couple success stories using a similar method. One of my favorites is from Stieny72 I will be trying something like his method next season. I cant put a link to his video here but if you go to his channel the video is called Operation Super Tuber MISSION COMPLETE!
I was going to say that you need seed potatoes until I read your comments that that's what you planted. I've yet to try this but I have also read that you can't let the leaf stalks grow higher than 2" above the soil level before adding more soil. Plus, try adding side holes to get more leaf growth = more energy. Good luck!
hi. i never comment any video! but am so much impressed by your courage to share and that i felt seriously to congratulate you. just because your video there is been emence amount of information shared by viewers, clearing fog of misconceptions in gardening. thanks again for your video.
One last point... Potatoes purchased from a supermarket that are used as a seed tuber is a gamble. Tubers designated for the dinner plate are treated so as to minimise/reduce/eliminate sprouting. This minimises storage loss, and guarantees consistency of supply and consistency of quality to the consumer. Basically, meeting customers expectations forvthe same potato to be available 12 months of the year at the same quality. Should these tubers be planted as a seed piece, the result will be crop failure. The biggest opportunity for improvement for your crop, may I suggest, is to obtain a high quality seed tuber. Yield is absolutely and indespensibly linked to the quality of your seed tuber. Well worth the money. Happy growing.
I'm wanting to try this this year but have been gun shy as I'm afraid to get similar results. Do u think it'd help to add some straw or compost to give a looser soil? I have read that the type of potato has a lot to do as apparently not all will put out tubers when the stalk gets buried. Some will only put out from where the seed is planted down.
Thanks for posting this video. I actually learned a lot about what not to do (not trying to be sarcastic or rude). I have never grown potatoes and seeing a mistake is often far more valuable than seeing a success. I'm sure you're an expert by now :)
A mate moved to a new house and there was a green plastic compost bin.The bin was empty apart from a little bit of soil.No more that 3 to 4 inch.And lots and lots of potatoes just growing sticking out of the soil.I was amazed at how well they had done and they tasted great.As for your tower i think you went to high.If they where just in the ground you would not go that high with the soil.Good look next time
I didn't read all the comments posted, so sorry if I am repeating someone else, but, I think the problem with potato containers, is that they get warm because they are above ground. Potato's will stop producing if the soil gets too warm. I would actually dig into a partially shaded bit of earth, like a spade's depth, and plant the potato. Then as the plant grows, build the box up higher, but maybe only to knee depth. keep soil MOIST only so it stays cool but wont rot the potato. Just an idea.
Good try, thanks for posting, I was going to try this method this year but I think I might try what I did last year. 4X8 bed --> created rows--> started 12 inches down --> piled on mulch/dirt as they grew upward --> luckily 30 lbs of potatoes.
Soil looks to claysish and you could try having open gaps between timber to allow airventing to roots. make sure soil is acidic and can breathe well to roots.
Thanks for posting. Sorry for your poor harvest but I think it is good for everyone to see video's like this so they can realize that we all have various problems in the garden and we are not alone. Keep trying! I gave a thumbs up and subscribed to you. Thanks!
Thanks for posting. I've had the same experience with potato towers for the past 3 years. I agree that its not worth the work. I used a loose soil (1/3 each coarse vermiculite, peat moss, compost). I was also sure to use indeterminate potatoes. Results every year were good production in the first foot but little above that depth (my towers eventually were about 3 feet high).
Love an honest video like this. A agree with the add straw comment, looked dry too. Show us again when you win. Fantasy and reality battle, reality wins this round.
It felt like digging for a treasure! Its about to come....yes yes keep digging just a little more. The most interesting part was the "SUSPENSE" is he going to get lots and lots of of potatoes????? Nice man, best luck next year.
I just had a quick run thru this with the sound down (too lazy to watch the full thing) OH MG . That’s too funny man. . All that work for 3 totties . 🤷🏻♂️😂🤣😂.. laughing hard
I appreciate those who are honest enough to make a video of what a failed crop looks like. We often learn more from that than we do when we watch videos of the ideal crops producing great yields and making us all look like amateurs. Thanks for the video.
It was refreshing(?) in a way to see a man who had the courage to post his failure....which we will all have when trying new things. Thomas Edison once said of his failures, "I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work." Edison was fairly successful in his life. We always have the old baseball cliché about the batter who is only successful 30% of the time is a GREAT hitter. Good luck in your future. Life is all about perseverance.
