Garden Update ~ Results of the No-Dig Potato Planting Method

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I planted my potatoes at the end of March this year using a new-to me method – one that was recommended in my Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening,{I love this book!}, – the No-Dig Method. I blogged about how and why I decided to try out the new no-dig potato growing method. A lot of people have asked me how that method worked out, and since I have now harvested all of the potatoes, I think it’s time to share the results…

No-dig Potato Planting Method

I was really skeptical when I planted my potatoes because the weather was soooo nasty and cold and wet. I really thought the majority of my seed potatoes would just rot in the cold, damp ground. Well…I was WRONG!

Official Results of the No-Dig Potato Planting Method

I planted approximately 8 pounds of seed potatoes and harvested over 200 POUNDS of potatoes from my garden this summer! 

Pictured above are most of them, but not all. We have been eating quite a lot of potatoes and I have given a bunch away, too.

All in all, I would say that the No-Dig Potato Planting Method was a big success and I will use it again next year. Clearly there were other factors that contributed to my great potato crop {ideal weather early on in the summer, killing the Colorado Potato Beetles before they could harm the crop}, but overall, I am very pleased.

Now, I have to figure out what to do with all of those potatoes! I plan to freeze some and store the rest in a make-shift root cellar. I’m curious how long they will last down there and will let you know in the spring!

Did you grow potatoes? I’d love to hear how your crops fared!! And if you have any experience with long term potato shortage, I would love to hear about it!!

About Michelle Marine

Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.

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13 Comments

  1. Wow ! That’s a huge amount of potatoes ! We grew some in pots and in the ground .. the pots produced more potatoes for us , I might try your way next year and see how it works !

  2. Thanks for sharing Michelle! I am growing potaotes for the first time this year. I planted two varieties in grow bags. I have only harvested one of the 4 bags right now. I had mixed results, mostly due I think to my inexperience. I am anxious to read all about what you did. That’s a harvest to be proud of!

    1. What type of potatoes did you grow, Lexa? This is the 4th year I’ve grown potatoes. The first year, I only planted a few but had a great harvest. The 2nd and 3rd years were terrible. I’d like a repeat of this 4th year again next year! 🙂

  3. Oh that is a fabulous crop of potatoes. I hope they store well for you. Heading over to see the growing method.

  4. How may “row feet” do you think you planted? I use more of a square foot method, but I think I can translate row-feet into square-feet. I never know how much to plant to get enough to last for a while. I just plant then eat and can/freeze what we can’t keep up with fresh. I am trying figure out how to plan for more “keeping.” Thanks for all the great posts!

    1. I finally measured my rows! I had 3 rows around 30 ft long and one row about 25 feet long, so I think I had about 115 total row feet. 🙂 I had a pretty darn big potato patch! 🙂

  5. I planted potatoes in a 55gal food grade barrel this year for the first time, with about a foot of soil/compost mix on the bottom, then laid on the cut and cured potatoes. As they sprouted and grew I covered them w/straw. To water I stuck a section of soaker hose in the barrel (the rest of the hose waters a nearby garden bed). The plants are now over the top and not showing any signs yet of being done. There have only been a couple if flowers and I pinched them off to encourage growth of the potatoes. The barrel has gotten much heavier. Once the plants die off I plan on tipping the barrel over to harvest.

  6. WOW! Look at all of those potatoes! I’m going to be looking into the no dig method next year. There is a group board on Pinterest that you should check out. It’s called Yummy Potatoes – lots and lots of great potato recipes. Looks like you need them. 🙂