I've recently moved to a rural area and am trying to start gardening on a tight budget. I have some obnoxiously nosey neighbors. They drove by after I'd planted my potatoes under straw. They stopped and the wife got out and told me the straw was going to burn my garden and I needed to take it off right then and go to the store and buy mulch. I decided to cover the straw with some leaves (so they wouldnt have to see it anymore) and am happy to report my potatoes seem to be growing just fine.
I love how the ducks are cleaning up behind you. So cute. This video reminds me of the Ruth Stout method. She would leave them in the dirt and just put a bale of straw on top of them and store them there over winter and go out when needed, roll over the bale and pick up the potatoes. I'm currently growing my potatoes in 10 gallon pots on my gravel driveway but I do intend to use this method on the homestead when I live on property. Thanks for your videos. I would like to see how your food forest is going. I'm designing one on our hillside. Making terraces to receive the food forest. Big plans! I love the inspiration you give me with your channel.🌈💜🌎✌️
That looks like a great harvest. Interesting to hear how different each harvest was, but it makes sense that the duck bedding would be better due to being made up of different things, plus the poop! It was lovely to see the ducks following behind and cleaning up, treats all round :)
Seaweed is beloved by Potatoes 🥔 powdered would be practical to sprinkle at planting. Liquid feed also available. Because they are related to Tomatoes, they are greedy feeders. This has inspired me for this year 🙂 Great video 🌿
I use the modified Ruth Stout method. Poking them slightly in soft soil then mulching with meadow clippings throughout the growing season. But I've ran out of space before running out of potato sets. I'm going to try this with what sets I have left, just because I can!
Thank you for the update! I've really been looking forward to seeing your results and benefiting from your experience. I've been using a lot of chicken compost (created by mucking out the chicken houses into their enclosed and roofed runs, adding a regular supply of cut grass, Weeds, excess or duff veggies from the garden and letting the chickens work it over with an occasional forking over to break up lumps) to grow our potatoes in buckets / containers this year with good results. We do have an excess of seed potatoes however and I think the remainder will be used up using a variation of this technique this week. Slugs are a massive problem here, but I figure any successful spuds will be a bonus and any which suffer slug attack can be passed on to neighbours to feed their pigs (once cooked up outdoors to meet the regulations!). Thanks again for sharing and keep up the great work here on RU-vid. 😁👍
Hi Liz thanks for the great video. I’ve not tried this method in North/West Devon. We have raised beds and lots of slugs, love yr ducks who would soon see them off. My question is; you mentioned that you don’t usually harvest your potatoes all at once. How long can they be left in the ground? Thank you both for being so nice.
Thank you so much for your video... we used this method this year as well and had an amazing harvest...We prepared the area by blocking out the grass for a few months prior to planting with cardboard and hay filled with cow manure, then when it was time to plant we parted the hay, cut holes in the cardboard an lay a seed potato in each hole and covered it back up with the hay and manure... as they grew we kept piling more manure filled hay... It worked better than we imagined possible... Now the soil is much improved and we have covered it back up so it will be ready for next season... Can't wait for another amazing harvest of potatoes!
Some thing got into my buckets of potatoes and just ate holes in all of them and they weren’t even very big I ordered seed potatoes earlier in the year and they didn’t get here until April and they all died off and harvested yesterday and got very few because something had just destroyed them I will try again next year a different way I even grew the ones that were supposed to be for my climate which is zone 8A Alabama humid and hot !! I will try again next year!!!
Hi Steve, no I didn't do anything sensible like that. I'm only growing potatoes for us to eat at home and we don't use very many in a year, so I looked at them, thought 'that'll do' and got them dried and stored away.
A lovely crop of potatoes! I remember you planting these and looking forward to seeing the results. I think any moisture and bacteria etc. In the duck bedding would really have helped with weed suppression and improving the soil. Looking forward to next year
Great result, Liz! We’ve still got big round, black -plastic wrapped, half-composted meadow hay which we could use as a mulch for some spuds next year. Definitely worth a go.
Great harvest, Liz. We tried the Ruth Stout Method too. We loved it. I ended up with lots of rotted straw which was so good for my garden. Thank you for the update.
