My Garbage Can Potatoes

Last spring I read an article in the newspaper by our area garden specialist, and he suggested this unique way of growing potatoes in a compact environment. Well, hey, I grew up on a potato farm, acres and acres of them, in fact, so I was game. (Although I figured my dad was lying on the ground in Heaven laughing at me!)

The procedure: punch a lot of small holes in the bottom of a plastic garbage can for drainage. Dump about 6 inches of soil in the bottom and plant some potato seed. When you have about 4 - 6 inches of plant sprouted, add more dirt. Keep it watered well. You continue this process until you've reached the top of the can. According to the garden specialist, by the end of the growing season you will dump out the dirt and have "tons" of potatoes. Here's the link to the article: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/homegarden/2008883807_ciscoemorris19.html.

I neglected to take a picture of the potato plants when they were at their best, but trust me, the whole thing was as tall as I was (no smart comments on my height, please). Typically, potatoes aren't supposed to be dug before a good hard frost that kills the vines and sets a tough skin on the potatoes. Knowing a "good hard frost" probably wasn't going to happen anytime soon in the great northwest, I figured we'd go ahead and harvest.

I had a friend who was so intrigued by the process that she requested that she and her husband be invited to the unveiling. (Harvey likened it to the "running of the bulls" in Italy.) Following are the pictures from yesterday's event.

Right before we cut all the vines.

Rick and his handy dandy knife. (Jennifer & I kept our hands clear!)

The ceremonial dumping.

Well, not too bad . . .

Ummm, is this a dog, or a dragon . . . ?

A bumblebee . . .?

So, all in all the experiment was a moderate success. I think maybe I planted too many seeds and they grew together like mutants because they had no room to expand normally. But, hey, we had some for dinner that night, and they taste just fine!

Next year? Either less seed, or traditional planting!