I've recently moved to a rural area and am trying to start gardening on a tight budget. I have some obnoxiously nosey neighbors. They drove by after I'd planted my potatoes under straw. They stopped and the wife got out and told me the straw was going to burn my garden and I needed to take it off right then and go to the store and buy mulch. I decided to cover the straw with some leaves (so they wouldnt have to see it anymore) and am happy to report my potatoes seem to be growing just fine.

@lovingthisagain

2 ай бұрын

Update on your potatoes?

@almostoily7541

2 ай бұрын

I've just used leaves this year. In the potatoes in containers I've layered leaves and soil. We'll see how it goes!

Your ducks were having so much fun with you! I think they thought the harvest might be for them!😂💕

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

I think so too!

I love how the ducks are cleaning up behind you. So cute. This video reminds me of the Ruth Stout method. She would leave them in the dirt and just put a bale of straw on top of them and store them there over winter and go out when needed, roll over the bale and pick up the potatoes. I'm currently growing my potatoes in 10 gallon pots on my gravel driveway but I do intend to use this method on the homestead when I live on property. Thanks for your videos. I would like to see how your food forest is going. I'm designing one on our hillside. Making terraces to receive the food forest. Big plans! I love the inspiration you give me with your channel.🌈💜🌎✌️

That looks like a great harvest. Interesting to hear how different each harvest was, but it makes sense that the duck bedding would be better due to being made up of different things, plus the poop! It was lovely to see the ducks following behind and cleaning up, treats all round :)

Seaweed is beloved by Potatoes 🥔 powdered would be practical to sprinkle at planting. Liquid feed also available. Because they are related to Tomatoes, they are greedy feeders. This has inspired me for this year 🙂 Great video 🌿

@mixalispatsourakis899

Ай бұрын

Ευχαριστώ που μοιράζεστε την εμπειρία σας!

Omg the duckies 🥺🥺🥺 this so beautiful mam u have a place in heaven 💖 ❤️ 💗 😍

Aw! The ducks look so sad that youre taking their treat away. 😂

I so love potato harvest day. Like little burried treasures.

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly like that!

Those are some serious clouds in the background!!

@LizZorab

2 ай бұрын

Oh yes, we have big skies here and big clouds to go with them!

Thank you so much for your video... we used this method this year as well and had an amazing harvest...We prepared the area by blocking out the grass for a few months prior to planting with cardboard and hay filled with cow manure, then when it was time to plant we parted the hay, cut holes in the cardboard an lay a seed potato in each hole and covered it back up with the hay and manure... as they grew we kept piling more manure filled hay... It worked better than we imagined possible... Now the soil is much improved and we have covered it back up so it will be ready for next season... Can't wait for another amazing harvest of potatoes!

I've just harvested my 1st handful of potatoes, just enough for our dinner yesterday it felt so good. This was my first time growing vegetables, I was lucky enough to receive my Allotment patch in spring of this year. I didn't know what or how to do things so I just done lots of reading and watching yt videos. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted everything to be as organic as possible and as manageable as possible so we installed box's and followed your no-dig method using hay, it has been so good at retaining moisture during even the hottest days and yesterday I was able to just put my hand into the hay pile and feel for the biggest ones, it was brilliant, no guesswork needed and just leaving the ones left to grow bigger, you just couldn't do that if they were deep in the ground. I have been truly blessed thanks to yourself.

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Hooray for a great experience growing spuds!

Your ducks looked like a cleaning brigade waiting impatiently to get started. 😄

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

They are! 😃

Yes, mow the grass. Lay out cardboard on ech side of taters, add hay on top. Great harvest !!!

I use the modified Ruth Stout method. Poking them slightly in soft soil then mulching with meadow clippings throughout the growing season. But I've ran out of space before running out of potato sets. I'm going to try this with what sets I have left, just because I can!

