The Spud-O-Matic Part 1

[brendahodgins]

My guess is there is no part 2 because it didn't do anything but make a nice video. Potatoes grow easy in even poor soil conditions. These containers are not for better yeilds but so you don't need to dig for them. I say dig. It is more effort to fiddle with these containers. Containers are great for lettuce and such and peas, baby cukes- but nip them at 18 inches to encourage branching. Look at the videos and see the wonderful results! Then plant.(Potatoes - ground crop!)

[JustForYouinTempe]

What time of the year do you plant the tates? I live in arizona. Do I plant in the winter or the summer?

[MsWaxqueen]

Thank you so much for your great advice, except what time of the year do you plant this. i live in arizona.

[czeshirecat]

How do you avoid plant disease? Do you re-use the compost after it's spent, or add it to compost heaps?

[STARFIRESOLAR]

Where's Spud - O - Matic Part 2 ?

[AWifeWith3]

I think it's amazing you go to a Farmer's Market to support the hobby / farmers but need to know the results of your tower. Was it a success all the way or partially? Wanting to build one up for my family. Thanks for the videos. "Smell Like Dirt" ... gotta love it. ; )

[poadmoon1]

I love animals , truly do ! But in this day and time I'd be more concerned about food for the family. Unless you intend to "harvest" the animals . May God Bless.

[SandBlast714]

You smell like dirt.

[POLILOPIYAH]

WHEN YOU SAY STRAW, DO YOU MEAN FRESH STRAW OR STRAW THAT HAS BEGUN DECOMP?

[Nozoki]

Was there a part 2 for the potatoes?

[stymye]

I take it this was a failure?

[ItsStitchy]

Adding unfinished compost wouldn't be a good idea, because they will take the oxygen, which hurts the plants.

[HetaliaFanHawaii]

Oh my god squirrel

[sallyglg]

You can use the same method, but use bamboo fencing in a circle (tie the ends together) to form a 'cage'. Follow the same method and keep adding dirt/compost/cow manure/mulch as the potato plants grow. Better for your health than growing in tyres (or tires!) As seen on youtube- 'Better Homes and Gardens' in Australia, where we have great gardening ideas!!

[leapingfroglady]

I'm inspired! thanks

[GOP4USA]

What kind of results are you seeing? Do you plant in fall? Where did you get your potatoes? I'm having trouble locating.

[mammal46]

That sounds easier and better than growing them in a 30 gallon trash barrel. I'm gonna try it next Spring. I want to grow blue potatoes and red ones too...

[Daveyhunter1]

Spud o matic might work if you planted the potatoes next to the wire and not in middle that way the plants can grow out the side.

[vidyellow]

have you posted any updates on this yet?

[lilgreenthumb29]

@vidyellow Just wanted to let you all know, this does NOT work! I tried one this year exactly as she said and my dad tried one as well. It's a waste of dirt material and time. You WILL get potatoes but only on the very bottom where you planted them. All the dirt (we had to add about 60! bags) and everything else you used is a waste. The green DOES grow over the top but no pototoes grow along the stem you cover up. THAT is why there is no follow up video... never doing that again. BOOO

[molebeus]

how was your harvest using this method. I presently have idaho, bliss, & yukons growing inthis fashion. first time out, i will post the results

[marksprinkle]

So, what happened? Did it work?

[baloneyjazz]

If you use chicken wire does it attract the chickens?

[Crunchy68]

This is a great starter video! But I'm looking for Part II or Part III and I'm not seeing them. :(

I want to see how the potato tower worked out, and how many you were able to harvest from the whole thing. I bet it looked kinda spectacular when you opened that whole thing up if it went according to plan. Or did something else happen?

[interseed]

I think we will try this one this year...I like it better than the tire thingy!!!

[lilgreenthumb29]

I love it! I am definately going to try this this this year

[tabletopphoto]

why not poles to frame up the mesh?

[dkim68]

Hi, I don't know if your harvest turned out well or not, but if you try this again, please film "The Spud-O-Matic Part 2". I know me and many others would enjoy seeing it.

[jihadacadien]

That was a lot of wild life! great to grow stuff for them!

[md50md]

I was thinking of dewing this, I would like to see the harvest. I have been planting potatoes in the ground for years with good harvest results.I read that this way you must use late potatoes or it will not work

[OrganicGarden123]

I love her videos. I saw this one last year and she inspired me... So I grew some "no dig" potatoes in a straw bale. It was easy. I had a leftover straw bale from Halloween, poured human urine on it over the winter to compost, and stuck in a piece of a spud in spring. It produced a plate of spuds that I harvested with bare hands. Easy. See my video if interested.

[mayamaeru]

could i grow sweet potatoes like this as well?

[godsbidding]

i dont know if any1s said this but you can also use tyres just put them on top as you need it works really well

[JesusChrist5000]

Bu this one, you can just unravel the chicken wire come harvest time, and no digging required to harvest potatoes.

[Astonish666]

sure makes a difference on the quality and quanity though. Just because you can doesnt mean its gonna be good liljonfunk.

[SmellLikeDirt]

Our home is situated on a very heavily wooded lot. If you have figured out how to grow potatoes in the shade, pls share your secret!

[SPCkeith]

@SmellLikeDirt try growing indoors. a 5 gal. bucket should do the trick and a 100 wat 5000K CFL light should do it. Im going to do my tomatoes this yeah like that. anything that produces fruits or veggies though will require a switch to a 2700K light when you want it to bloom. Just thought you may like to try this out.

[gabrielou812]

If your surrounded by your neighbors trees, man, it's gonna be shady. Warmer than the UK, logical enough, but have you not heard of photosynthesis?

