Duck and Potato Patch

[Duckworth]

Sweet potatoes are not nightshades, but the ability to grow them successfully depends on where you live and how long your summer lasts. I grew them last summer in Nebraska and got about five pounds of sweet potatoes per plant. I will grow them again this year. I have grown potatoes, too, but they take up a lot of garden space and are relatively cheap at the store. I tend to devote most of my garden space to things that are expensive at the market, though I would love to be able to grow all of our produce at home. Our lot is almost a quarter acre with a large house and garage—and a duck pen. Every year, I add more fruit trees and more vegetable beds.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Sweet potatoes are not nightshades, but the ability to grow them successfully depends on where you live and how long your summer lasts. I grew them last summer in Nebraska and got about five pounds of sweet potatoes per plant. I will grow them again this year. I have grown potatoes, too, but they take up a lot of garden space and are relatively cheap at the store. I tend to devote most of my garden space to things that are expensive at the market, though I would love to be able to grow all of our produce at home. Our lot is almost a quarter acre with a large house and garage—and a duck pen. Every year, I add more fruit trees and more vegetable beds.

That's exactly what i am trying to do: Add a little bit more every year and try something new. I'm not trying to save money in the stores, what i grow is definitely more expensive than the stuff from the groceries, but i enjoy to see things grow. And by growing veggies on my own land i am in charge what's going into it. I'm not planning to grow everything we eat, just replace some of the stuff we buy at stores with my own.
My idea about the potatoes is to plant them as a protective ring around other things like tomatoes, peppers, … to deter the wildlife, especially the rabbits and the deer. Just want to dig out a shallow ditch, plant the potatoes cover them with a little dirt and add a mountain of duck-poop saturated straw bedding on top. So i have protection from the wildlife and potatoes as an additional bonus…

 

[Duckworth]

That's exactly what i am trying to do: Add a little bit more every year and try something new. I'm not trying to save money in the stores, what i grow is definitely more expensive than the stuff from the groceries, but i enjoy to see things grow. And by growing veggies on my own land i am in charge what's going into it. I'm not planning to grow everything we eat, just replace some of the stuff we buy at stores with my own.
My idea about the potatoes is to plant them as a protective ring around other things like tomatoes, peppers, … to deter the wildlife, especially the rabbits and the deer. Just want to dig out a shallow ditch, plant the potatoes cover them with a little dirt and add a mountain of duck-poop saturated straw bedding on top. So i have protection from the wildlife and potatoes as an additional bonus…

Be careful! I started out five years ago with a six pack of tomatoes and a six pack of wax peppers and now have about 700 square feet of vegetable garden beds. Gardening has a lot in common with chicken and duck math!!