Honestly Jenna, I can tell you why your potatoes seemingly shifted in the ground, truth is, they didn’t .. the mulch was so thick. They had to find alternate ways to reach the surface… the octopus 🐙 effect! this is also the reason for slow emergence, .. and a poor harvest… (I need to do a better job of explaining my planting method…) The ideal technique will allow potatoes to sprout in the fall, and grow foliage above ground.. yes, a frost will wipe out what is on top, but the root system will be well established underneath.. so in the spring time when the weather warms, the shoots will emerge once again, way ahead of a spring planting..! In zone 7a, you can have a full harvest in june… I will email you pictures, videos and I will walk you through a very detailed process.. all of this will include ground preparation, fertilization, mulching, and covering…ect I will also send you pictures of my harvest this year.. you will absolutely hate me Sista 🤪🤣🤣💯☝️mmarkmeyer@yahoo.com Piney Springs Homestead Stewart Tennessee
Why didn't I think of this?! That makes complete sense. My fear was that being in a colder climate than you, the spuds wouldn't make it through the winter. But I've heard from multiple people here that have had potatoes overwinter either in grow tubs or very shallowly planted in 6a-- so I guess there's a chance! I'd love a more detailed walkthrough-- I'll email you! Thank you... and sorry I didn't do your technique justice!
@growfullywithjenna any chance mark will allow you to share your findings? Southeast Ohio here so obviously wont be overwintering taters for a bit, in fact shooting for mid march to plant taters so that I can get 2 full harvest hopefully as well as possibly overwinter some. Full schedule here for planting season. Normally dont get taters in till mothers day weekend when we do the WHOLE garden on the saturday. Ive got barassicas going in mid march and hoped to do taters as well, wont be a loss if it doesnt work because they are left from last years harvest that are about done for.
Last year, as I was harvesting my potatoes, I left one large potato from each plant remain in the ground attached to the root system. This year I ended up with a bumper crop here in zone 5b just west of Chicago. My soil was extremely loose and fluffy. Maybe try an experiment using large potatoes and overwintering them. Mine turned out great.
I am in central Ohio and I just overwintered potatoes for the first time last year. I also had a number of potatoes that would have gone to waste and I figured I'd give it a try. I planted about 2/3 of a 25 foot row and about 1/2 of those potatoes made it through the winter. I did nothing special except that I planted them slightly deeper than I would have if they were spring potatoes. I do not grow in raised beds, but instead I grow in raised rows on the ground. Last year I amended my beds with about 6 inches of compost since I had lost a lot of my soil by not planting a cover crop the previous few years. I also broad-forked to try to break up the clay. The overwintered potatoes died back slightly earlier than my spring planted potatoes. This year I was really on top of fertilizing and managed to apply a foliar spray every 7-10 days and I got the absolute best yield I've ever seen. Many of the plants had 3-5 large tubers and a number of medium and small tubers. I have only been planting potatoes for maybe 5 years? In that time my plants have produced 1-2 large tubers and then a number of smaller ones.
Using different methods is a great way to learn, Keeping in mind weather isn't always the repeat of previous years. I did 6 methods for tomatoes a few years ago, and I am so glad I did, Believe I learned how to raise tomatoes or peppers with 1/3, the effort ,I'm 72 and knowing 1/3 the effort is what seniors need and handicap folks don't want to stop gardening. I made a "mini post hole digger " something that doesn't require bending over when I dropping transplant in spring. Last year tomato plants needed put in a month after hernia surgery and then I made the mini digger and I was able to plant my seedings myself. I had a few volunteer potatoes, and they are going to be left out this winter as my experiment Thanks, Lady Gardener
I’ve done over winter potatoes a couple times in zone 4A. Basically, when I harvest I just take the biggest potato from each plant and drop it back in the same hole before I cover it up. The garden is covered with a thick layer of wood chips so even though we were basically in a drought during parts of the summer everything did fine with pretty much zero watering.
Glad it worked for you in zone 4a. That's my zone too. I'll have to try it this year. Did you do anything other than using a large tuber and wood chips?
My heart goes out to you for all the effort you invest for us, your followers. Thank you. I'm back to growing my potatoes the way my Finnish grandfather taught me, literally living off of potatoes during the winters in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Plant the eyes (or small seed potatoes) about 8 inches deep in a trench. When the plants emerge and are about 6 inches tall, I then use a Mantis mini rototiller between rows and hoe the soil to the base of the 6 inch plants. I find that most of my harvested potatoes develop in this newly hoed soil. BTW, I don't think the number of potato plant blossoms correlates with the harvest yield. Kind Regards from Vermont. Craig
I accidentally did this (in zone 6a) and didn’t realize there were some small potatoes I left behind before winter and was surprised to see green leaves popping out before everything else in my area. This was above ground in a canvas bag filled with compost and soil.
This is so interesting! Several people have said they have had potatoes in grow bags overwinter in our zone and I never even considered that was possible!