I think you were the first person I saw using this method to grow potatoes, I really like growing potatoes like this using grass clippings. Thanks for the information
Always love seeing the results of your potato plantings! Really enjoy hearing the conversation between you and Mr J (with commentary by the ducks of course 😀)
I've just harvested my 1st handful of potatoes, just enough for our dinner yesterday it felt so good. This was my first time growing vegetables, I was lucky enough to receive my Allotment patch in spring of this year. I didn't know what or how to do things so I just done lots of reading and watching yt videos. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted everything to be as organic as possible and as manageable as possible so we installed box's and followed your no-dig method using hay, it has been so good at retaining moisture during even the hottest days and yesterday I was able to just put my hand into the hay pile and feel for the biggest ones, it was brilliant, no guesswork needed and just leaving the ones left to grow bigger, you just couldn't do that if they were deep in the ground. I have been truly blessed thanks to yourself.
Snap! Tipped out a growbag at home, the small new potatoes were a lovely addition to dinner. Also the children at work harvested one container of the spuds they planted earlier. It was so rewarding seeing their pride in what they grew and hearing their observations about the whole process. Thanks for sharing the result of your experiment and the recommendations as well. 👍
Lovely video, land, ideas, tips and ducks, most of all. We have two who hatched this last July and they should start laying eggs in a couple months. I joke and say my friends are quacking honkers 🦆⛲ happy planting to you xx
I grow no dig potatoes on the same pach for 6 years now this year under black plastic so no need to hill up worked very well just got them all out and filed 6 old 20g paper bags. Just planted the next crop on the same spot. A crop of fodder beet to grow to feed to my chickens over winter.
Just waiting a few more days until I lift my Charlotte 2nd earlies. I've grown them on grass underneath grass clippings. I have purposefully not watered them. I've had a peak on one of the plants and there is a small amount of scab (dry conditions) but NO slug or snail damage. To early to say if all the plants tubers are unaffected, but it's looking promising so far. Once I've lifted them I will flatten the clippings, dress with horse poo compost and plant leek plants. Another great video Liz, Ta.
I tried with straw… but as I have no lovely ducks… the slugs ate half of the potatoes and I had to take them out before they were done growing….As you said, I prepared the next potatoe area for 2023 laying down hay. It always very enjoyable to watch yr videos and take part in the growing of yr new farm/garden/foodforest ❤️
I used straw on my potatoes and I think I would have had a great harvest if we weren't having a drought and temps near 100's. I am still waiting on rain to come. The garden is suffering. There is only so much I can water with a watering can .
Liz one more question!! I am presuming we must keep topping up the mulch thru'out the season? And is there anywhere I can find your results without the video?
Great video Liz, thank you. I wonder if you've had trouble with scab in the past and/or perhaps this method has any effect on reducing it? A good 1/3 of my harvest was effected this year. May try to play with the pH next season.
2 года назад
I grow potatoes in a similar manner and my neighbour (an old gentleman over 70) is always looking at it with distrust :-)
Looks like the ducks are going to miss their tater snack. Nice harvest. I’m growing Greek gigante beans for the first time. I live in a temperate climate (rarely gets a frost) and I was wondering how to perennialize the plant? At the end of the season do I just cut it back? Or will it reseed itself? I still have so much to learn about perennials. Thanks.
Hello Mrs. Liz. I enjoyed your video and I planted potatoes underneath hay last year and unfortunately I got some kind of wilt that rotted them in the ground. Hay is not working for me in South Carolina. Too many insects also. And the hay has never started even breaking down into the soil - after three years! Going to try wood chips and straw perhaps. Keep up the good work!
Here in Nz most potato varieties are indeterminate not determinate so a bit trickier to grow with just hay. My sister's palmation used to dig up the potatoes and eat them !!
Good haul there! Just doing mine - hit and miss because some grew, some were tardy, so I've left it late to pull. One plant gave a carrier bag full of huge spuds! They were supposed to be earlies! The rest of the row yielded one carrier bag in all. Still, good enough and another row yet to do. The only spuds that started off really well and still going strong are the maincrop - I had visions of eating those first! Am preferring the hay instead of straw for the ducks, seems softer and as you say, more dense when using in the veg patch. Very inspiring video, thankies!
