The Lazy Gardner’s Approach to Planting Potatoes
If you want a crop that anyone can have success with, potatoes are for you! They can be as simple or as complicated as you make them. I choose to not overcomplicate things in the garden. In this article I will teach you how this gardener grows her potatoes using the easiest (laziest?) method available! Some will say this method is lazy, however i’m a firm believer in working smarter not harder.
Once you realize that plants truly want to grow, you realize that our part as gardeners is to simply be an overseer. We don’t have to do the hard work of convincing plants to grow. All we have to do is provide a hospitable environment and then get out of the way and let nature do it’s thing. That my friends, is a freeing thought!
Why this Lazy Gardener uses the Ruth Stout Method of Planting Potatoes
The Queen of not over complicating things in the garden was Ruth Stout. Ruth Stout was famous for her style of gardening because it was so simple that anyone could do it. She planted her garden by simply throwing seeds (or seed potatoes) on the ground and covering them with hay. While this may seem like a lazy cop-out, she definitely was on to something!
Why Did She Use Hay?
Rumor is that Ruth Stout was tired of waiting on a man to help her plant her garden. Unable to till her garden, she decided to just throw hay on top of her potatoes to simulate “hilling” her potatoes. She found that the hay provides a wonderful cover for the potatoes and also suppresses weeds. At the end of the season the hay breaks down and adds nutrients back to the soil. For this to work you want a thick mulch of hay, typically six inches or so.
How I Planted My Potatoes the Lazy Way
I used a modified version of the Ruth Stout method. I planted my potatoes in a lasagna style garden, meaning that the ground was prepared by laying down cardboard (to suppress weeds) on top of the ground and then covering with four inches of rich compost. This part is absolutely not essential to the Ruth Stout method of planting potatoes, the Ruth Stout method can be used without this step.
Once you have prepared your garden bed in the manner of your choice, place your seed potatoes in a row about a foot a part. I lightly covered my seed potatoes in loose soil, burying them 3-4 inches deep in the soil. This is the only time I hill my potatoes throughout the season.
Next, I cover my rows of potatoes in 4-6 inches of hay. You do not need to use premium hay for this. I used junk hay from my father in law’s farm that had been ruined from a barn roof leak. The cow’s loss was my garden’s gain! You can also use straw for his method, however it will not feed your soil like hay will.
Important Note: Make sure the hay or straw you use has not been sprayed with anything. A lot of hay is sprayed with a herbicide such as Grazon. Not only will this kill your plants, but it can live in your soil for many years and is difficult to get rid of.
Finally, sit back and let nature do the rest! I do not hill up my potatoes or tend to them after this point. If you layer on enough hay it will provide all the protection the potatoes need from the sun. After a few weeks you will see the potatoes sprout up through the hay.
When to Harvest Potatoes
After a couple of months you will notice the potato plants will start to flower. This is a great sign! This means your plants are forming potatoes and a harvest is coming soon.
The potatoes are ready to harvest when the vines have died back.
You can always test to see if they are ready to harvest by pulling up a few plants and determining if they have reached a mature size.
We harvested about 150 pounds of potatoes this year using this method. I have been blown away by how simple and productive this method is. I hope you give the Ruth Stout method a try and experience the same success we have!
How to Use the Harvest
We just harvested an abundance of potatoes and I can’t wait to share with you all of the delicious ways we use our bounty. Roasting, canning, baking, mashing and frying are all in our future! This week we made a delicious potato salad with some of our smaller potatoes. You can find my potato salad recipe here or use the printable recipe below!
Classic Loaded Potato Salad with No Mustard
Ingredients
- 3 lbs potatoes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1/3 cup green onions or chives chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 lb bacon cooked and chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes up in uniform bite sized pieces.
- Add cut potatoes to a pot of water on the stove. Liberally salt the water and bring to a boil.
- After the water reaches a roiling boil, simmer for 10 minutes or until just tender. Do not overcook.
- Strain potatoes in a colander under cool running water to stop them from cooking further.
- Place potatoes in the fridge to cool.
- To make the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, green onions, cheddar, thyme and all but 2 tablespoons of the chopped bacon.
- Once potatoes are cold, toss them gently in dressing to coat.
- Sprinkle reserved bacon bits and green onions on top to garnish.