I grow potatoes in a similar manner and my neighbour (an old gentleman over 70) is always looking at it with distrust :-)

Fertilisers in the duck bedding. Always have to put down base fertiliser

I grow no dig potatoes on the same pach for 6 years now this year under black plastic so no need to hill up worked very well just got them all out and filed 6 old 20g paper bags. Just planted the next crop on the same spot. A crop of fodder beet to grow to feed to my chickens over winter.

I used leaves to grow my taters this year Across the Pond.. I can pick up bags of leaves off the side of the road because Folk here throw them away. I also grow all my taters from Sto bought taters. I live N. of Memphis TN and have my fall crop planted just need some rain..

@gogadgo

4 ай бұрын

I may do this using oak leaves

You and your potatoes!! LOL!! Loved the cheeky ducks though!! LOL!!

I have woodland behind my garden, so trying something similar but with leaf mulch.

I think you were the first person I saw using this method to grow potatoes, I really like growing potatoes like this using grass clippings. Thanks for the information

🦆 Loved seeing the ducks appear as central characters in this episode, milling around you two as you worked! 😍

Lovely potatoes.

Made the mistake with none organic. I didn't realise it was bad in hay or straw. Till it ruined plants.

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Perhaps try with grass clippings next time, at least you can be sure that you haven't put any chemicals on your grass before it's used in your garden.

@dn744

2 жыл бұрын

@@LizZorab it was 15 years ago, but never forgotten.

Those ducks following is the cutest thing to watch 😊

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

They are so curious and so timid at the same time!

Snap! Tipped out a growbag at home, the small new potatoes were a lovely addition to dinner. Also the children at work harvested one container of the spuds they planted earlier. It was so rewarding seeing their pride in what they grew and hearing their observations about the whole process. Thanks for sharing the result of your experiment and the recommendations as well. 👍

Hi Liz thanks for the great video. I’ve not tried this method in North/West Devon. We have raised beds and lots of slugs, love yr ducks who would soon see them off. My question is; you mentioned that you don’t usually harvest your potatoes all at once. How long can they be left in the ground? Thank you both for being so nice.

Some thing got into my buckets of potatoes and just ate holes in all of them and they weren’t even very big I ordered seed potatoes earlier in the year and they didn’t get here until April and they all died off and harvested yesterday and got very few because something had just destroyed them I will try again next year a different way I even grew the ones that were supposed to be for my climate which is zone 8A Alabama humid and hot !! I will try again next year!!!

Fabulous.

I tried with straw… but as I have no lovely ducks… the slugs ate half of the potatoes and I had to take them out before they were done growing….As you said, I prepared the next potatoe area for 2023 laying down hay. It always very enjoyable to watch yr videos and take part in the growing of yr new farm/garden/foodforest ❤️

Perfect. Nice Amazing

I love experiments. Thank you. We want to make the most of our labor in the garden. Happy gardening.

Thank you for the update! I've really been looking forward to seeing your results and benefiting from your experience. I've been using a lot of chicken compost (created by mucking out the chicken houses into their enclosed and roofed runs, adding a regular supply of cut grass, Weeds, excess or duff veggies from the garden and letting the chickens work it over with an occasional forking over to break up lumps) to grow our potatoes in buckets / containers this year with good results. We do have an excess of seed potatoes however and I think the remainder will be used up using a variation of this technique this week. Slugs are a massive problem here, but I figure any successful spuds will be a bonus and any which suffer slug attack can be passed on to neighbours to feed their pigs (once cooked up outdoors to meet the regulations!). Thanks again for sharing and keep up the great work here on KZread. 😁👍

Always love seeing the results of your potato plantings! Really enjoy hearing the conversation between you and Mr J (with commentary by the ducks of course 😀)

I used potatoe grow bags with a little soil and straw and got a very small harvest!

that was a great harvest liz

Great harvest! 💗The ducks are so cute! 😍 This is a great video I learned something new ❤Thank you 😊

@LizZorab

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

Looking great Liz. Lots to keep you going. Take care. Mags

Very well done.

Thanks so much for this video.