Hi Jenna, I just found your channel and can’t believe it hasn’t blown up?! Yours is one of the best gardening channels on TH-cam and being an Ohio gardener, like me is just a huge PLUS! I can’t wait to keep watching and watching old videos. Can I ask what county in Ohio you are gardening in? I’m in Trumbull County, NorthEast Ohio. You have inspired me to try potatoes and corn in 20 gal grow bags next year! Thank you for all of your hard work and sharing all of your knowledge in your videos. 😊❤
It's wonderful to hear from a fellow Ohio gardener! Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope the potatoes & corn in grow bags do well for you next year- I'd love to hear how they do. I'm in mid-western Ohio (forgive me for not sharing my specific county), about 3 1/2 hours southwest of you 😀
We used to get larger yields 25 years ago when we planted potatoes in our clay soil. About 5 years ago, our soil was depleted and we switched to raised beds and mixed all new high quality soil. We get smaller yields now, but have less problems w/ beetles. We also get much better yields w/ sweet potatoes.
I'm in Ohio Zone 5b, 1300ft elevation, 12" deep metal raised beds... I never got around to harvesting half of my potatoes, and just threw on about 4-6 inches of straw to cover the undug up potatoes. In the spring I dug up 20 to 30 lb from half of what was left, only a few were damaged. I then forgot about the rest, halfway through summer, the ones I forgot about that overwintered had grown, and harvested another 40lbs. My soil was 1/3 compost, 1/3 topsoil, 1/3 peat moss.
Jenna, we found your channel while searching for zone 6 planting tips. We are in the mountains of North GA and have found your tips to be incredibly helpful. We especially appreciate your scientific methods in evaluating garden seeds and planting variations. We'll pass your channel along to others around here. Thank you and cheers.
Last year was my first time gardening. I have 1ft deep raised beds. I had red potatoes that I must have missed last year grow where I planted my tomatoes this year, there were several softball size. Then I had some russets that I planted last year but the first freeze took them out. I ended to with several 6" potatoes. All I did was water like the rest of my garden.
I have been growing potatoes in 5 gallon buckets because my soil is clay. I am in Ohio in zone 6a also. I had thought about trying to do some in my raised bed over winter but after your results I think I will stick to the buckets. I actually had a great harvest from the buckets this year. I have 1 - 30 gallon grow bag that was planted later than the buckets and I am going to dump it this week if it ever stops raining.
If the buckets work for you, I'd say stick with them-- BUT, I'm sure you'd do a better job watering your raised beds than I did, so your results would be better!
Whacky Springs here in Cincinnati. They'll warm up, sprout, get a month's top growth, then a random late frost in mid May will kill the tops so you're starting over again with no real advantage to overwintering in the ground. Sure, they start a month early but that jump-start is, 3 out of 5 years, randomly killed off. I'd rather just wait it out and plant as per usual calendar date. We do, however, store our 150-ish pounds of seed Potato in the ground over Winter in a modified old-school Potato Clamp. . Cold delays the ridiculous sprouting that happens indoors when you save seed overwinter, so - there's that.
Im in central Ohio. I have an area that I compost leaves in fall and kitchen scraps fall-winter. By spring it’s a beautiful mound of black dirt. I take the top off and mix that into my veggie gardens. Then I use that spot for my potatoes in spring. I dig in about 6” and throw them in. I dig them up in the late summer or early fall. I have had a great little crop each year. Of course it being my compost spot helps, but it’s also pretty loose (albeit clay down deeper) and it’s against the garage and getting sun noon til night only, which allows the morning dew to keep it pretty moist longer in the day. I never water.
I’ve been anxious to see this follow-up video on the potatoes. Sorry it didn’t work out the way you hoped. But now you can play around with more new ideas, and that’s part of the fun, even if a few colorful words wriggle into the experience. I wonder if the moving of the plants was due to shifting of the loose soil and compost during the freeze/thaw activity during winter and spring. By the way - and this is the fitness trainer within - whatever you are doing for your shoulders, big thumbs-up.
100% agree with the fun of playing around with new ideas! I suspect you may be spot on- the freeze/thaw likely is contributing to the moving spuds. As for my shoulders- it's purely from gardening work 😊... I appreciate it!
I'm trying a different method right now. Put down a shallow layer of raised bed soil in a 25 gallon barrel. Then a pail of produce scraps. Another layer of soil then a good layer of cow poop. I had 6 russet taters that were sprouting and another layer of soil as well as a couple scoops of general garden fertilizer. Filled the barrel up and watered the whole thing in really well. After they lift the fire warning to ok to mow I'll cover with grass clippings . I read the reason for lack of spuds and small spuds is probably lack of moisture and fertilizer. They also said to fertilize one more time when the plants flower. I'm in Oregon zone 8a. So we shall see if they grow bigger and produce more!
Love the experiments you do. Time got away from me last year and I did not harvest my potatoes grown in fabric pots. This year, they produced but based on my initial two or three fabric pots dumped on a tarp and harvested, the yield was fair to poor. I am guessing the yield will end up being about 1/3 of a Spring planting in the same fabric pots.
Very interesting Jenna. Last yr I planted sweet tators in a 5 gallon bucket and in the ground. I'm in Zone 10. Not much success. This the tator's came up on their own. I haven't checked them yet, but I do mulch everything. I use dried leaves.Ive added a little bit of nitrogen when I water them. So we shall see. Sorry thing's didn't quite work out for you.
