Market Farming

["Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>]

I grew potatoes in wooden bushel baskets once.  Old baskets with rotting
bottoms.  That worked out pretty well.  The colorado potato beetles seem to
have a harder time getting to them.

Anyway, at the end of the season, I simply lifted the baskets and the
potatoes just fell out.  Great way to harvest.

But I was doing limited potato growing.  4 varieties in 20 baskets each.

Tires?  I've heard of doing that and I wonder about what might leach out of
the tires into the soil.

BTW, I plant nicotiana near potatoes.  The beetles eat the nicotiana and
die? or go away.

I also mulch potatoes with straw.  In a test for a couple profs (UI and
Purdue) I put the straw mulch on one planting and left another planting, 100
feet away without mulch.  The straw mulched potatoe plants had very little
colorado potato beetle damage.  Apparently, the straw mulch attracts a
natural predator of CPB's.  I forget the predator.

maybe someone can help me there.

Del Williams
Country Fruit and Floral
Kankakee, IL