When I decided to build a couple of potato towers a few months ago, I placed them off to the side of the house. The potato patch is sort of hidden actually, it is not something I notice everyday when I am out working in the raised garden beds. So I was a bit surprised when I rounded the corner and my former neat and tidy potato towers had gone wild.
Now what?
One Hundred Dollars a Month reader Christa {who had also planted a potato tower this spring} recently asked, ” I wonder if i should clip the growth coming out the side to promote vertical growth?”
Talk about perfect timing!
I have no idea what the correct answer is. But, Christa, were are going to find out. Together.
If you look closely you will notice I added another layer of dirt on top of the new potato leaves. Now normally I would have added straw to the sides to prevent the dirt from falling out. But since we are all out of straw, I just went ahead and used the protruding potato stems to act as a retainer for the dirt.
I did this with 2 of our 5 potato towers.
I have no idea if I just killed my potato plant, or if this will actually help the potatoes that are inside the tower to grow larger. What do YOU think? Will I see more potatoes because I clipped the excess leaves? Or did I just make a huge mistake?
If you would like to learn more about growing potatoes, check out the book The Complete Book of Potatoes: What Every Grower and Gardener Needs to Know. Amazon currently has the book in stock.
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