I still think you did quite well regardless of outside forces. It looks like you have some you could can, salt potatoes, and regular eating potatoes. I think it was a good test! Enjoyed, take care!
Hurray I won for the overwintered potatoes. Weren't they easy to harvest with the cardboard on the bottom? And now you have a great area full of rich, well fertilized soil to put something else in. Win-win
I definitely should have mentioned that in the video! The soil was so nice- and yes, after digging that bed was perfect to just plant another crop into immediately.
Is a good to let the eyes green up in a sunny window about one month before planting. If you plant with stretched light colored eyes they will trouble getting started or even rot, and wait until hard frost is over.
I wonder if the Mysterious moving was because the ground got more compacted until they had time to sprout. Thanks for the video and I look forward to the tweaks that you try. 👍
Timely as always Jenna!!! Well my taters didn't do so hot this year either in SW Ohio. So was it the hot dry spell in the spring, or too much water later on? What's your take on why production was less then usual? I planted Pontiac Red and Yukon Gold. As expected the Yukon's died back first and neither variety flowered, which is my normal cue to consider digging them up. Weird... Seems like I got about half of what I usually get.
I think it was the combo of the hot dry spell in April, followed by the cool/hazy May- the plants were just SUPER slow to get growing. I had very little flowering on any potatoes this year, which is not the norm for me.
I grew Carolla gold from Maine potato lady this spring. Planted out on March 29th “deep dug” probably 6-8” under compost, then mulched with fresh grass clippings & no other care. 16ft row, about 12-13 plants. I got 38# from them. I’ll grow them again!! Also, have you harvested your celery root? Can you show what celery root looks like when ready to harvest??
Nice! That's one variety I haven't tried yet- I may have to add it to the list for next year. I haven't harvested my celery root yet-- I'll try to share that!
Looks like my dismal potato harvest this year. I grew in 20 pound grow bags…and they had great plants too, flowers too. I grew Pontiac Reds in Zone 6b. But I didn’t grow over winter
What a coincidence, after watching part 1 of this experiment, I checked your channel and literally 1 hour ago, you posted the results! I'm in Toronto, Canada (equivalent zone 5) and will try overwintering this year. Last year in October, I threw out some small potatoes into my flower bed and maybe covered them with about 1 inch of clay soil. We piled a lot of snow on top and they still sprouted. The same thing happened with small onions that I threw out. They seemingly survived the hard frost and they were certainly not below the frost line. In fact, I tossed sunflower seeds that I thought were too soft to store and they sprouted too. We had a weird spring as well this year. It was mid 70s in the first 2 weeks of April so I sowed my potatoes followed by 2 weeks of rain. Unfortunately, the potatoes planted above ground level survived while those below the ground level rotted away. My experiments for next season will include: 1) Potatoes in 5gal bucket to be left outside (lid on until snow to prevent excess water) 2) Potatoes in 5gal bucket to be left inside an attached garage 3) Sowing potatoes into a mound outside The success criterion will be whether they survive the winter. Even if they are a bit slow to come out, it sure beats having to store them (no need to wash or routinely inspect). As for yields, I will be adding commercial fertilizers to rule out any issues stemming from a lack of nutrients. P.S: You should be able to identify Yukon Gems by their red/pink coloration around their eyes.
I've only ever had volunteer potatoes... so far. I have one in a bucket in my greenhouse now and a few starting in the veggie patch. I'm curious to see if the greenhouse potatoes make a decent head start (they look like they might as they aren't being nipped by frost).
I grew a container in my greenhouse a few year back and it definitely gave me an earlier harvest-- it makes me wish I had a bigger greenhouse so I could do several more!
@GrowfullywithJenna I do have one and plan to make more of these mini greenhouse tunnels for my raised beds. My soil stayed thawed, I think, most of the year. When I could see temperature, it was well above freezing during the day. Overnight Temps stayed about 10° above the outside temp. I'm thinking of adding some of those old holiday bulbs that give off heat to use overnight. There was a month we had so much snow that I couldn't get it open. I'm planning on getting a remote bluetooth thermometer so I can check the temp in there all winter. I also have ground heat cables. It's my little side project to see if I can try to grow, something, year-round
I live in southeast Michigan, same garden zone as you i believe. My fiance and I are busy with planning our wedding for this October a d completely lost track of prepping for a fall garden. Is it too late to get out some broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots do you think? I have tried local nursery shops for transplants with no luck.
First- congrats on your upcoming nuptials! To answer your question, it would be getting too late for me to start cauliflower & broccoli from seed right now- I'll be setting out transplants within a week or so. Carrots can still be done, but get them out soon. Some of this will vary depending on your fall frost date and how mild or cold your fall typically gets and how quickly. I stay pretty mild here till early December typically- even with nights dropping below freezing. I also employ frost blankets/row covers to extend my season.
It could be the variety. I know red pontiacs do well in clay. They do need water. I didn’t get to dig mine yet and we had extreme drought in WI. We are actually getting rain and for tomorrow and I didn’t get to the potatoes yet as been busy with tomatoes and onions. There seems to be as many designer potatoes as tomatoes these days. We had that late freak frost, then the drought and then the beetles-Ugh! It’s been a year.