[lillbutton2]

This is the first time I have had a veggie garden or any garden for that matter. it is 100 feet by 50 feet. I have 20 potatoe mounds. And yes they are very preety plants. I pulled one plant and got a ton of taters out from it. I was so excited!

[dirtybootzdownunder]

nice vid, how did it go?

[thelittlesyou]

I am confused, you don't have enough sun light for a veg garden but you have the best farmers market. Where do they get there sun!

[SmellLikeDirt]

I have too many trees in my backyard so I don't have a large sunny spot. Our farmers get plenty of sun and I dearly LOVE going to the market on Saturday mornings. Thanks for watching

[StatenIslandSlim]

@thelittlesyou LOL



[StatenIslandSlim]

Where is part 2

[KARStarla]

how did they turn out? Is it worth trying?

[walls0stone]

instead of fighting the wire, why don't you finda stone mason and ask him for a "basket" stone comes in them, and we just throw them out.

[SmellLikeDirt]

Good idea. harder to store in the winter, but a great way to reuse and recycle. thanks for the comment

[UniqueExposures]

This method does work and works well. And yeah potatoes are super easy to grow and seed potatoes are super easy to start you don't have to go out and buy them just make your own. It does work with sweet potatoes I did them last yr. =]

[libertyfizz]

Where is Part 2?

[rosuabsc]

@libertyfizz She never made a part two????

[lilgreenthumb29]

@libertyfizz Just wanted to let you all know, this does NOT work! I tried one this year exactly as she said and my dad tried one as well. It's a waste of dirt material and time. You WILL get potatoes but only on the very bottom where you planted them. All the dirt (we had to add about 60! bags) and everything else you used is a waste. The green DOES grow over the top but no pototoes grow along the stem you cover up. THAT is why there is no follow up video... never doing that again. BOOO

[kgwrld]

@lilgreenthumb29 Lol....that is funny. I have read about this method for years....never tried it. I have seen videos of the disappointed growers scratching their heads wondering what went wrong. Thanks for your post ...now I know ...I won't wast my time. I have searched and searched for a picture or video where a grower opened his barrel and a fifty pound bags worth of potatoes fall out....guess I will never see that.

[agamum1]

Nice Video! Did you followup with part 2? ?

[GradyWhite2007]

That's so cool! Right now I'm growing red potatoes in my garden. I even planted some under my mailbox. They are very pretty plants. In June, I'm gonna try growing sweet potatoes. I may try the spud-o-matic technique. Potatoes are easy to grow...keep very well...and are good for you. In times like these, people should learn how to garden.

[GreenLearning]

So, when are we going to see the progress of your potatoes? I want to try this method!

[germangirl40]

Do you cover over the entire plant over or leave some green parts showing? I want to try this this year. Does it work with sweet potatoes as well?

[SmellLikeDirt]

Just barely cover the plants and when they get about 6" taller, put the leaves/straw around them carefully so as to not break the vine and cover them up again. And yes, it works with sweet potatoes. Just put one kind of potato in each bin as they grow at different rates. Good luck!

[germangirl40]

Thank you so much! My daughters and I are very excited to try this. My Dad used to grow potatoes every year, and I miss it!

[necro1234yahoo]

This works very well,my Ex's family runs a small farm and has used this method for decades,it yields a ton of potato's from a small space and is very easy to manage.

[davidstillson]

when do we get to see part 2? me and the wife want to do this! It looks like a great way to grow potatoes in limited space.

[WOLVERINEKILLR]

I've never grown potatoes before and I decided to try this method.

I was wondering do you have any problems with them getting too dry this way? It is fairly windy here. I was considering wrapping the cage with plastic or some other material. Any suggestions?

[SmellLikeDirt]

I have not had any problems with it drying out. Maybe someone else will see your post and reply. Let me know how it goes! Its a great way to grow potatoes

[growitlikegranddad]

I wrap my wire cages with newspaper to keep it from drying out during the hottest days. It works well and also becomes part of the compost eventually.

[love6uk]

Just make sure the sun doesnt hit your potatoes directly. If this happens and they turn green, its poisonous. So never eat parts of potato that have turned green. May sound obvious but I only found this out last year.

[growitlikegranddad]

OOOPS...I forgot something! You need to make sure that the plants are fed properly! I use some fish meal and organic foliar fertilizer every time I add soil and compost to the bin.

[growitlikegranddad]

I had 3 spud-o-matic systems last year and got over 7 bushels of potatoes (Yukon Gold, Russian Banana and Red Pontiac). Potatoes will bear all along the stems in this system, making it much more productive as a "vertical" system than directly planted potatoes.

I LOVE your well done videos! Your camera presence and obvious enthusiasm for your projects are the best I have seen online...and beat most professionally done vids. Keep up the great work!

[growitlikegranddad]

All that needs to be done to fix this is to add a few sheets of newspaper around the edge of the wire (4 or 5 sheets depth) to keep the air from getting to the potato stems and hardening them off. Do this with each layer, and only to the top of the soil you are adding each time. I also usually throw a couple of spades of loose soil on each layer to keep the compost from getting too "fluffy".

Some varieties are better for this method than others. The fingerling varieties and most reds are good

[growitlikegranddad]

This spud-o-matic is a tried and tested technique I have been using for years...and my first time I did it EXACTLY like you did (even the growing medium). Mine failed the first time. I found out that the loose compost would allow too much air to get to the stems inside and it "hardened off" the system of the potatoes and didn't allow them to bear properly. Potatoes will bear all along the stem if they feel like the soil is good.

out of room...continued on next post...the fix

[ToniChan88]

smart idea

[Illisil]

You have a wonderful and friendly voice and persona, I'd love to see you on your own HGTV show! I'm excited to see part 2! =)

[BiovoltCorp]

part 2?

[diddymuck]

great explanation. makes me want to try it.

[glvedio]

nice red garden glove