Potatoe trash can gardening

[Adios Pantalones]

Spelt juss like Dan Quayle

I want to try the trash can gardening method, but am worried they won't get enough sun down there in the bottom of the can (barely get a full day of sun in my yard as it is). Do you tip it south-facing, and brace it up, or what?

Looks like a great way to maximize space

 

[lukem]

I've heard of doing it in old tires, that way you can keep stacking them up. No sun issues there.

 

[firefighterjake]

Grew my tomatoes and cucumbers last year in tires. Will be doing the same thing this year.

My sister in Alaska grew potatoes in the same fashion as Lukem mentioned . . . just stack 'em up when needed.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

The trash can thing has been around quite a while (my uncle did it when I was a kid), so there must be something to it. Tires sound like a great idea, but not sure I need to add tires to the junk in my yard I bet a frame that you could just add slats taken off a pallet would work great. Add the boards as needed

 

[lukem]

I bet a frame that you could just add slats taken off a pallet would work great.

I've seen that done too...almost forgot about it. The one I saw was really nice, but you could probably do it much less expensively. It was made with some leftover deck project materials (cedar)

Basically it was 4 4x4 posts set in the ground about 36" apart in a square..about 3-4' high. Each post had a 1.5" by 1.5" groove routed on the "interior side". 5/4" deck board drop right down in the grooves. A 2/4 was added to the tops of the posts on the outside (not the top, need room to get new slats in there) to tie it together as it will generate a lot of outward pressure as it fills up.

He would add a board, a little dirt, and a couple flakes of straw, and water every so often until he ran out boards. I never saw how hard/easy it was to take apart, but I think it would work pretty slick. If you went out to buy materials for this it would be pricey, but I would think you could do something similar pretty inexpensively.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I've seen that done too...almost forgot about it. The one I saw was really nice, but you could probably do it much less expensively. It was made with some leftover deck project materials (cedar)

Basically it was 4 4x4 posts set in the ground about 36" apart in a square..about 3-4' high. Each post had a 1.5" by 1.5" groove routed on the "interior side". 5/4" deck board drop right down in the grooves. A 2/4 was added to the tops of the posts on the outside (not the top, need room to get new slats in there) to tie it together as it will generate a lot of outward pressure as it fills up.

He would add a board, a little dirt, and a couple flakes of straw, and water every so often until he ran out boards. I never saw how hard/easy it was to take apart, but I think it would work pretty slick. If you went out to buy materials for this it would be pricey, but I would think you could do something similar pretty inexpensively.

Just 4 posts in the ground should work- could frame them together at the top. Put in boards, add soil- the soil should keep the board in place without the channel. Criss-cross them at the ends. a little shredded leaves around the edge will keep soil in place in the open areas. Huh- you could do a wide bank of this and get hyper production in a small area, I'd think

 

[lukem]

Give it a go. I did the till and hill method this year again. Starting to loose it's appeal.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Give it a go. I did the till and hill method this year again. Starting to loose it's appeal.

I don't want to have to expand the garden, but I do want to add taters, so something vertical will happen (probably planting on Sunday)

Just a loop of garden fence, like I do for a compost pile, should work as well.

 

[semipro]

I'm trying the straw mound method this year. This and 6 other methods are described at this link.
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/7-ways-plant-potatoes?page=0,1