I did the Ruth Stout last year and this year some friends had some small potatoes that for some reason they left in a fridge for a couple of months. Planted them a couple of months ago and covered them with grass clippings (cant get hay round here) every time the neighbours have grass we covered them again - they are going "Gangbusters" at the moment and the one I looked at is doing very good. On the clay I tend to sprinkle Lime and it works for me.
I've just harvested mine that were planted under straw. Over half had to be thrown away due to slug damage and many had scab as well. Sounds like hay works better but this is the last time for me after the 2nd time of trying.
Bless you Liz 🙂 I'll stick to buckets from now on thanks. To be fair, I only did this again to see if it was a fluke that the results were so bad last year (Erica's supermarket spuds challenge) and I had run out of buckets. As you know I grow a lot to exhibit but sadly all the shows seem to have reduced the number of potato classes. Five down to two in some cases! So 2023 will see me growing spuds in buckets but a lot less of them. I'll mention and link to this hay results video when I do my reveal video if you don't mind.
Very interesting Liz and good results too, I particularly liked how clean the spuds where after lifting. With the resuorce of grass and eventual hay that you have (massive), you can no doubt start your beds in Autumn and be laying seed spuds onto what will essentially be compost. No doubt, you already have a dozen or more ideas you are thinking about for next year, will you add in some maincrops for next year?...Steve...🙂
Hi Steve, there are a few maincrop, Sarpo mira potatoes in the second row of potatoes in that area. There were also some other seed spuds that I had lying around and some organic shop bought (for eating) potatoes. I have paid so little attention to them that we will probably get a very skinny crop from them, but a few to top up the supplies will be welcome in a couple of months. I've also planted some (I think Sarpo mira) into a bed in the raised bed veg garden. They are under wood some compost and chippings and are just flowering now, but I'll leave them as long as I can before harvesting - there are only so many potatoes two people can eat within a short-ish period of time!
@@LizZorab Thats great Liz, even though as you said you have paid them little attention, I'm fairly certain it will be a good guage of the possibilities of the method using Sarpos as the test subject. I for one will be interested to see as like many I am familiar with sarpo mira. But early signs for the method look great, less work so time saved over bucket use or digging, even though with one or two you had to trowel them out, you will sort that out for next year I am sure!...Steve...🙂
You can, but you may want to see the results of my trials using different mulches first ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GKB-tan-zdg.html
Really interesting to see the results of your trial Liz, such a great way of learning how to grow, what works well and what changes you might need to make. I used hay as a mulch on an established potato bed this year after seeing your earlier video about this trial and its worked really well, I haven't earthed up once..... I'll let you know later on if I regret it due to grass seeds 😂
Our Mommy & daddy ducks went for a walk in the woods without their ducklings. I watch them makw the little ducks stay in the yard, & and the male and female duck walk into the woods like normal and this time they did not return. So NOW we have 5 orphan duckling. And NO good place to keep them, trying to make the garden a safe place for the ducklings. We had 20 ducklings last spring and we only ended up with 2, & they happened to be a male and female. Now we have 5 ducklings left.
I have some Yukon Gold pots, that I have to get go this week. And hopefully plant another set, for another harvest. I sure hoow they grew well. I never grew any pots other than store bought ones till these Yukon gold's.
I used leaves to grow my taters this year Across the Pond.. I can pick up bags of leaves off the side of the road because Folk here throw them away. I also grow all my taters from Sto bought taters. I live N. of Memphis TN and have my fall crop planted just need some rain..
Nothing like harvesting potatoes the feeling is fantastic and you've got a very good harvest their Liz. I planted Nicola (earlys) (sarpo Mira) main crop and it was a bumper harvest too 👍👍🥔🥔🥔🥔
That's fantastic I was really interested in the results when I watched you planting them. I'd love to see a version for people who can't keep ducks/chickens ect. I was thinking if I can get hold of organic manure to put down in the autumn/winter then use grass clippings and possibly woodchip layered on the top to have some carbon then I could be making compost while growing potatoes just a thought. Not sure if it will work but I'm aware I will be short of good compost next year as we are moving. I can buy compost but it is a significant expense as I usually grow in containers and it's an awful lot of compost. I was thinking I could use growing potatoes to actually be well on my way to making some compost but not sure if it will work though. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you
This video shows the results of growing under some different mulches ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GKB-tan-zdg.html I think the lesson learnt this year is that it probably matters what is UNDER the potatoes more than what is on top.