What a great harvest . Wow ❤

@LizZorab

Жыл бұрын

Yes, thank you

lovely to have your own grown potatoes

Very cool and very labor free way to raise them Liz.

Just waiting a few more days until I lift my Charlotte 2nd earlies. I've grown them on grass underneath grass clippings. I have purposefully not watered them. I've had a peak on one of the plants and there is a small amount of scab (dry conditions) but NO slug or snail damage. To early to say if all the plants tubers are unaffected, but it's looking promising so far. Once I've lifted them I will flatten the clippings, dress with horse poo compost and plant leek plants. Another great video Liz, Ta.

Great video and harvest, Liz. You are inspiring me into trying potatoes here in Windermere, Florida zone 9b USA 🇺🇸 We are humid, year-round.

Lovely video, land, ideas, tips and ducks, most of all. We have two who hatched this last July and they should start laying eggs in a couple months. I joke and say my friends are quacking honkers 🦆⛲ happy planting to you xx

Great harvest of potatoes Liz, seemed very little effort and a good use of natural resources, thanks for sharing. Take care 😊

Those potatoes are huge. Great.

Hi liz great harvest 👍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😀 I'm very pleased with it.

Brilliant update! Really interesting results too. Looks like a fantastic result considering you've no shortage of duck bedding!

Great harvest, Liz. We tried the Ruth Stout Method too. We loved it. I ended up with lots of rotted straw which was so good for my garden. Thank you for the update.

Congratulations!! What an awesome harvest!!!

@LizZorab

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I did the Ruth Stout last year and this year some friends had some small potatoes that for some reason they left in a fridge for a couple of months. Planted them a couple of months ago and covered them with grass clippings (cant get hay round here) every time the neighbours have grass we covered them again - they are going "Gangbusters" at the moment and the one I looked at is doing very good. On the clay I tend to sprinkle Lime and it works for me.

Really interesting to see the results of your trial Liz, such a great way of learning how to grow, what works well and what changes you might need to make. I used hay as a mulch on an established potato bed this year after seeing your earlier video about this trial and its worked really well, I haven't earthed up once..... I'll let you know later on if I regret it due to grass seeds 😂

brilliant with the geese as well

Great result, Liz! We’ve still got big round, black -plastic wrapped, half-composted meadow hay which we could use as a mulch for some spuds next year. Definitely worth a go.

Fantastic video thanks 😊

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it 😃

Awesome :D What a great harvest :D

@LizZorab

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

This is so encouraging! About how many plants did you have there that provided these results? I'm sorry if I missed that info in the prior video.

Great result! I was encouraged Rosmuc try this when I saw your first video, just covered potatoes with seaweed instead. So far so good so thank you!

A lovely crop of potatoes! I remember you planting these and looking forward to seeing the results. I think any moisture and bacteria etc. In the duck bedding would really have helped with weed suppression and improving the soil. Looking forward to next year

Very nice!!!

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

nice job guys 👍🏻

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 😁

Good haul there! Just doing mine - hit and miss because some grew, some were tardy, so I've left it late to pull. One plant gave a carrier bag full of huge spuds! They were supposed to be earlies! The rest of the row yielded one carrier bag in all. Still, good enough and another row yet to do. The only spuds that started off really well and still going strong are the maincrop - I had visions of eating those first! Am preferring the hay instead of straw for the ducks, seems softer and as you say, more dense when using in the veg patch. Very inspiring video, thankies!

An awesome harvest of spuds 🥔. Lovely video x💖 Hope they taste delicious

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

They tasted okay Annie, they weren't as lovely as Maris Piper or King Edwards, but they certainly are making us happy 😃

@Annie.xx-xx

2 жыл бұрын

@@LizZorab a knob of butter and some chives to liven them up . 💚🌻

How will you store the potatoes to last a year? What a fabulous harvest and a great idea!