Love the video as I'm strongly considering overwintering potatoes here in Indiana. One question: It looks like I got the same metal row markers/garden markers that you have. What do you use to actually label them? I'm not sure if sharpie would be better long term or looking for some of outdoor labels (avery?) I could print in my printer. Thanks in advance.
I stick on thermal labels and write on them with industrial sharpie (I talk about this in more detail in this video: th-cam.com/video/bj3QcM7SPqE/w-d-xo.html) This will typically last either a full season, or for overwintered items it will last from fall to the next spring/summer... but the ink definitely starts to fade.
I wish I’d be around to see how you young growers plant when your my age. I’m sure you’ll change how you plant as you age. I just can’t dig like that anymore….
Well the video was interrupted via neighbor emergency but I believe the main issue was depth and rot. You really mounded some of this up and given the time it had, considering the growth energy, I don't think the plants had enough juice left by the time they reach the surface. I'm about 500 miles south of you and my winter was painfully mild. Bags of cut plants I had laid underneath my porch had literally fermented before I built my bed this year. Plus it's been a bizarre year here. Rainy and windy when all around me is burning alive. But yeah, I think it was largely the amount of stuffs above the spuds that stunted the growth. Just my thoughts.
I was thinking along those lines as well. Since the 2 new methods were so deep, I wonder if pulling the mulch off in the spring would have helped it warm faster. 🤔 They could have been rehilled with mulch later after growth popped out.
I typically try to wait till the top growth is at least partially dead. But if it's getting really hot, I'll just go ahead & dig as they won't produce more tubers in the heat anyways.
I'm not quite sure what the mission was?? During a harvest, haven't we all missed a potatoe or two, and find them popping up the following spring. We didn't give them any extra attention, but they survived. And if left to grow, will produce well.
Just wanted to see if A. they would survive and grow, and B. any of the methods gave me an advantage over just leaving them in the ground and forgetting about them
Her planting vid said her reason was because she had some in storage that were sprouting and wouldn't make it until spring. The reason I'm researching this method is because I always seem to have too long of a to-do list in spring and never get them planted on time. I'm hoping to curtail that issue with fall planting. Some of the articles I've read state that they get a jumpstart that way, though Jenna definitely didn't see that result.
@howmygardengrows3080 thank you for providing an explanation to the question. Helping to alleviate that spring to-do list could be a definite 'pro' to this method! I do think in certain growing climates some folks will see an earlier harvest-- perhaps if I continue to test this, I may see one in certain years as well. But hasn't been the case for the last 2 years. I'm guessing planting at an increased depth as compared to spring planting slows them down quite a bit! Perhaps planting shallower, but adding more insulating mulch like straw might be the answer...
I'm watching this twice. I'll post again after careful thought. My method literally involves keeping the taters in the bottom of my fridge so I'm a bit stumped until I see this again.
Some people just work/try too hard. IMHO... compost and amend to build the soil over time each year. Then plant either seed or starts in your garden. And, you have to water to the needs of the various plants in ground, in raised bed or in container.
Some people enjoy testing out different methods and tracking results. Part of the fun of gardening for me is seeing what works and what doesn't- learning, adapting and changing. Doing it the same way all the time tends to get boring for me... but it's a personal choice.
Honestly Jenna, I can tell you why your potatoes seemingly shifted in the ground, truth is, they didn’t .. the mulch was so thick. They had to find alternate ways to reach the surface… the octopus 🐙 effect! this is also the reason for slow emergence, .. and a poor harvest… (I need to do a better job of explaining my planting method…)
The ideal technique will allow potatoes to sprout in the fall, and grow foliage above ground.. yes, a frost will wipe out what is on top, but the root system will be well established underneath.. so in the spring time when the weather warms, the shoots will emerge once again, way ahead of a spring planting..!
In zone 7a, you can have a full harvest in june… I will email you pictures, videos and I will walk you through a very detailed process.. all of this will include ground preparation, fertilization, mulching, and covering…ect I will also send you pictures of my harvest this year.. you will absolutely hate me Sista 🤪🤣🤣💯☝️mmarkmeyer@yahoo.com
Piney Springs Homestead
Stewart Tennessee
Why didn't I think of this?! That makes complete sense.
My fear was that being in a colder climate than you, the spuds wouldn't make it through the winter. But I've heard from multiple people here that have had potatoes overwinter either in grow tubs or very shallowly planted in 6a-- so I guess there's a chance! I'd love a more detailed walkthrough-- I'll email you! Thank you... and sorry I didn't do your technique justice!
Mark Please share this with the rest of us too !!! Thanks - Greatly appreciated !
Wow ! Interesting
@growfullywithjenna any chance mark will allow you to share your findings? Southeast Ohio here so obviously wont be overwintering taters for a bit, in fact shooting for mid march to plant taters so that I can get 2 full harvest hopefully as well as possibly overwinter some. Full schedule here for planting season. Normally dont get taters in till mothers day weekend when we do the WHOLE garden on the saturday. Ive got barassicas going in mid march and hoped to do taters as well, wont be a loss if it doesnt work because they are left from last years harvest that are about done for.