Henry Tripp Thank You!
lenty2000 thank you . i have learned something from watching this video , never give up and don't be afraid to try a new approach to growing something
I thought it was too deep. Perhaps half the height would produce a better crop. Good on you for trying
th-cam.com/video/C_Z9Rrsjhss/w-d-xo.html
Edison stole most things from Tesla. Just like Elon!👍🏻
Potato tuber growth is limited by the soil temperature. The problem with the potato box is the sun heats up the soil too much. If it was kept cool, by using straw around the outside, had shade for the hottest part of the day, or a cool growing season, the results would be better. The optimal temperature for tuberization is 20C (68F). Above this, around 25C (77F) and the plant doesn't produce hardly at all. Possibly painting the box white to reflect the sun may help as well.
Even though you didn't get much, thanks for posting, it's good to show trial and error. You prob helped a lot of people not waste their time with the tall box method. Hope you get more potatoes next year with another method! I'm going to grow some in a 5 gal bucket I think.
PeteyAndChicken West oú
My wife had just suggested we try this method next year. Thank you for saving us the time and effort.
I love you're effort, and I sure hope it works next time! yall dont be upset, try try again, please keep us posted!! please.
yall are showing real life, which helps us tremendously!!
will be watching for next crop, such positive attitude!!
Not all is lost, it is a teaching moment for some. thanks for taking the time to experiment/post your vid.
Thanks for sharing your results. I've never grown potatoes in my garden, but thought about it this year seriously and looked at these potato box ideas. There must be more to it than just the box.
If you don't mind some unsolicited advice...your dirt is too heavy for a box that tall. Do the first layer 75% sawdust 25% dirt. Use straw for all the rest of the hulking up. Yes, potatoes will grow in straw.
Remember, you need equal plant size to root size. You need a strong healthy plant for good potatoes so grow the plant first then. back off the fertizer so it will spend it's energy making potatoes.
Hope that helps.
you're profi? please tell me what quantity you got last time? do i have to try this method?
I had some growing in a pile of lawn clippings
thanks for that info mucngow2 - this is exactly what my problem was last year - next to no potatoes - i know i am late in finding this but it all helps - i thought it might have been the heat of last summer down here but i am suspecting i had too rich compost for them to be bothered growing the actual spud for me - thanks again
Thank you! That was my thought as well, it looks a little to heavy. I do have straw though, I'll be adding that in my potato towers update video! My cardboard boxes have about the same mass, so I wonder how close I can get to the advertised 100lbs per box! Thanks for the tip!
Beautiful dog-lost mine to cancer recently.Brought a tear to my eye.Love them while they're alive!
Im sorry about your dog, that is so sad. That is my neighbors dog although i do have one, they definitely become a part of your family. would be horrible to lose him, sorry for your loss!
It brings tears to my eyes to see so much work evaporate in a way like this. I really hope your next harvest will be better. Good luck
Och, my heart goes out to you!!. The same thing happened to me last year, I grew potatoes in 5 gallon buckets and got a total of 12 potatoes. But I am trying again this year.
Also, what courage to post a video where the results were less then great.
I literally lol when I saw the bucket at the end! Thanks for the laugh!
it was the potato fairy, she took all your potatoes.
Cara Institute of Advanced Hypnosis That is what i was thinking
Pmsl @ Cara Institute
All that lovely soil too! I shudder to think what my first serious potato growing is going to look like with mulch! It's all fun.
this experience was a success. it was an opportunity to learn about the process and it yielded some great feedback in the comments. good job and thanks for putting it up a video of your hard work so the rest of us would benefit!
+Nomos Nomosowicz Thank you!
I really feel for you-still,better luck next time! Hope 3 years is enough to get over your loss-my tip (for what it's worth) is to use good quality seed potatoes-shop bought ones are often sprayed to inhibit sprouting and may be imports not suitable for local conditions-well done for not swearing in front of the family!
Can i suggest you try a plastic fertilizer sack, Open it , roll it down as you would a sock/stocking, until its about 4" high, put in your soil and seed potatoes,and each time your plant shows its self, roll sack up another 4" put more soil in and keep doing this until your sack is full (as you done with your wood boards), and pierce it all over with digging fork to let air in. When harvest is due take a sharp knife slit the bag open and (hopefully) enjoy your harvest with less labor. Take Care, Greetings from the Emerald Isle
+Jon Bishop Thanks for the info
@Watchman 4 Jesus I share my success as well as my failures, the reason the video is called Potato Box Harvest is because i was harvesting my Potato Box. I wonder why a religious man would comment is such a negative way? Bad day maybe? God Bless! By the way, this video is a few years old.
ln
Please try again, I would like to see you succeed. The idea is brilliant.
