Hello! This is David Cornette with Hindman Settlement School Grow Appalachia. A lot of the folks we’ve talked to this year have shared their unique techniques for growing certain produce in their gardens. One method that we kept hearing about was covering seed potatoes in straw rather than burying them under the ground. We got curious and decided to give it a shot! Here is a step by step guide on the (incredibly simple) process:
1. Place the seed potatoes on top of the tilled soil. We used a raised bed for the sake of convenience, but you can do this right over the ground as well.
2. Pull apart the straw and begin covering the potatoes. Make sure to apply it as evenly as possible.
3. Continue applying straw until it is around 8 inches thick. We used a single bale of straw to cover our 4′ x 8′ bed and it seemed to be the perfect amount.
4. Water the straw thoroughly to pack it tightly and ensure that it doesn’t blow away in the wind.
5. Wait in anticipation for the plethora of potatoes you will soon be enjoying.
Growing potatoes is simple and fulfilling. growing them on the ground implies you can top occasionally to perceive how they’re going. How you get a kick out of the chance to eat them will figure out what you plant.