As the leaves grew, I added more compost and straw. It takes more soil than you would think because it settles. I slowly add more soil about once a week till it's full. I've seen other bloggers fill up the whole cage from the start and just let it grow. I feel like I'll have better yields if I add soil as the potatoes grow. I guess I'll find out in the fall.
What's the best method to grow potatoes?
UPDATE: RESULTS
In short, growing potatoes did not work for me in the cages.
I was successful up until I filled the cage to the top as you see in the photo. They grew all the way to the top. That was it.
I think it failed for two reasons: 1. I think with the cage, they dry out more easy. 2. They were at the back of the yard, so it was trouble to walk and drag the water hose all the way back there.
The next time I try to grow potatoes, I want to do a few things different. First, I want to grow sweet potatoes since they have more nutrition. Second, I watched a
video on growing potatoes in a hole filled with mulch and never moved the growing spot. I'm skeptical, but I still want to give it a try since I have no desire to grow them in rows.
I'm building an edible forest garden, so go
here if you'd like to follow along the adventure or
here for the planning of the edible forest garden.
credits: all photos by me