25%soil-75% sand, after 2 foot of soil use straw and mulch. Your soil is to heavy, no drainage.
James Meloy i would agree. when you took your side off it should have fallen out free but looked like mostly clay. also how many seed potatoes did you plant? i only saw one or two plants taken out. check your soil also as you need it rich in phosphorus to develop good roots.
Joe Kehoe Well I have done this twice and have since stopped along time ago.I put a potato about ever 6 inches, so in an container this size I would have 8 or 10 in. I would not recommend this to grow potatoes anyway. The yield is just not there. I make my own grow bags from garden fabric. I'll use about about an 10 gallon size and put 8 potatoes in each bag. I'll get 30 to 50 pounds a bag. I give away a lot of potatoes and still have plenty to seed the next year. This year I have had thunderstorms playing hell with them. Had an 2 month gold plant killed by the winds had 10 pounds of taters. This is just a sad case. Plus it looks like he used top soil. Never use top soil!
Im sorry you didnt get more but its way cool to see how your daughter has grown, So wonderful to see such family togetherness.
Thanks for posting your video. I am trying this method this year for the first time and keep seeing all of these success stories, but ya never really see the end. Which makes me wonder how successful it all really is. I appreciate your putting yourself out there with this. Wonder if the variety makes a difference, fertilizer? Guess I'll do more research. Nothing like actually trying and then fixing what wasn't working. God Bless!
Im starting out and i hear potato sacs may be helpful for novices. also be sure to test the acidity of the soil, add stuff like limestone dust to your soil, and NEVER reuse the same soil. I'm sure it must had been hard for you to not produce any crop.
Your experience has definitively been a reality check for me because i assumed most harvest will yield pounds and pounds of potatoes.
Good luck this year!!
it WAS worth the effort!!
it was great anticipation working on it right??
please keep me and hubby informed, you're teaching us MUCH MORE than you'll EVER REALIZE!
bless you for helping us!!
We have tried the potato boxes for the past four years and have had improvement each year, though not what we were hoping for. Recently I read that potatoes can be determinant and i determinant like their cousin tomatoes. The best varieties to plant in a potato box are late seaso because they will continue to set potatoes all season whereas early varieties only set fruit once and all of your potatoes will be in the bottom six inches of soil. We are trying three boxes this year, one early, one mid season and one late. We'll see!
In addition keep your soil light, use compost or mix with lots of humus,(we use coir) add layers regularly, plant in full sun and water frequently.
(Indeterminant, sorry)
I know this is old, but kudos for you for posting it, I have so many growing failures, this shows how hard it can be to grow organic food for yourself!
Thanks!
Watching this was as cool as visit to the dentist. Thank you for posting.
- thanks for posting. You've saved me the time.
One thing that got my immediate attention was the whole at the bottom of the box. I think you have made some mice very happy with your potatoe box. When you grow potatoes in a box you have to put some chicken wire at the bottom, start with a layer of well rotten organic manure and good soil. Don't finish the whole box, start just with one board. Fill the bottom of the box with that mix and plant your seed potatoes. Let your box grow with the plant. That way you force it to grow high. It works!
the reason this happened is because the new potatoes can only grow above the original spud, so you would have wanted to plant them at the bottom, and slowly bury them until the top of the box. the node buried would subsequently grow new chains and groups of potatoes. the best way is leave your spud in the cabinet for like 3 months a huge stem. you bury the spud bottom and stem going upward into a pot or anything really and you will get massive families
Sorry that you did not get as many as you would like to get.Congratulations on the courage that you had to post a bad experience. You have taught many of us in the youtube family that, in order to help others, sometimes you have to expose your failures. Most important you have taught your kids a great leason.Iam in Toronto CANADA and I will be starting soon with my potatos for the very first time,and I have learn a great deal from your video.THANK YOU.Reboot don't give up.
You are the bravest person I have ever seen to post this. There still are great people in this world.
David Primeau thanks for the kind words
No need to reply, but honest too.
Nice sharing 👍
Oh, just remembered... Leibig's Law of Minimum... The result of an action is not determined by the abundance of all resources, but the the single biggest limiting resource.
This requires knowledge, and honesty.
That's what is so noble about farming... It's very honest.
Love the video. You helped more people than you know!!
