PLANTING POTATOES IN RINGS INSTEAD OF TYRES

I was very disappointed on opening a big bag of soft cooking potatoes which I’ve purchased from the local SPAR, in Pinetown a few weeks ago. I’ve paid nearly R50 for this pocket and to return it would cost me even more for petrol, time etc. To try and recoup my losses, I’ve planted these green and sprouting potatoes in my potato rings, using the 17-year old vermi-compost which I’ve harvested recently.

Yesterday whilst buying some “chip” making potatoes which were of a super grade quality, costing only R5 per kilo loose, I’ve noticed that the loose selling, soft cooking potatoes were exactly the same bad quality which should be fed to pigs, was still selling at a high price to the public!

I’ve used the bottom part of my wormeries as the starter base on top of a lid with a big hole in it and a long handled jug to collect the worm-tea underneath it. This ring was placed on two jumbo concrete blocks, and all these items will give years of growing vegetables in, paying off the expense in a matter of months!

The ring was filled with this worm compost nearly to the top and seven potatoes were pushed into the soft soil, then covered with a thin layer of the same soil on top. A 2cm layer of wood shavings were then placed on top of each ring. After giving each potato ring a light soaking of water, the top lid with holes were placed on each potato ring to enable the sprouting potatoes to grow in this warm environment till leaves start to appear through the top soil.

The lid will then be removed and the worm-tea will be added over the top of the ring to feed the potato plants.
Inside the potato ring there are still big composting earthworms that will feed on the wood shavings thereby enriching the soil more.

I hope this experiment of mine will prove to be as successful as my strawberry bags too!