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  • From: sjc <indexer AT fairpoint.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Potato Q
  • Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:01:08 -0500

If using tires as a container makes you jittery, use something else.

I don't have any old tires around here, but I grow most all my potatoes the way she described, starting at the bottom with a few (3, usually) chunks with eyes. Soon as they have a good start, I set a cardboard box (with it's bottom flaps folded against the sides. and it's top flaps folded down) over each group, and I've used tomato cages lined with several layers of newspaper. All you need is something to contain soil/hay/whatever as you go up. Doesn't seem to matter much if the sides are high/solid (thought it might cut off too much light); the plant is going up anyway.
If you don't mind hard plastic, you could set yourself up with the upper portion of a trash can that's had it's holey, or cracked, bottom removed. Really doesn't matter what it is. I guess concrete blocks or something would do the job, but then you're getting back into the lifting I was trying to avoid....

The tires do make neat looking 'cairns', though, and surely they would absorb/hold heat if one needed that, but here we don't need extra heat, so I just keep using boxes.....

SJ






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