I appreciate your video and your honesty. I have considered growing potatoes using this style but you have revealed to me that I shall continue to plant and harvest the old conventional way.
I'm thinking there is a lot more effort for poorer yeild doing it this way. Thanks for sharing this and last years gardening tip.
it takes a big man to show their failures to the world , this kinda of info teaches us more than a success
thanks for sharing
good luck next year
Potato soil has to be very light (not compacted) try a lot more sand and saw dust or larger organic particles. you will see a much bigger crop 10 fold!
this is an old video, i tried lighter soil and still had poor results, im not a fan of the tower anymore. i had more success growing them in the ground this past season
So he will get 10 potatoes? :P
Apocalyptic Knights hahaha
Thank you for sharing. Looks like to me you have plenty for some French fries, with a little chili and shredded cheese on top....Good Golly Miss Molley, NO disappointment there for SURE. Good luck and thank you again for sharing.
I really, really appreciate you sharing this experience. I know you've been hammered with criticism on this.
You video is very valuable because it shows potato box risk that others pretend doesn't exist.
Few people on social media have the guts to depict life as it really is. Thanks.
Thanks! Its funny sometimes to see how people react. I actually tried this multiple times with varying results. After all was said and done i think the conventional growing method was the easiest.
the fact you have your kids fully involved in this leaves huge respect for you lenty200.
You may want to include some clay and some fresh compost from garden and natural food waste. your soil seemed a little too refined and thin, it was very light and very dry. When potatoes are in the ground they seek out the nice areas of moisture, clay keeps the moisture in and the mild compaction ensures no excess air preventing the entire root zone from being exposed to empty air.
Don't give up so easy dude. Nothing we ever do is wasted. Ten years from now you'll find this experience extremely useful. Or even Less than that
Thank you for sharing, I am starting vegetable gardening this year, and I am grateful for the honest look.
naomi keeling Good luck with the garden, please post some vids!
Keep at it! Gardening is a never ending learning experience! Beautiful family!
Dense meaning heavy and the potato needs room to grow. It can’t if the soil compacts because of weight! Don’t give up! This is my second year growing some sort of potato I watched 100s of utube videos before watching yours. You are a success in my book. You grew a potato or two! My first sweet potato harvest was only 6 lbs in a 60 gal tubby. But I will try again this year! Maybe I’ll post a video. Who knows
I have never grown in a box before. That's a cool idea. I was watching you folks pull the soil out. I noticed it might help if you build your next box put some screen on the bottom and mix in some straw and used coffee grows old news print too and night crawlers.
I've planted potatoes 5 times now using different methods and I've found that I've had the best results just planting deep in normal 12 inch deep potting compost in a raised bed. When I've layered up more than one 6 inch layer, the upper layers just don't have much in them. Aside from that, potatoes have grown fairly easily for me, but I always start with seed potatoes rather than the grocery store variety.
Today, 28 Jan 16, is a cold and windy day here in northern Ohio so I'm watching videos to prep for this years garden. After seeing your harvest I'm feeling bad for you after all the work that you put into this project. I've certainly had my share of disappointing results. Sometimes the hardest part is trying to figure out what went wrong. Here's to next year.
+SuperSaltydog77 Thanks!
In my experience, potato’s just like to grow where the seed potato was planted. They don’t like to go up the stem too much. I actually found that out the hard way but you live and you learn
So true. I learned my lesson trying out this method for many years! I could never get the results I was looking for.
When I first saw the soil I was thinking there won't be many potatoes. I will keep that I'm mind.as I get soft loamy soil for my first try. I'm starting my own box this year and sometimes you learn from the failures. Thanks for the video and good luck next time. I'm sure it will be better
I was actually planning to give this a try this year but I haven't seen any success stories so I'm thinking a bit differently right now. I may try it but I won't go past two feet high because the problem may be the shear weight of soil compacting the bin too much.
I appreciate you showing that it didn't work for you so others, like myself, can look for another method that has a higher yield.
Thanks for taking the time to shoot the video! Failure is part of life but to a lot of people the family time is some thing that will be remembered for the rest of your family's life!
God bless!
Thank you for sharing. As a semi newbie it is good for me and others to see the hardships of other gardeners. It's an art but also full of trial, error, and random conditions. Chin up
Very nice. I planted some store bought new red potatoes several years ago and we have gotten a few potatoes each year. I guess I miss a couple at harvest and they grow into new plants next season.
