BB on facebook asks:
Hey all, I was wanting to plant some potatoes. I was going to make a deeper raised bed for them. Any suggestions out there? What is the best way to keep the soil loose? How deep should I plant them?
My response:
Most people I know don't bother with extra depth, but I'm sure it won't hurt. Best thing I know of to keep loose soil is to make sure you have lots of organic matter (compost) in it. The neatest way I've seen potatoes grown is in a planter box with removable side panels. As the plant gets bigger, more soil/compost/hay is added so that the plant keeps growing more and more potatoes. (cover 1/2 of the plant at a time, it will create roots where the soil is at) You can harvest potatoes throughout the season by removing a side panel, carefully feeling around the roots for a large potato, remove what you want, leave the rest.
Another neat idea is tire stack potatoes. (stack up tires and add more soil as the plant grows taller - can get 4 tires high in a season)
A third and good looking method is what we saw in Damon's back yard. He used leaf litter to grow his in, held in with wire fence, and fancied up with some bamboo shades that were thrown out.