Last year, as I was harvesting my potatoes, I left one large potato from each plant remain in the ground attached to the root system. This year I ended up with a bumper crop here in zone 5b just west of Chicago. My soil was extremely loose and fluffy. Maybe try an experiment using large potatoes and overwintering them. Mine turned out great.
I like this idea! Thanks!
💯💯
I am in central Ohio and I just overwintered potatoes for the first time last year. I also had a number of potatoes that would have gone to waste and I figured I'd give it a try. I planted about 2/3 of a 25 foot row and about 1/2 of those potatoes made it through the winter. I did nothing special except that I planted them slightly deeper than I would have if they were spring potatoes. I do not grow in raised beds, but instead I grow in raised rows on the ground. Last year I amended my beds with about 6 inches of compost since I had lost a lot of my soil by not planting a cover crop the previous few years. I also broad-forked to try to break up the clay. The overwintered potatoes died back slightly earlier than my spring planted potatoes. This year I was really on top of fertilizing and managed to apply a foliar spray every 7-10 days and I got the absolute best yield I've ever seen. Many of the plants had 3-5 large tubers and a number of medium and small tubers. I have only been planting potatoes for maybe 5 years? In that time my plants have produced 1-2 large tubers and then a number of smaller ones.
I definitely need to make the effort to provide them a little supplemental food!
Using different methods is a great way to learn, Keeping in mind weather isn't always the repeat of previous years. I did 6 methods for tomatoes a few years ago, and I am so glad I did, Believe I learned how to raise tomatoes or peppers with 1/3, the effort ,I'm 72 and knowing 1/3 the effort is what seniors need and handicap folks don't want to stop gardening. I made a "mini post hole digger " something that doesn't require bending over when I dropping transplant in spring. Last year tomato plants needed put in a month after hernia surgery and then I made the mini digger and I was able to plant my seedings myself.
I had a few volunteer potatoes, and they are going to be left out this winter as my experiment
Thanks, Lady Gardener
So very true-- we never know what we're going to get weather-wise here in Ohio, do we?
Very smart idea with the mini post hole digger, John-- love it!
I’ve done over winter potatoes a couple times in zone 4A. Basically, when I harvest I just take the biggest potato from each plant and drop it back in the same hole before I cover it up. The garden is covered with a thick layer of wood chips so even though we were basically in a drought during parts of the summer everything did fine with pretty much zero watering.
Glad it worked for you in zone 4a. That's my zone too. I'll have to try it this year. Did you do anything other than using a large tuber and wood chips?
Nope. I’m no till. So only time the ground gets disturbed is harvest.
zone 6A east of akron. may 6 planting bone meal fertilizer compost added in clay soil no watering yielded 8 pounds per pound of seed potato.
*jealous* What variety did you plant?
Nice!
My heart goes out to you for all the effort you invest for us, your followers. Thank you. I'm back to growing my potatoes the way my Finnish grandfather taught me, literally living off of potatoes during the winters in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Plant the eyes (or small seed potatoes) about 8 inches deep in a trench. When the plants emerge and are about 6 inches tall, I then use a Mantis mini rototiller between rows and hoe the soil to the base of the 6 inch plants. I find that most of my harvested potatoes develop in this newly hoed soil. BTW, I don't think the number of potato plant blossoms correlates with the harvest yield. Kind Regards from Vermont. Craig
Sounds very similar to the way I traditionally plant my spring potatoes, and those typically do well! Thanks for sharing!
Craig Do you plant in the Spring of the Fall ? with any extra amendments at that time ? Thanks
I accidentally did this (in zone 6a) and didn’t realize there were some small potatoes I left behind before winter and was surprised to see green leaves popping out before everything else in my area. This was above ground in a canvas bag filled with compost and soil.
This is so interesting! Several people have said they have had potatoes in grow bags overwinter in our zone and I never even considered that was possible!
I agree... If my spuds are sprouting, I choose to getting them into the ground and see what happens. 😊
If you can't get them all eaten or preserved, it seems like the logical thing to do!
I love the wisdom that comes from experimentation. Thanks for posting your results!
If you want the seeds, don't cut it at all.
Hi Jenna, I just found your channel and can’t believe it hasn’t blown up?! Yours is one of the best gardening channels on TH-cam and being an Ohio gardener, like me is just a huge PLUS! I can’t wait to keep watching and watching old videos. Can I ask what county in Ohio you are gardening in? I’m in Trumbull County, NorthEast Ohio. You have inspired me to try potatoes and corn in 20 gal grow bags next year! Thank you for all of your hard work and sharing all of your knowledge in your videos. 😊❤
It's wonderful to hear from a fellow Ohio gardener! Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope the potatoes & corn in grow bags do well for you next year- I'd love to hear how they do.
I'm in mid-western Ohio (forgive me for not sharing my specific county), about 3 1/2 hours southwest of you 😀
We used to get larger yields 25 years ago when we planted potatoes in our clay soil. About 5 years ago, our soil was depleted and we switched to raised beds and mixed all new high quality soil. We get smaller yields now, but have less problems w/ beetles. We also get much better yields w/ sweet potatoes.