Glad I’m not the only person here that was rooting for you to find a fifth or sixth potato my heart sank the more you dug. But please don’t give up !
don't know if anyone has told you yet, but hay and manure is prefect for potato growth, and makes it alot easier to harvest. I put about a loose double hand full of hay and three small hand fulls of manure as I build up my mounds during the season. thanks for the video and effort. i'm going to slot some 4x4s and stand them up for corners. then slide some 1x6s i have on the sides
I first heard of this idea years ago. I have tried using stacked tires, two litre milk crates and various sizes of wooden boxes. in them I grew white potatoes, red skinned potatoes, red thru out potatoes, purple potatoes, purple skinned potatoes, yellow potatoes and blue potatoes. I grew early varieties, mid season varieties and late season varieties. I fertilized using commercial fertilizers, compost and I even 'peed in the potato patch'. I always got the same result-a few piddley potates.
Thanks for sharing. I'm interested in growing on my patio and I certainly need to learn a lot!
I'd also recommend adding either vermiculite or perlite to the mix. Something to help keep the soil lighter/fluffier. It looked very compacted as you removed the soil.
I heard your little girl so clear 'cute' say whats that dad lol ,Thank YOU for posting,this helps ,this is my first time planting spuds.
I admire your persistence...& the box construction was amazing!
Some things to remember, more air/drain holes, as taters prefer dryer conditions [Ireland/rain/heavy soil/blight]
YOUR soil looks perfect, nice & sandy [me SO jealous, ankle deep in Oregon clay]
Mix in some pine needles for acidity, & mulch with them too, to keep dirt from splashing up onto the plant [that blight thing again]
Keep going, trying is half the fun, other half is the eating, & I'll bet those 4 made a good meal!
there are 2 kinds of potatoes, determinate & indeterminate. I have searched & read that for spuds to work in a box you must use the indeterminate varieties.
I'haven't had much luck using Norland so this year I am trying Red Pontiac for the reds & Bintje for white spuds. I'll see how it works this fall.
thanks
Doug Watchorn yes Doug I just learned this also.....on Hollis and Nancy TH-cam....he really goes through this...russets seem to be indeterminate....NOT Yukon Gold and NOT Pontiac Red..VARIETY MATTERS.
I admire that you posted your results even though they weren't so good, good on you. I've never had much success with potatoes myself.
It stimulates thinking and could save people from wasting a lot of time. In gardening, there is a LOT of trial and error. I don't know anyone that has 100% success!
Thank you for sharing this video. I won't be using potato boxes! LOL
I like how real you are. You own the fact that you got 4 potatoes! No running to the grocery store to buy a bag and acting like you grew them. :P
It's like watching Geraldo open up that vault years ago
Lmao. Right!
@@lenty2000 I figure a little humor is better than leaving a cruel comment, like some keyboard warriors are apt to do.
We seldom see videos about things that didn't work. It is a shame because we don't learn anything if we only see the successful things. We may learn to mimic them but we don't learn why things work or fail.
Thank you for posting
Thanks for the video Lenty. Very much appreciated. There was nothing about the video that was a waste of time. Very informative. In reading about 100 of the posts, there is certainly an enormous amount of ignorance and under-education about growing a plant.
this was a great potato box
a 10/10
stunning even
as skrek once said "Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers."
that looks fun. I never thought of growing it vertically in a box/container. We grew some purple/blue potatoes and they're so small like fingerling potatoes.
Soil was way to heavy. You should not only lighten it up with what a lot of others have said but maybe try and use a 55 gallon plastic drum and set it up off the ground.i respect you all for posting this video and not giving up.thumbs up in my book
so nice to see people growing the food they need now lets hope they do as much as possible without plastic
+fortbumper thanks
Next time try big 5 gal plastic containers and drill holes in the bottom. Makes better than upright. If you liquid feed then your plant really gets the nutrtion it needs to produce the amt you're looking for. Like another viewer said...you could have caused more heat with your box. Bugs that significant should have been your first sign as a possibility they ate your crop inside the soil. I think it was a great concept that needs tweeking. Dont give up!
I totally agree, this year should be much better
Nice box !
did you build up around the plant as it was growing or did you plant right on top of the box?
What a nice family , Thanks for sharing
You are correct. There is a couple success stories using a similar method. One of my favorites is from Stieny72 I will be trying something like his method next season. I cant put a link to his video here but if you go to his channel the video is called Operation Super Tuber MISSION COMPLETE!
