I have seen and heard countless examples of growing potatoes above ground using straw or hay. Straw costs me $4.00 a bale. I can get 20 cu yds of sawdust for $5.00.
Has anyone ever used sawdust?
Posted November 05, 2013 - 05:00 AM
I have seen and heard countless examples of growing potatoes above ground using straw or hay. Straw costs me $4.00 a bale. I can get 20 cu yds of sawdust for $5.00.
Has anyone ever used sawdust?
Posted November 05, 2013 - 05:11 AM
Would sawdust hold moisture better? Would it hold too much moisture and cause your potatoes to rot?
I don't know....just throwing the question out there.
Posted November 05, 2013 - 05:16 AM
This is a new one for me. It sounds like an interesting way to do it. Curious to hear more about it.
Posted November 05, 2013 - 06:41 AM
I've tried making the furror, putting some compost where the potato seed was going ,,coveing it wtih thin layer a dirt then topped with wood chips . I can't say if it was worth the extra work but having the wood chips on top made it easy for picking a few potatoes for dinner before the whole pants where ready to be pulled .
Posted November 05, 2013 - 07:22 AM
I've tried making the furror, putting some compost where the potato seed was going ,,coveing it wtih thin layer a dirt then topped with wood chips . I can't say if it was worth the extra work but having the wood chips on top made it easy for picking a few potatoes for dinner before the whole pants where ready to be pulled .
You say it was extra work. I thought it would save work by not having to fight weeds all summer. You don't think so?
Posted November 05, 2013 - 08:45 AM
I didn't use enough wood chips as mulch , just a few shovel fulls on top of each seed potato , I wish I had enough to use the chips as mulch , if your after weed control this past year I planted some in sorgram mulch rows that where made up the year before . That seem to work OK This is an old thread that I made , I'll post some pictures when I get home of what it looks like now . 2 rows about 80' mulched with winter rye growing between
http://gardentractor...sses-for-mulch/
Posted November 05, 2013 - 09:02 AM
I have seen and heard countless examples of growing potatoes above ground using straw or hay. Straw costs me $4.00 a bale. I can get 20 cu yds of sawdust for $5.00.
Has anyone ever used sawdust?
I hope GrnSpot will weigh in on this. He is the King of Sawdust gardening. I know he plants his potatoes in sawdust.
In fact mulches the whole garden in sawdust. You might look through the archives for some of his posts.
BTW I wish I could buy straw for $4.00 a bale, around here it's going for $6.75 a bale.
Edited by JD DANNELS, November 05, 2013 - 09:05 AM.
Posted November 05, 2013 - 05:53 PM
Just an idea...what about pine needles for "mulch" on your potatoes?
Posted November 05, 2013 - 07:26 PM
Just an idea...what about pine needles for "mulch" on your potatoes?
That might work for someone that lives where pine trees grow.
Posted November 05, 2013 - 08:02 PM
I press my seed potatoes into the dirt a couple inches, then cover them with sawdust, adding more sawdust as they grow. Totaling 3-4" of cover. After the plants sprout, if a frost is comming, just cover them with more sawdust.
Need to add that the sawdust I use is aged, at least, one year! I get it from local Amish sawmills.
Usually free for the hauling, maybe a small loading fee. ~~ Lowell
Edited by grnspot110, November 06, 2013 - 07:37 AM.
Posted November 06, 2013 - 03:33 AM
I press my seed potatoes into the dirt a couple inches, then cover them with sawdust, adding more sawdust as they grow. Totaling 3-4" of cover. After the plants sprout, if a frost is coming, just cover them with more sawdust. ~~ Lowell
That sounds good to me.