Hello Mrs. Liz. I enjoyed your video and I planted potatoes underneath hay last year and unfortunately I got some kind of wilt that rotted them in the ground. Hay is not working for me in South Carolina. Too many insects also. And the hay has never started even breaking down into the soil - after three years! Going to try wood chips and straw perhaps. Keep up the good work!

Great video Liz, thank you. I wonder if you've had trouble with scab in the past and/or perhaps this method has any effect on reducing it? A good 1/3 of my harvest was effected this year. May try to play with the pH next season.

Nothing like harvesting potatoes the feeling is fantastic and you've got a very good harvest their Liz. I planted Nicola (earlys) (sarpo Mira) main crop and it was a bumper harvest too 👍👍🥔🥔🥔🥔

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Congrats for the bumper harvest, it's nice when we can food a bit of food on our tables 😃

Love your ducks ❤️

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

They are lovely to have around!

good video

Great trial Liz. I only ever eat home grown potatoes. No tase in shop bought ones I don'y think.

Thank 😊 you

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome 😊

Looks like the ducks are going to miss their tater snack. Nice harvest. I’m growing Greek gigante beans for the first time. I live in a temperate climate (rarely gets a frost) and I was wondering how to perennialize the plant? At the end of the season do I just cut it back? Or will it reseed itself? I still have so much to learn about perennials. Thanks.

A great crop of spuds there Liz this year I have grown all my spuds in 30 litre HD Pots/buckets with handles and flower buckets as normally I do earlies in Buckets and main crops in the ground using an auger. This did mean that a couple of beds got dug over and deep weeded each year as my potatoes moved around the plot on my crop rotation. I may have to try something like you have done at least that way you don't put your fork through your best and largest spuds.

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

And of course, by not digging you aren't releasing the stored carbon into the atmosphere or destroying the intricate soil life and infrastructure. 😃

Great to see your potato harvest Liz together with the ducks of course. How do you store so many potatoes?

@LizZorab

Жыл бұрын

I store them in large paper sacks. I spread them out in the barn for 48 hours to dry off and then into the sacks in a dark place to stop them going green. I check them regularly to make sure there isn't a gone-off potato lurking in the bag.

I tried the Ruth stout method this year on my plot with straw. I was so impressed with the No dog method and the way the mulch retained the moisture but it just was full of slugs and I lost most of my crop. I did the same in my raised beds at home and they were fantastic though I noticed slugs and snails moving in again

@samstwitch

2 жыл бұрын

Did you use straw or hay?

@christiegrows2022

2 жыл бұрын

@@samstwitch straw

@mamazeeto623

2 жыл бұрын

Same here, the yield was great, harvesting easy, no green potatoes but the slug damage was bad due to the same issue so much moisture retention 🤨

@terrireddish2522

2 жыл бұрын

I saved all our used duck bedding for a few months before I planted potatoes which was straw but changed to wood shavings so our potatoes have a mixture,I can't wait to see results, past few years in winter wet months we'd put used chickens bedding straight onto known wetter areas in chickens area (10m x 10m) as it used to flood slightly but doing this has made soil a lot better especially as chickens turn soil over, well I raked buckets full and hilled potatoes up and it was like pulling potatoes out of sand n spring after I'd use that soil for raising seedlings ☺️👍

Hi Liz, Have you ever tried growing sweet potatoes using this same method? Thank you for all you do!

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

I haven't, our climate isn't conducive to growing them outdoors, so they would need to be under the cover of the polytunnel or a greenhouse.

Hi Liz, I tried your hay method with great success. Could have done with more rain but can't change that. My troubles came with voles moving in and gnawing many of the crop. Had to dig the whole patch up. Have you any advice on dealing with deterring voles/mice from the hay beds?? Many thanks

Very interesting Liz and good results too, I particularly liked how clean the spuds where after lifting. With the resuorce of grass and eventual hay that you have (massive), you can no doubt start your beds in Autumn and be laying seed spuds onto what will essentially be compost. No doubt, you already have a dozen or more ideas you are thinking about for next year, will you add in some maincrops for next year?...Steve...🙂

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Steve, there are a few maincrop, Sarpo mira potatoes in the second row of potatoes in that area. There were also some other seed spuds that I had lying around and some organic shop bought (for eating) potatoes. I have paid so little attention to them that we will probably get a very skinny crop from them, but a few to top up the supplies will be welcome in a couple of months. I've also planted some (I think Sarpo mira) into a bed in the raised bed veg garden. They are under wood some compost and chippings and are just flowering now, but I'll leave them as long as I can before harvesting - there are only so many potatoes two people can eat within a short-ish period of time!

