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Bethlehem CT

I heard from some old timers that potatoes like newly turned ground that was recently sod. In my experience this seems to be true. The best crops I have had were the first year in a new spot.

2/9/2025 8:22:19 AM

Grittyville, WA

Same here. They go from decent the first year or two, to runty, then to disappearing completely, if I leave them in the ground in the same spot year after year(s)... also they might not mind being in tilled soil. Not sure the no-till thing benefits them much at all. Thats interesting, huh. The corn growers talk about planting corn back onto corn year after year and that seems to be ok but the potato growers do rotate fields over set periods of time. The Irish would throw potatoes into any new ground even if it was poor soil not good for other crops. As long as it was newly turned ground they would do ok. I guess I should break some new ground. Or, is there was a way to trick them into acting like they were in new ground without actually being in new ground...? The solarization I did last year actually seemed to hurt the soil for normal garden crops, but maybe for potatoes it would be beneficial. Maybe I could solarize the soil surface (with/ without trenches and hills) then add a fresh & thick organic mulch like straw and they'd do ok. I was going to give up on solarizing. Well, thanks bigmoon!

2/9/2025 12:30:32 PM

Bethlehem CT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gyIsqQjJDk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEI_pvpI1m0&t=0s

The traditional way, I am probably here because of the success of this method! LOL

2/14/2025 8:21:37 AM