Tuber or not tuber?
March 19, 2010 10:17 AM   Subscribe

What potato varieties are suitable for growing in potato towers?

We would like to try growing potatoes using potato towers. We don't necessarily expect the 100-lb yields some claim, but we're hoping to find a variety to plant successfully in our Portland OR backyard garden.

Sources indicate that not all varieties can be grown in this way, as they do not set tubers all along the root.

Have you grown potatoes successfully using this method? What varieties did you use, and when did you plant them? Any other small-garden potato-growing tips greatly appreciated.
posted by ottereroticist to Home & Garden (3 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I grew some Anya potatoes in something similar last year. Definitely a success. And they're one of the tastiest potatoes I've ever had.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 11:13 AM on March 19, 2010


Russets are supposed to be good and it is what I'm planting this year. Bonus is that a couple good size tubers from the store will yield more than enough seed stock for even a large tower.
posted by Mitheral at 1:51 PM on March 19, 2010


I'm also in Portland, and planning on using a tater box this year in my garden, I've read that the "early" varieties are to be avoided and that "middle" or "late" varieties set potatoes along the whole plant. I plan to visit the Hillsdale farmers market this Sunday to hopefully find a potato grower willing to shed some light on this very topic. If there are no potatoes or potato farmers at the market I'll probably drive around to markets until I find one, or until my wife loses patience.

I've also found this article to be pretty informative.
posted by terpia at 2:08 PM on March 19, 2010


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