growing potatoes-sideways?

[lottie-newbie]

My dad was reminiscing the other day and was telling me years ago whereby some allotment people were given a very small amount of potatoes each and their aim was to get as many potatoes from them-something like 6 each. He told me that the winner was someone who instead of growing in the normal way of earthing up (see ! I ahve read my instruction manual!) they sort of grew them on their side so the top bit spread across the plot. He reckoned that the winner got loads from his spuds this way. Of course the story may have changed over the years (LOL) but is it feasible?

[sarraceniac]

Not sure what you mean lottie. Although I do not consider myself a potato grower I assume that spuds are the same as most 'ordinary' plants in that they are phototropic, that is the leaves will always grow towards the light, in this case, the sun.

I suspect that if you mean something like 'the potatoes were put in sideways', then I suspect that dad had his tongue firmly in his cheek.

[SlugLobber]

Unless Lottie means that the foliage was always covered on one side, leaving the other side to grow, moving the cover laterally instead of vertically? I'm glad it's not April the 1st, though.

[Flummery]

Actuallly - I think there could be something in it. Spuds root from the stem and the new potatoes come at the end of the underground shoots. This is why you can put a spud at the bottom of a plastic sack and then keep earthing up forever (nearly). The earthing up we usually do is partly to ensure that light is kept from the little potatoes which form near the surface but it also encourages more spuds on the extra underground shots that will form.

So if you put the shoots on your chitted spud to the side, or alternatively, bend the haulm downwards and along, earthing over that, you should get a higher yield. The only problem I can foresee is that it uses up a lot of ground and you don't know where the growth is below the surface. I'd be sure to forget and cut through the stem trying to squeeze in a few more beans!

[Paul Wagland]

Interesting idea. Maybe you could put some kind of cover over one side of the plant, then keep moving it inch by inch over the new growth, as it appeared on the 'uncovered' side? Sort of train the stem towards the light, until you've a long stem growing horizontally with lots of tubers forming underneath. Does that make sense to anyone, or am I rambling?!

[lainey lou]

Sounds like an interesting theory, anyone fancy giving it a try?
Would give it a go if I had more space.

[Paul Wagland]

If it worked, it would be a good way of getting more tubers from one seed spud. But would it be a better use of space than simply planting multiple spuds at the normal spacings and letting them get on with it?

[Flummery]

I suspect not Paul. Useful mebbe in the war when you couldn't get the seed spuds. and even I don't remember that far back!

[lottie-newbie]

I didnt explain it very well did I ? it was like sluglober said. instead of building the mound up wards it was sort of done sideways along the plot. I suppose my dad was going back to war years ! may try it with a couple and see if it actually works or not. unsure how potatoe plants actually make their well...potatoes ...so may be will have a bit of an experiment.as you have said not sure what the idea behind it was but may just have been to try to make the most of a few tubers or to maximise crop somehow.

[Matt.]

An alternative to horizontal is to keep earthing up higher and higher. This is proabably easiest with some form of ring like old tyres unless the ridge is really wide at the base! The more you earth the more stem you offer for spuds...

[Snadger]

I would think it would be safer to earth up vertically ie tyres as mentioned or planting in the bottom of a barrel and earthing up as you go. The plant would always try to grow upward and the stems could be broken very easily by trying to keep them horizontal?
Interesting concept though and worth a go on a small scale!

[lottie dolly]

very interesting idea,but,would it make for for slug hotels,and will certainly be easier for the badgers to get digging when the weather is drier,that is if you like us get them come fouraging,just a thought

[Burnzie]

Interesting thread.

However I would be a bit disappointed if my whole potato crop was was coming from a half dozen seed potatoes, only to have them struck down by blight !!

Here speaks a victim of blight for the last two growing seasons.

Burnzie

[Paul Wagland]

very interesting idea,but,would it make for for slug hotels

That's a good point. Mind you, if you were vigilant you could check the plastic regularly and round them up.

I would be a bit disappointed if my whole potato crop was was coming from a half dozen seed potatoes, only to have them struck down by blight !!

Here speaks a victim of blight for the last two growing seasons.

Burnzie

Will you be trying a Sarpo variety Burnzie? They're supposed to be very resistant. I think Sarpo Mira is the best one so far, but I may be wrong.

[Duronal]

surely this is a variation on trenching which you can use for tomatoes? Growing Tomatoes: Trench Planting VS. Straight Up & Down Planting - Associated Content

Google Image Result for http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1282/az1282_fig2.gif

Google Image Result for http://www.stanford.edu/~sommer/TrenchPlant.gif

As they're in the same family you'd imagine that this would work. Sounds interesting!