@GreenSideUp

2 жыл бұрын

@@LizZorab Thats great Liz, even though as you said you have paid them little attention, I'm fairly certain it will be a good guage of the possibilities of the method using Sarpos as the test subject. I for one will be interested to see as like many I am familiar with sarpo mira. But early signs for the method look great, less work so time saved over bucket use or digging, even though with one or two you had to trowel them out, you will sort that out for next year I am sure!...Steve...🙂

Love the ducks, do you eat them?

Wonderful potato harvest, but which potato type is what? They all looked identical, but you mentioned two different varieties that you planted?

I used straw on my potatoes and I think I would have had a great harvest if we weren't having a drought and temps near 100's. I am still waiting on rain to come. The garden is suffering. There is only so much I can water with a watering can .

Maybe you should try some in containers in the poly tunnel like @terry king's? Take care and stay safe, Mike

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

I've been growing potatoes in containers for some years now. I prefer them on the ground as they feel like less work and I don't need to keep watering them - but the containers are useful for a late crop or for Christmas potatoes.

I've just harvested mine that were planted under straw. Over half had to be thrown away due to slug damage and many had scab as well. Sounds like hay works better but this is the last time for me after the 2nd time of trying.

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Next year I could bring you some used duck bedding to try on a small area 😃

@DigwellGreenfingers

2 жыл бұрын

Bless you Liz 🙂 I'll stick to buckets from now on thanks. To be fair, I only did this again to see if it was a fluke that the results were so bad last year (Erica's supermarket spuds challenge) and I had run out of buckets. As you know I grow a lot to exhibit but sadly all the shows seem to have reduced the number of potato classes. Five down to two in some cases! So 2023 will see me growing spuds in buckets but a lot less of them. I'll mention and link to this hay results video when I do my reveal video if you don't mind.

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

That would be lovely Steve. If you drop me a FB message to let me know when it's out, I'll do a bit of publicity for it too.

@DigwellGreenfingers

2 жыл бұрын

@@LizZorab Will do

Liz one more question!! I am presuming we must keep topping up the mulch thru'out the season? And is there anywhere I can find your results without the video?

Liz what a great harvest!!!! Do you ever save potatoes for a second harvest or for the next year? If so please share or point me in the right direction of your videos.

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Yes I do! I save any green potatoes and any that we haven't eaten by the time they start going a bit soft. I know that some people carefully wrap the potatoes in newspaper and store them in a cool dry place. I just bung them in a basket and leave them in the barn. Alteratively, you can replant some in the ground - it's exactly the same as the ones that we miss when we are harvesting and they grow the next year.

That's fantastic I was really interested in the results when I watched you planting them. I'd love to see a version for people who can't keep ducks/chickens ect. I was thinking if I can get hold of organic manure to put down in the autumn/winter then use grass clippings and possibly woodchip layered on the top to have some carbon then I could be making compost while growing potatoes just a thought. Not sure if it will work but I'm aware I will be short of good compost next year as we are moving. I can buy compost but it is a significant expense as I usually grow in containers and it's an awful lot of compost. I was thinking I could use growing potatoes to actually be well on my way to making some compost but not sure if it will work though. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

This video shows the results of growing under some different mulches kzread.info/dash/bejne/eX92j9aanpDglMo.html I think the lesson learnt this year is that it probably matters what is UNDER the potatoes more than what is on top.

Can you guys do the taste taste on your potatoes

I wonder if you would also get a good crop of sweet potato's doing the same method.??

