2026 garden plan (open to critique)

Tiger garden said:
I would grow the potatoes in buckets. They do so much better and are easier to harvest without using up so much space in the raised beds. I'm still harvest potatoes that were grown a year ago as they are cold hardy (perennial) in my zone 7.

I also would not grow squashes/watermelons too close together. They require so much space, nutrients and you could use that area for companion planting. Use the 3 sisters method or a variation (corn, beans, squash). On this note spread out your crops. Do not put all your brassicas in one spot. Brassicas love partial light so I believe some can grow alongside your tomatoes or garlic ect. I have some areas in my yard that did well for tomatoes but the other beds for some reason were horrible for tomatoes. I was glad I didn't put all my tomatoes in one area.
Click to expand...
Talk to me about these potato buckets.
 
ive used these. I also recommend the ruth stout method. basically you plant the potatoes on top of the soil then add a ton of straw on top. and then has the plant grows just keep adding straw throughout the season. harvesting is insanely easy cause theyre not in dirt, and you dont even need to clean them. Its what im doing this year. The bags are ok but i found they didnt really penetrate and i had issues with wateing in them so if I use grow bags again I am going to sew a water impermeable fabric around the top 2/3 of the inside.
 
I watched a couple do The Ruth Stout method and wow, it looks easy. I'll be trying potatoes from seed next year, I think buckets might help, or those bags.
 
I stuffed sprouted potatoes in bags I used to store compost as I didn't have time to prep the ground. I added a few handfuls of mulch and left the potatoes in there. They kept growing and eventually overtook the cu ft bag and even a 2 cu ft bag. I cut out the bottom of the bags so they made contact on the ground below.

In the end, I got about 1-2 lbs of red skin from each of these. I actually have the potato grow bags made of felt and plastics but I have never used them for potatoes.
 
TorontoJoe said:
Nope... I start seeds every spring... earlier than other seeds by maybe 4 weeks. They bulb just fine for me

www.growitalian.com

Onion Tropea Rossa Lunga (43-25)

A famous speciality from Calabria, where the seed is still produced. The Tropea Rossa Lunga onion itself has DOP status. It is said to be so sweet you can almost eat it like an apple. With such a high sugar content, it carmelizes well. A mid early variety with large, elongated bulbs and...
www.growitalian.com www.growitalian.com

and

www.growitalian.com

Onion Tropea Rossa Tonda (43-22)

This is one of the most famous onions in Italy and is the central point of a food festival, the Onion Festival of Tropea in July. Medium long day type, mid season. Round, red/pink on outside, becomes white in the center. If picked as baby, it is all white. Very sweet. Approximately 250-400 seeds...
www.growitalian.com www.growitalian.com

I do all my bulbing onions this way though. If I want to save some seed I just leave a few in the ground and let them flower the following year
Click to expand...
Got any pics of these onions?
 
This picture isn't the best. The red ones are a mix of Tonda and Lunga. (Round and long)

All these hanging onions were started from seed that spring. The white ones are either Kelsea or Globo. Both grow big here for me.

onion1.jpg

@BackwoodsSouthernLawyer (Ian) and I split a batch of seed. He grew this longa form them.

onion2.JPG

They don't normally get this big. I also love eating the tops as green onions.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top