I'm in Ohio Zone 5b, 1300ft elevation, 12" deep metal raised beds... I never got around to harvesting half of my potatoes, and just threw on about 4-6 inches of straw to cover the undug up potatoes. In the spring I dug up 20 to 30 lb from half of what was left, only a few were damaged.
I then forgot about the rest, halfway through summer, the ones I forgot about that overwintered had grown, and harvested another 40lbs.
My soil was 1/3 compost, 1/3 topsoil, 1/3 peat moss.
Jenna, we found your channel while searching for zone 6 planting tips. We are in the mountains of North GA and have found your tips to be incredibly helpful. We especially appreciate your scientific methods in evaluating garden seeds and planting variations. We'll pass your channel along to others around here. Thank you and cheers.
Awesome! Thank you!
Last year was my first time gardening. I have 1ft deep raised beds. I had red potatoes that I must have missed last year grow where I planted my tomatoes this year, there were several softball size. Then I had some russets that I planted last year but the first freeze took them out. I ended to with several 6" potatoes. All I did was water like the rest of my garden.
Good to know!
Love your experiments. Keep it up.
Thank you!
I have never heard of this!! Thank you I will try this this year 🏴
I hope it works well for you!
W❤W great harvest Jenna 👍 Thxs
Thank you!
I have been growing potatoes in 5 gallon buckets because my soil is clay. I am in Ohio in zone 6a also. I had thought about trying to do some in my raised bed over winter but after your results I think I will stick to the buckets. I actually had a great harvest from the buckets this year. I have 1 - 30 gallon grow bag that was planted later than the buckets and I am going to dump it this week if it ever stops raining.
If the buckets work for you, I'd say stick with them-- BUT, I'm sure you'd do a better job watering your raised beds than I did, so your results would be better!
A lot of work and thinking...thank you for giving us some new things to think about and try.
My pleasure!
❤❤❤ Thanks you miss🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Hi Jenna,thank for explantation I like it.
Glad you liked it!
Whacky Springs here in Cincinnati. They'll warm up, sprout, get a month's top growth, then a random late frost in mid May will kill the tops so you're starting over again with no real advantage to overwintering in the ground. Sure, they start a month early but that jump-start is, 3 out of 5 years, randomly killed off. I'd rather just wait it out and plant as per usual calendar date. We do, however, store our 150-ish pounds of seed Potato in the ground over Winter in a modified old-school Potato Clamp. . Cold delays the ridiculous sprouting that happens indoors when you save seed overwinter, so - there's that.
Im in central Ohio. I have an area that I compost leaves in fall and kitchen scraps fall-winter. By spring it’s a beautiful mound of black dirt. I take the top off and mix that into my veggie gardens. Then I use that spot for my potatoes in spring. I dig in about 6” and throw them in. I dig them up in the late summer or early fall. I have had a great little crop each year. Of course it being my compost spot helps, but it’s also pretty loose (albeit clay down deeper) and it’s against the garage and getting sun noon til night only, which allows the morning dew to keep it pretty moist longer in the day. I never water.
That sounds like a great spot for potatoes!
I’ve been anxious to see this follow-up video on the potatoes. Sorry it didn’t work out the way you hoped. But now you can play around with more new ideas, and that’s part of the fun, even if a few colorful words wriggle into the experience.
I wonder if the moving of the plants was due to shifting of the loose soil and compost during the freeze/thaw activity during winter and spring.
By the way - and this is the fitness trainer within - whatever you are doing for your shoulders, big thumbs-up.
100% agree with the fun of playing around with new ideas! I suspect you may be spot on- the freeze/thaw likely is contributing to the moving spuds.
As for my shoulders- it's purely from gardening work 😊... I appreciate it!
See, everybody, gardening can be a great workout. 😊
Can’t wait to see what new methods you try next for potatoes.
I'm trying a different method right now. Put down a shallow layer of raised bed soil in a 25 gallon barrel. Then a pail of produce scraps. Another layer of soil then a good layer of cow poop. I had 6 russet taters that were sprouting and another layer of soil as well as a couple scoops of general garden fertilizer. Filled the barrel up and watered the whole thing in really well. After they lift the fire warning to ok to mow I'll cover with grass clippings . I read the reason for lack of spuds and small spuds is probably lack of moisture and fertilizer. They also said to fertilize one more time when the plants flower. I'm in Oregon zone 8a. So we shall see if they grow bigger and produce more!
That's very helpful!
I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Thank you. I have often wondered about this. You did an excellent job!
You're very welcome!
Love the experiments you do. Time got away from me last year and I did not harvest my potatoes grown in fabric pots. This year, they produced but based on my initial two or three fabric pots dumped on a tarp and harvested, the yield was fair to poor. I am guessing the yield will end up being about 1/3 of a Spring planting in the same fabric pots.
I'm surprised they overwintered in the pots!
Mild winters in the Seattle area made the difference.
Heck yeah!
😀
Wow !! 💯💯💯
👍
Very interesting Jenna.
Last yr I planted sweet tators in a 5 gallon bucket and in the ground. I'm in Zone 10. Not much success.
This the tator's came up on their own. I haven't checked them yet, but I do mulch everything. I use dried leaves.Ive added a little bit of nitrogen when I water them. So we shall see.
Sorry thing's didn't quite work out for you.
I hope they do well for you!
