Deer have been eating my potato plants down to stems ! Do I need to dig up all my potatoes asap?

[Jenbirdee]

They are grown enough now to a good size so that I can harvest them all if I need to, but I wanted to leave them in the ground and just harvest a few each day for through the summer into fall. I don’t know if I can still do that or not, will they go bad because the plants are partly or mostly eaten up by deer? Will the deer come back and dig up the potatoes and eat them as well?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I dug up half my potatoes because they were big enough already anyway, and now Im back to answer my own question with this :

Will potatoes still grow if the tops are eaten?

Potatoes are a hardy crop and your plants will bounce back. New shoots will appear from below the soil and new leaves may appear on the stalks that are left behind.

 

[MROO]

If you're really worried about them, put a wire cage or a crate over the top. I had an oversized freezer basket that I used to protect my carrots - worked like a charm. The critters still ate what grew through the grates, but there was enough greenery left to feed the veggies underneath. I tent-spiked the edges to keep it in place, but a weight would do the trick, too.

 

[Jenbirdee]

If you're really worried about them, put a wire cage or a crate over the top. I had an oversized freezer basket that I used to protect my carrots - worked like a charm. The critters still ate what grew through the grates, but there was enough greenery left to feed the veggies underneath. I tent-spiked the edges to keep it in place, but a weight would do the trick, too.

Thanks good idea, I have some crates but I had 25 potato plants so I think I’m just gonna throw up a little cheap temporary fence around it. I have one around my Jerusalem artichokes which are also not inside my backyard chain link fenced area . and the deer only ate the ones on the far edges that i they could reach, so that’s OK

 

[MROO]

Thanks good idea, I have some crates but I had 25 potato plants so I think I’m just gonna throw up a little cheap temporary fence around it. I have one around my Jerusalem artichokes which are also not inside my backyard chain link fenced area . and the deer only ate the ones on the far edges that i they could reach, so that’s OK

I'm supposed to pick up some Jerusalem artichokes next week. I've never grown them before, so any growing/planting tips would be greatly appreciated. I don't generally have an issue with deer, at least not inside my fenced yard. Big Dog pretty much keeps them away. Between the barking and territory marking, I'm pretty sure my yard screams "Predator" to any deer brave enough to check us out.

 

[Jenbirdee]

just be aware that they spread out and take over... I planted mine in a large area on a hill outside my main fenced are because its hard to mow there, so I want them to take it over

 

[MROO]

just be aware that they spread out and take over... I planted mine in a large area on a hill outside my main fenced are because its hard to mow there, so I want them to take it over

So - any recommendations on how to contain them at least somewhat? Years ago, I planted horseradish, uncontained. It ran rampant for years, until we finally killed it off with repeated doses of hot salt water.
And are they fussy about soil?

 

[Jenbirdee]

So - any recommendations on how to contain them at least somewhat? Years ago, I planted horseradish, uncontained. It ran rampant for years, until we finally killed it off with repeated doses of hot salt water.
And are they fussy about soil?

I dont think theyre fussy, mine are growing in a ruth stout style ( I just dumped used duck and goose house straw and hay there for half a year and then added a few buckets of compost to the mix)
you can contain them by growing in containers or, just like with bamboo, installing a concrete or fabric barrier that works like an underground fence. Also recommended is a trench 18 inches deep and 12 inches wide filled with small pebbles or pea gravel.

 

[Jenbirdee]

and hey wow horseradish I want to plant that! I love horseradish!

 

[MROO]

and hey wow horseradish I want to plant that! I love horseradish!

It's REALLY easy to grow ... but VERY hard to kill off. I found that the only way I could keep it from rambling across the world was to completely harvest the small plot ... and even then, it came back every year. If I do it again - and I probably will - I'll plant it in a small raised bed, so I can control it.
Despite the control issues, it was worth it. There's not a commercial horseradish product on the market - including wasabi - that can match the taste of a really big (those tended to be stronger) root from the garden.