How to Raise Potatoes in a Box
Harvest time challenges potato growers. Many of the methods used to harvest potatoes result in cut or damaged produce. Cut potatoes rot faster than intact potatoes. Rot can spread to the rest of the potatoes in a bin or bag, leaving you with nothing to show for your gardening efforts. Use a potato box to eliminate the need for digging. Simply remove the side pieces and brush away the soil to reveal your potato harvest. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 10 pieces stock lumber, 2-by-4-inch by 48-inch
- 10 pieces stock lumber, 2-by-4-inch by 44-inch
- Carpenter's try square
- Power drill, 1/8-inch-diameter bit
- 1/4-inch-diameter, 3-inch-long wood screws
- 4 pieces stock lumber, 2-by-2-inch by 60-inch
- Screwdriver
- Compost
- Seed potatoes
Instructions
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Assemble the Box
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1
Place two 44-inch-long pieces of 2-by-4-inch stock lumber on their 2-inch sides, between two 48-inch-long pieces, also on their 2-inch sides, to make a square frame.
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2
Use a carpenter's try square to ensure that all four pieces are flush at the corners, and come together at 90-degree angles.
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3
Mark a point on each long side, 1-inch from each end and 1-inch from the top edge of your square frame. Repeat to mark 1-inch from each end and 1-inch from the bottom edge on each long side of your square frame.
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4
Drill 1/8-inch-diameter pilot holes through each marked point, 3 inches long. Insert 3-inch-long, #8 drywall screws in each hole. Tighten each screw until the head sinks into the wood.
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5
Have a helper hold one of the 2-by-2-inch by 60-inch pieces of stock lumber upright in one corner of the box frame. Drill 1/8-inch-diameter pilot holes through the short sides of the frame, into the stock lumber. Insert a 3-inch-long, #8 drywall screw into each hole.
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6
Secure the square frame to these inside supports. Repeat until all four inside supports are attached to the frame.
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7
Place two more short boards between two long boards to make a second square frame. Drill pilot holes as before. Secure the long pieces to the short ones using 3-inch-long, #8 drywall screws.
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8
Slide the resulting frame over the four supports so that you now have an 8-inch-deep box frame with four posts sticking up from it. Shovel a 2-inch layer of compost into the frame to cover the potatoes.
Plant Your Potatoes
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Select unblemished seed potatoes with healthy sprouts, between 1 1/2 and 3 oz., about the size of hen's eggs. Discard smaller seed potatoes, as they will not produce as many potatoes as the hen's-egg-sized "single drop" seed potatoes.
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Place the potato box frame where it will receive full sun all day. Shovel a level, 6-inch layer of compost into the square frame.
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Place one seed potato in the center of the frame. Space four more potatoes evenly around it, about 12 inches apart in each direction.
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Shovel a 2-inch layer of compost into the box frame to cover your seed potatoes. Add 10 inches of mulch or hay unless daytime temperatures are greater than 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Mix the mulch into the soil when daytime temperatures are above 65 F. Add a third box frame to the potato box and shovel compost into it to cover the stems and leaves, leaving at least 10 to 12 inches of leaf and stem exposed. Continue to add more frames as the plant grows, until you reach the full 60-inch height of the box.
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Unscrew one or more sides of the bottom-level box frame while the plant is still green, just after it flowers. Pull the dirt away by hand until you reveal your new potatoes, which will be marble- to hen-egg sized, with thin, papery skins. Pluck the potatoes from the plant and push the soil back into place before you replace the sides of the box frame.
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15
Cut the plant off at ground level in mid-August to harvest mid-season potatoes in September, or at least two weeks before you plan to harvest for late-season potatoes.
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Tips & Warnings
Early potatoes are usually smaller than later-season varieties, and are often called "new" or "fingerling" potatoes.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