I was going to say that you need seed potatoes until I read your comments that that's what you planted. I've yet to try this but I have also read that you can't let the leaf stalks grow higher than 2" above the soil level before adding more soil. Plus, try adding side holes to get more leaf growth = more energy. Good luck!
Here I am in early 2021 and learning from this and the comments. Many thanks from Wales.
hi.
i never comment any video!
but am so much impressed by your courage to share and that i felt seriously to congratulate you. just because your video there is been emence amount of information shared by viewers, clearing fog of misconceptions in gardening.
thanks again for your video.
+Arsalah Raffat Thanks for your comment, i appreciate it very much!
yep ditto👍
PineCones07 Thanks!
One last point... Potatoes purchased from a supermarket that are used as a seed tuber is a gamble.
Tubers designated for the dinner plate are treated so as to minimise/reduce/eliminate sprouting.
This minimises storage loss, and guarantees consistency of supply and consistency of quality to the consumer. Basically, meeting customers expectations forvthe same potato to be available 12 months of the year at the same quality.
Should these tubers be planted as a seed piece, the result will be crop failure.
The biggest opportunity for improvement for your crop, may I suggest, is to obtain a high quality seed tuber. Yield is absolutely and indespensibly linked to the quality of your seed tuber.
Well worth the money.
Happy growing.
I'm wanting to try this this year but have been gun shy as I'm afraid to get similar results. Do u think it'd help to add some straw or compost to give a looser soil? I have read that the type of potato has a lot to do as apparently not all will put out tubers when the stalk gets buried. Some will only put out from where the seed is planted down.
Thanks for posting this video. I actually learned a lot about what not to do (not trying to be sarcastic or rude). I have never grown potatoes and seeing a mistake is often far more valuable than seeing a success. I'm sure you're an expert by now :)
I'm thinking you may have used a determinate variety which sets only the first set of roots and tubers.
A mate moved to a new house and there was a green plastic compost bin.The bin was empty apart from a little bit of soil.No more that 3 to 4 inch.And lots and lots of potatoes just growing sticking out of the soil.I was amazed at how well they had done and they tasted great.As for your tower i think you went to high.If they where just in the ground you would not go that high with the soil.Good look next time
One potato, two potatos, three potatos more... reminds me of the potato song:)
Thanks for the info. i have been trying a lot of different things since this video
I didn't read all the comments posted, so sorry if I am repeating someone else, but, I think the problem with potato containers, is that they get warm because they are above ground. Potato's will stop producing if the soil gets too warm. I would actually dig into a partially shaded bit of earth, like a spade's depth, and plant the potato. Then as the plant grows, build the box up higher, but maybe only to knee depth. keep soil MOIST only so it stays cool but wont rot the potato. Just an idea.
Good try, thanks for posting, I was going to try this method this year but I think I might try what I did last year. 4X8 bed --> created rows--> started 12 inches down --> piled on mulch/dirt as they grew upward --> luckily 30 lbs of potatoes.
+joe stewart Nice!
Soil looks to claysish and you could try having open gaps between timber to allow airventing to roots. make sure soil is acidic and can breathe well to roots.
Henry Tripp great words of wisdom
Thanks for posting. Sorry for your poor harvest but I think it is good for everyone to see video's like this so they can realize that we all have various problems in the garden and we are not alone. Keep trying! I gave a thumbs up and subscribed to you. Thanks!
Thanks for posting. I've had the same experience with potato towers for the past 3 years. I agree that its not worth the work. I used a loose soil (1/3 each coarse vermiculite, peat moss, compost). I was also sure to use indeterminate potatoes. Results every year were good production in the first foot but little above that depth (my towers eventually were about 3 feet high).
When growing potatoes, do you completely cover the green plant when adding more soil, or just enough so the leaves are just above the soil?
I would always have leaves showing so they could get some sunlight
Love an honest video like this. A agree with the add straw comment, looked dry too.
Show us again when you win.
Fantasy and reality battle, reality wins this round.
fear play being honest hope u do better this year you have made me have a go enough to make a soup and i be happy thanks for inspiring me to have a go
It felt like digging for a treasure! Its about to come....yes yes keep digging just a little more. The most interesting part was the "SUSPENSE" is he going to get lots and lots of of potatoes????? Nice man, best luck next year.
I just had a quick run thru this with the sound down (too lazy to watch the full thing) OH MG . That’s too funny man. . All that work for 3 totties . 🤷🏻♂️😂🤣😂.. laughing hard
did you start with a little soil then add more as the season went on and the vine grew? I hope it works out better for you.