It's the material used in the duck's house for them to sleep on. Sometimes we use chopped rapeseed straw, sometimes it is chopped miscanthus and at the moment we are used wood shavings. They are all absorbent materials that soak up the liquid part of the duck poop and will rot down nicely when composted. The used duck bedding is cleaned out the duck house on a regular basis and replaced with fresh bedding.
Unlike chicken bedding that needs to be composted, duck bedding can be used straight away. I pull it out of the duck house and dump it onto the raised beds all winter. In the summer (when the beds are full of plants), I add it to the compost heap or use it as a mulch around trees.
Liz what a great harvest!!!! Do you ever save potatoes for a second harvest or for the next year? If so please share or point me in the right direction of your videos.
Yes I do! I save any green potatoes and any that we haven't eaten by the time they start going a bit soft. I know that some people carefully wrap the potatoes in newspaper and store them in a cool dry place. I just bung them in a basket and leave them in the barn. Alteratively, you can replant some in the ground - it's exactly the same as the ones that we miss when we are harvesting and they grow the next year.
Hello Liz how do you record the sound for your videos, its nice strong audio also with surrounding sounds, what microphone system aand camera do you use? thank you, best regards from Žiga from Slovenia
When I started out making videos I used a lapel mic (this exact make amzn.to/3Kc4Dnv) and nowadays I mostly use a Rode mic (this one amzn.to/3rxK8Lw). Camera is Canon 90D amzn.to/3Q8JVc1 with Sigma AF 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Lens Art Series for Canon amzn.to/3O22YSB I recommend that you use a less expensive equipment while you are establishing your channel - I didn't buy equipment for my videos until I was earning enough money, through the videos, to pay for it. For the sake of transparency, the links I've included are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase using my links, but it will not cost you anything extra.
I've been growing potatoes in containers for some years now. I prefer them on the ground as they feel like less work and I don't need to keep watering them - but the containers are useful for a late crop or for Christmas potatoes.
I found it advertised on a local FB group. Alternatively you can use grass clippings from your own garden (and neighbours might let you have some too, just check they haven't used weedkiller first).
Hi Liz, I tried your hay method with great success. Could have done with more rain but can't change that. My troubles came with voles moving in and gnawing many of the crop. Had to dig the whole patch up. Have you any advice on dealing with deterring voles/mice from the hay beds?? Many thanks
I didn't water them as we've had an incredibly wet spring and summer. I think it would work as long as you've prepared an area by placing compost or organic matter on the ground first (not digging it into the ground). Unless you get a good rainfall, you'll need to water them - and plant at the same time as you'd usually plant for your area, I'm not sure they'd like the incredible heat of your summers!
I tried the Ruth stout method this year on my plot with straw. I was so impressed with the No dog method and the way the mulch retained the moisture but it just was full of slugs and I lost most of my crop. I did the same in my raised beds at home and they were fantastic though I noticed slugs and snails moving in again
I saved all our used duck bedding for a few months before I planted potatoes which was straw but changed to wood shavings so our potatoes have a mixture,I can't wait to see results, past few years in winter wet months we'd put used chickens bedding straight onto known wetter areas in chickens area (10m x 10m) as it used to flood slightly but doing this has made soil a lot better especially as chickens turn soil over, well I raked buckets full and hilled potatoes up and it was like pulling potatoes out of sand n spring after I'd use that soil for raising seedlings ☺️👍
I’ve planted potatoes for the first time this year. I hope to have a good harvest but I’m unsure as to when I should pull them or dig them up. Can anyone please advise? I planted them two weeks ago. The end of march.
Anywhere between 12 and 20 weeks from planting, depending on variety, but potatoes are great at telling you when they are ready - they will flower (remove any tomato-looking fruits, they are poisonous so do NOT eat) and after flowering the greenery may start to die back. You can harvest at any time from flowering to after the greenery has all died back. Best thing is to try one plant and see how big the potatoes are, if there are lots of tiny ones, leave them in longer to grow bigger.