This was super helpful. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Interesting video as always - thanks!
Thank you!
I still think you did quite well regardless of outside forces. It looks like you have some you could can, salt potatoes, and regular eating potatoes. I think it was a good test! Enjoyed, take care!
It was certainly a fun experiment to try!
Hurray I won for the overwintered potatoes. Weren't they easy to harvest with the cardboard on the bottom? And now you have a great area full of rich, well fertilized soil to put something else in. Win-win
I definitely should have mentioned that in the video! The soil was so nice- and yes, after digging that bed was perfect to just plant another crop into immediately.
Is a good to let the eyes green up in a sunny window about one month before planting. If you plant with stretched light colored eyes they will trouble getting started or even rot, and wait until hard frost is over.
I wonder if the Mysterious moving was because the ground got more compacted until they had time to sprout. Thanks for the video and I look forward to the tweaks that you try. 👍
That makes sense!
Definitely could be!
Timely as always Jenna!!! Well my taters didn't do so hot this year either in SW Ohio. So was it the hot dry spell in the spring, or too much water later on? What's your take on why production was less then usual? I planted Pontiac Red and Yukon Gold. As expected the Yukon's died back first and neither variety flowered, which is my normal cue to consider digging them up. Weird... Seems like I got about half of what I usually get.
I think it was the combo of the hot dry spell in April, followed by the cool/hazy May- the plants were just SUPER slow to get growing. I had very little flowering on any potatoes this year, which is not the norm for me.
I grew Carolla gold from Maine potato lady this spring. Planted out on March 29th “deep dug” probably 6-8” under compost, then mulched with fresh grass clippings & no other care. 16ft row, about 12-13 plants. I got 38# from them. I’ll grow them again!!
Also, have you harvested your celery root? Can you show what celery root looks like when ready to harvest??
Nice! That's one variety I haven't tried yet- I may have to add it to the list for next year.
I haven't harvested my celery root yet-- I'll try to share that!
Looks like my dismal potato harvest this year. I grew in 20 pound grow bags…and they had great plants too, flowers too. I grew Pontiac Reds in Zone 6b. But I didn’t grow over winter
Sorry to hear it!
What a coincidence, after watching part 1 of this experiment, I checked your channel and literally 1 hour ago, you posted the results!
I'm in Toronto, Canada (equivalent zone 5) and will try overwintering this year. Last year in October, I threw out some small potatoes into my flower bed and maybe covered them with about 1 inch of clay soil. We piled a lot of snow on top and they still sprouted. The same thing happened with small onions that I threw out. They seemingly survived the hard frost and they were certainly not below the frost line. In fact, I tossed sunflower seeds that I thought were too soft to store and they sprouted too.
We had a weird spring as well this year. It was mid 70s in the first 2 weeks of April so I sowed my potatoes followed by 2 weeks of rain. Unfortunately, the potatoes planted above ground level survived while those below the ground level rotted away.
My experiments for next season will include:
1) Potatoes in 5gal bucket to be left outside (lid on until snow to prevent excess water)
2) Potatoes in 5gal bucket to be left inside an attached garage
3) Sowing potatoes into a mound outside
The success criterion will be whether they survive the winter. Even if they are a bit slow to come out, it sure beats having to store them (no need to wash or routinely inspect). As for yields, I will be adding commercial fertilizers to rule out any issues stemming from a lack of nutrients.
P.S: You should be able to identify Yukon Gems by their red/pink coloration around their eyes.
Sounds like I should be able to get away with not burying them so deep! I'd love to hear updates on your experiments for next season!
I've only ever had volunteer potatoes... so far. I have one in a bucket in my greenhouse now and a few starting in the veggie patch. I'm curious to see if the greenhouse potatoes make a decent head start (they look like they might as they aren't being nipped by frost).
I grew a container in my greenhouse a few year back and it definitely gave me an earlier harvest-- it makes me wish I had a bigger greenhouse so I could do several more!
I'm Zone 4B/5A I can't see this being a possibility here at all. Amazing how different just 1 Zone can be
No- my gut says that any further north than I am and this wouldn't work at all-- unless possibly you had them in a hoop house or low tunnel.
@GrowfullywithJenna I do have one and plan to make more of these mini greenhouse tunnels for my raised beds. My soil stayed thawed, I think, most of the year. When I could see temperature, it was well above freezing during the day. Overnight Temps stayed about 10° above the outside temp. I'm thinking of adding some of those old holiday bulbs that give off heat to use overnight. There was a month we had so much snow that I couldn't get it open. I'm planning on getting a remote bluetooth thermometer so I can check the temp in there all winter. I also have ground heat cables. It's my little side project to see if I can try to grow, something, year-round
I live in southeast Michigan, same garden zone as you i believe. My fiance and I are busy with planning our wedding for this October a d completely lost track of prepping for a fall garden. Is it too late to get out some broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots do you think? I have tried local nursery shops for transplants with no luck.
First- congrats on your upcoming nuptials!
To answer your question, it would be getting too late for me to start cauliflower & broccoli from seed right now- I'll be setting out transplants within a week or so. Carrots can still be done, but get them out soon.
