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  • From: <miranda AT tagoresmith.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Old-fashioned potato furrow trick
  • Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2004 12:11:55 -0400


Hi.

My mother, who used really old-fashioned but usually very effective
techniques, taught me to put comfrey leaves in the bottom of the potato
furrows and mulch them with alfalfa green-chop. I believe that this is
effective because it radically increases levels of available
potassium--it leaches really well from both comfrey and alfalfa--but she
always talked about it as a way to reduce pathogens. Incidentally, she
chitted potatoes before planting by spreading them on newspapers in a
dimly lit spot--floor space in a loft or spare room, depending on where
we were living, after cutting into them seed pieces so they'd begin to
sprout. And she never rushed planting--cold, wet soil promotes some of
the fungi you want to discourage. The alfalfa green-chop went on after
the first hilling, along the sides of the hills but not touching the
stems for fear of encouraging a fungal disease.

Whenever possible, I've followed her lead here and have had good results
as a consequence. However, I also have to say that when I've tilled
planting beds and furrows into a field of overwintered vetch, I've also
had good results.

Miranda Smith





  • [Market-farming] Old-fashioned potato furrow trick, miranda, 04/24/2004

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