@LizZorab

Жыл бұрын

Possibly, although I don't know if sweet potatoes need hilling up in the same way.

This year we planted into a new no dig bed made with cardboard and mushroom compost and then 'earthed up' with grass clippings. We harvested the first earlies in May (6.5Kg). Just harvested the 'purple majesty' main crop (9Kg) but the saved from last year 'Rudolph' are still romping away so we'll leave them a bit longer. I do like the looks of planting onto grass as using a whole bed for potatoes means it's not available for anything else and there are SO many things I want to grow 😁 Also we've got a shed stacked high with last year's hay that the goats didn't eat looking for a use.

Hello Liz how do you record the sound for your videos, its nice strong audio also with surrounding sounds, what microphone system aand camera do you use? thank you, best regards from Žiga from Slovenia

@LizZorab

11 ай бұрын

When I started out making videos I used a lapel mic (this exact make amzn.to/3Kc4Dnv) and nowadays I mostly use a Rode mic (this one amzn.to/3rxK8Lw). Camera is Canon 90D amzn.to/3Q8JVc1 with Sigma AF 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Lens Art Series for Canon amzn.to/3O22YSB I recommend that you use a less expensive equipment while you are establishing your channel - I didn't buy equipment for my videos until I was earning enough money, through the videos, to pay for it. For the sake of transparency, the links I've included are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission if you purchase using my links, but it will not cost you anything extra.

The trick is, where do you get the hay without broad leaf pesticides on them?

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

I found it advertised on a local FB group. Alternatively you can use grass clippings from your own garden (and neighbours might let you have some too, just check they haven't used weedkiller first).

I Liz, did you estimate the yield per seed potato or yield per m2 of space?

@LizZorab

Жыл бұрын

Hi Steve, no I didn't do anything sensible like that. I'm only growing potatoes for us to eat at home and we don't use very many in a year, so I looked at them, thought 'that'll do' and got them dried and stored away.

Does your duck bedding need to be well composted or can it be used straight away 🤔. Are they Aylesbury 🦆

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

Unlike chicken bedding that needs to be composted, duck bedding can be used straight away. I pull it out of the duck house and dump it onto the raised beds all winter. In the summer (when the beds are full of plants), I add it to the compost heap or use it as a mulch around trees.

How often did you water them? Or did you just rely on rain? Thanks for the video!

@LizZorab

2 жыл бұрын

I didn't water them as we've had an incredibly wet spring and summer. I think it would work as long as you've prepared an area by placing compost or organic matter on the ground first (not digging it into the ground). Unless you get a good rainfall, you'll need to water them - and plant at the same time as you'd usually plant for your area, I'm not sure they'd like the incredible heat of your summers!

@samstwitch

2 жыл бұрын

@@LizZorab Thank you so much for the reply and info! It's much appreciated.

Leaves?

Our Mommy & daddy ducks went for a walk in the woods without their ducklings. I watch them makw the little ducks stay in the yard, & and the male and female duck walk into the woods like normal and this time they did not return. So NOW we have 5 orphan duckling. And NO good place to keep them, trying to make the garden a safe place for the ducklings. We had 20 ducklings last spring and we only ended up with 2, & they happened to be a male and female. Now we have 5 ducklings left.

@hands2hearts-seeds2feedamu83

2 жыл бұрын

I have some Yukon Gold pots, that I have to get go this week. And hopefully plant another set, for another harvest. I sure hoow they grew well. I never grew any pots other than store bought ones till these Yukon gold's.

I'm looking forward to picking my potatoes, I start August & got 7 large tubs, I'll do 3 tubs first & they will get shared out with the family. I'm doing a experiment this year, I've used 3 different types of soil one from B&M one from my local garden center & mine (home grown) they also have chicken pellets and blood fish n bones to see what grows best, I CAN'T WAIT 🤪🤪🤪

Tried this and it was an absolute disaster. Practically all potatoes rotted.