Some of this will vary depending on your fall frost date and how mild or cold your fall typically gets and how quickly. I stay pretty mild here till early December typically- even with nights dropping below freezing. I also employ frost blankets/row covers to extend my season.
Can you share where you are dtoring your potatoes and the wooden "table" they are on in another video?
Definitely! Here is my video on curing & storing potatoes: th-cam.com/video/gFB2ssY4YH0/w-d-xo.html
Did you record the dates. I want to look at my ancestors lunar calendar to see what the moon phases were.
It could be the variety. I know red pontiacs do well in clay. They do need water. I didn’t get to dig mine yet and we had extreme drought in WI. We are actually getting rain and for tomorrow and I didn’t get to the potatoes yet as been busy with tomatoes and onions.
There seems to be as many designer potatoes as tomatoes these days.
We had that late freak frost, then the drought and then the beetles-Ugh! It’s been a year.
I'm glad you're finally getting some rain!
Love the video as I'm strongly considering overwintering potatoes here in Indiana. One question: It looks like I got the same metal row markers/garden markers that you have. What do you use to actually label them? I'm not sure if sharpie would be better long term or looking for some of outdoor labels (avery?) I could print in my printer.
Thanks in advance.
I stick on thermal labels and write on them with industrial sharpie (I talk about this in more detail in this video: th-cam.com/video/bj3QcM7SPqE/w-d-xo.html) This will typically last either a full season, or for overwintered items it will last from fall to the next spring/summer... but the ink definitely starts to fade.
What was the pH of your soil.. For best results with potatoes it should be between 5.5 and 5.8.
I wish I’d be around to see how you young growers plant when your my age. I’m sure you’ll change how you plant as you age. I just can’t dig like that anymore….
All I could think of during this video was plantar fascitis from shoveling wearing sandals!!
I'm just hoping I can follow in my dad's footsteps... 70+ years old and he can still outwork me any day... including digging potatoes 😀!
Well the video was interrupted via neighbor emergency but I believe the main issue was depth and rot. You really mounded some of this up and given the time it had, considering the growth energy, I don't think the plants had enough juice left by the time they reach the surface. I'm about 500 miles south of you and my winter was painfully mild. Bags of cut plants I had laid underneath my porch had literally fermented before I built my bed this year. Plus it's been a bizarre year here. Rainy and windy when all around me is burning alive. But yeah, I think it was largely the amount of stuffs above the spuds that stunted the growth. Just my thoughts.
I was thinking along those lines as well. Since the 2 new methods were so deep, I wonder if pulling the mulch off in the spring would have helped it warm faster. 🤔 They could have been rehilled with mulch later after growth popped out.
Ooh- that is an excellent point!
Also- I hope the neighbor is ok!
First year I planted Potatoes, when do you know when to harvest?
When the top growth dies.
I typically try to wait till the top growth is at least partially dead. But if it's getting really hot, I'll just go ahead & dig as they won't produce more tubers in the heat anyways.
I'm not quite sure what the mission was?? During a harvest, haven't we all missed a potatoe or two, and find them popping up the following spring. We didn't give them any extra attention, but they survived. And if left to grow, will produce well.
Just wanted to see if A. they would survive and grow, and B. any of the methods gave me an advantage over just leaving them in the ground and forgetting about them
I must have missed something here....what is the reason for over-wintering versus just planting in the spring?
Her planting vid said her reason was because she had some in storage that were sprouting and wouldn't make it until spring. The reason I'm researching this method is because I always seem to have too long of a to-do list in spring and never get them planted on time. I'm hoping to curtail that issue with fall planting. Some of the articles I've read state that they get a jumpstart that way, though Jenna definitely didn't see that result.
@howmygardengrows3080 thank you for providing an explanation to the question. Helping to alleviate that spring to-do list could be a definite 'pro' to this method! I do think in certain growing climates some folks will see an earlier harvest-- perhaps if I continue to test this, I may see one in certain years as well. But hasn't been the case for the last 2 years. I'm guessing planting at an increased depth as compared to spring planting slows them down quite a bit! Perhaps planting shallower, but adding more insulating mulch like straw might be the answer...
I'm watching this twice. I'll post again after careful thought. My method literally involves keeping the taters in the bottom of my fridge so I'm a bit stumped until I see this again.
I'm guessing you thought this was about storing potatoes over the winter at first?
Placed rotting potatoes on the ground. Covered with leaves and got average amount
blood n bone!
Yep- they could have definitely benefited from that.
Some people just work/try too hard. IMHO... compost and amend to build the soil over time each year. Then plant either seed or starts in your garden. And, you have to water to the needs of the various plants in ground, in raised bed or in container.
Some people enjoy testing out different methods and tracking results. Part of the fun of gardening for me is seeing what works and what doesn't- learning, adapting and changing. Doing it the same way all the time tends to get boring for me... but it's a personal choice.
Potatoes in winter in zone 6?? That’s crazy.frost line is supposedly 18 inches. Wow x they would never come up.
Yes, I'm in 6a. And they came up 😀
@@GrowfullywithJenna ❤️
I think it's very funny that you have a gardening channel and don't know how to pronounce foliage.
Though I understand you’re looking for something to criticize, both pronunciations are acceptable: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foliage