Potatoes
My potato patch this year was an experiment. I kept reading about burying the plants with straw to increase the yield, so I decided to try it. Everything I read said to only leave two or three inches of leaves showing. This seemed like a bad idea to me, but I decided to try anyway.
Very quickly, several of my plants withered, but just as many seemed to thrive. One plant absolutely refused to be buried, shooting up a good foot and a half above the straw no matter how much I piled on. I never saw a single plant flower, though, and they died back a month sooner than usual.
I harvested them today, and sure enough, I had four or five times as many potatoes per plant than I have had in the past. However, each one, except for the plant that refused to be buried and the ones on the edge of the plot, was about half the size of what I usually got.
This method clearly produces more potatoes, but next year I'm going to listen to my instinct more than the books and leave a good six inches above the straw at least.
Anyway, I just thought I'd post this in case it helps somebody else.
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Very quickly, several of my plants withered, but just as many seemed to thrive. One plant absolutely refused to be buried, shooting up a good foot and a half above the straw no matter how much I piled on. I never saw a single plant flower, though, and they died back a month sooner than usual.
I harvested them today, and sure enough, I had four or five times as many potatoes per plant than I have had in the past. However, each one, except for the plant that refused to be buried and the ones on the edge of the plot, was about half the size of what I usually got.
This method clearly produces more potatoes, but next year I'm going to listen to my instinct more than the books and leave a good six inches above the straw at least.
Anyway, I just thought I'd post this in case it helps somebody else.
X-Posted