Frugal Living - Growing Potatoes

2008 potato crop ran from late June through November with enough boiled, mashed and frozen to keep us going until December. A house move and new garden means creating a new potato patch, so I'm hoping potatoes grow as well here as they did there. I have one small raised bed measuring approximately 6' x 4', nowhere near the amount of space available previously, but I have more buckets and containers to make up for it. We've also dug a triangular plot that should take another 21. My aim is to harvest 50 kilos of potatoes to last us until next year's crop. I was impatient this year and planted the first potato pieces on 1st March, they have already been earthed up by te time the photographs were taken. First potatoes planted 01/03/09.

10/04/09 - The little potato patch in the new garden before the hens scratched it all up!	13/04/09 - The raised beds in the corner have had to be fenced off to deter the hens
24/04/09 - Another small potato bed prepared with space for 21 seed potatoes in a 1,2,3,4,5,6 formation. (All of them sprouted)	25/04/09 - Earthing up the potatoes in the flexi-buckets, as they are growing fast. I am using layers of straw & grass clippings as well as compost.
14/05/09 - The containers have almost been filled to the top, earthing up with compost and straw	14/05/09 - The buckets have already been filled to the top, earthing up with compost and soil.
14/05/09 - Despite the numerous attacks by marauding hens, the potatoes seem to be surviving.	22/05/09 - Despite continual 'attacks' by hens scratching, the potatoes are surviving.
22/05/09 - Two rows of 10 potatoes planted, these have been netted for their own protection from the hens. 20 out of 20 have sprouted.	06/06/09 - The final potato experiment - can you really grow 100lbs of spuds in 4 square feet of space? Time will tell with our potato well.
07/06/09 - The potatoes in the giant trugs are now about a metre high and beginning to flower. Netted to keep ducks from eating too many leaves!	13/06/09 - The wooden potato 'well' is beginning to look more like a beehive. I need more wood to finish it to full height.
14/06/09 - The potatoes in the raised bed are now flowering - dark purple flowers with bright yellow centres, very pretty flowers!	14/06/09 - Despite a rocky start being dug up on several occasions by chickens, the potatoes are surviving.
15/06/09 - 4 barrels containing 4 different varieties of potatos, including blue salad and truffle.	16/06/09 - 10 days after planting and the potatoes in the wooden 'well' have started to sprout.
16/06/09 - A very different look to the previous photo of 24/04/09 - potatoes galore, hoping to get 50kg+ from this lot eventually but earthing up has been causing problems	16/06/09 - Planted on 22/05/09, these are what I call the 'mole run' potatoes. 20 out of 20 have sprouted already. The wire mesh is to protect them from chickens & ducks
22/06/09 - The potato well plants are looking good. I really hope this works as it would save a load of space next year.	13/07/09 The 'mole run' potatoes have been earthed up with straw and compost, all 20 plants surviving, now fenced off from hens & ducks.
13/07/09 The potatoes in the wooden 'well' have now reached the top. I've still not got any more wood to finish the project! Must act soon.	13/07/09 The ''Truffle' potatoes in the giant trugs have started to flower now. I have about 6 varieties of potatoes growing and most lost their labels!
14/07/09 - I emptied the 2 small pots that had contained the spare pieces of potato and got enough for a couple of meals.	02/09/09 What I thought were Salad Blues have turned out to be the Truffle potatoes. Must NOT use felt tip pen on outdoor labels next year.
2008 potato patch in our last garden	2008 crop in our last garden
24/05/08 - Close up of the potato patch from last year, before moving house.	31/05/08 - One week on, after we eventually had a shower of rain! One wet day since the 10th May!
08/06/08 - The rain is still staying away and we are watering daily. Flower buds have appeared.	13/06/08 - Potatoes & very late sweet peas. Most of my potatoes have green veined leaves, however ...
13/06/08 - Do red veined leaves mean red potatoes? (Edited in - obviously it does, I got red potatoes from these.)	15/06/08 - The flowers are opening on the main crop, but are not plain white, as I was expecting. Looks like pink!
15/06/08 - The flowers are actually pale lilac and yellow.	22/06/08 - Some of the flowers are purple whilst others are a very pale shade of lilac with yellow!
22/06/08 - 2 days with rain should have helped the crop. Most of lot 1 are now flowering.	25/06/08 - My very first bowlful of new potatoes excavated from the tub on the patio.
09/07/08 - The first early potatoes from the main crop. This is from one plant, but it's early days yet, still plenty of time for more.	12/09/08 - the potato plot, all shaws have died back and the dead foliage removed and transferred to compost heap. Averaging about 1kg of potatoes per plant, so far. This crop lasted us until December.