From just four plants we harvested 5 kg of new Kipfler potatoes today after 10 weeks of growing. That’s 5kgs from less than 200gms of potatoes planted.
I love this abundance…there are another 25 plants to harvest.
We’re going to get a sackful!
As you can tell, Hugh is pretty impressed with his haul this afternoon.
These potatoes were grown in a new no-dig garden on an area of weedy grass that had never been cultivated before.
We made this area to grow more of the bulk foods that the kids eat a lot of, but also to cultivate more of the plants that I give away a lot in workshops – rather than constantly taking out of the zone 1 garden kitchen garden.
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| Opening the soil with a garden fork, but not turning. |
This garden is part of our permaculture zone 3: farm zone. In this patch amongst the Potatoes we planted Yacon, QLD Arrowroot, Cassava, Brazilian Spinach, Turmeric, Galangal, Rosella, Okra, Pepino and also companion perennial herbs such as Society Garlic, Sacred Basil, Pineapple Sage. Now that the potatoes are coming out, I’ve plantedWatermelon – another of our kids’ favourites.
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| You can see the amount of openness that can be created just with the fork. The potatoes were so easy to dig out with my hands and I found so many worms. |
Thanks to Columbian WWOOFer, Alejandro, for creating this garden in August and planting the potatoes.
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| Before making the garden beds, we let the chooks in for a while. |
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| Some of the garden beds were top-dressed with compost, paper/card and mulch – others with just mulch. As I dig up the rest of the potatoes, I’ll make comparison on the quality and quantity of potatoes from each section. Will be interesting to compare. |
Great haul….I love growing my own potatoes…they grow so fast. People ask why I bother when they are so cheap but there is nothing as good as picking them out of the soil in your own garden. Love your no dig garden beds by the way.
I agree! Also,there are so many different varieties to choose from when you grow your own. My potatoes got off to a flying start with the great spring we have been having; not too hot and plenty of moisture. However, meat ants are now eating the tops, way ahead of the potatoes being fully formed. They have not done this before. I am a bit miffed and baffled but there does not seem to be much I can do to stop them….
Jane
A wonderful harvest of potatoes. And they look so beautiful, not a mark on the skin. I can almost taste them.
Just getting ready to catch the coach from Northey Street City Farm up to Crystal Waters today. Very excited.
Hi Morag, I tried my hand at potatoes a few months back, I grew them in a big pot and as they grew just kept topping them up with potting mix and mulch. They were looking fantastic, really healthy, and then like most things in my garden they got a disease. From what I have read I think it was potato blight. I was so disappointed. I removed all the potting mix and used it to top dress the lawn, I was able to harvest about 12 potatoes of various sizes and as they looked healthy, we ate them, they were delicious. I will try to grow potatoes again sometime. Have a wonderful weekend.
Fi