Growing potatoes in towers is a great way to save space and efficiently manage small potato crops.
This summer I tried out a couple variations of height for our potato towers. The two smaller ones were about a foot high with additional wire to help support and protect the leaves. The smaller towers were made from a single ring of mesh fence material cut to be about two three in diameter. A layer of straw around the outside of the ring held the soil in place. Although it is not visible in the photos above, I used pine needles to cover the top of the soil in each tower. The choice to use pine needles was made simply because I was running short on straw when making these two towers.
The taller potato tower was about two feet in diameter and four feet high. I compressed a layer of straw between two sections of mesh fence material to make the tower. I then coiled a soaker hose down the center of the tower to make watering easier. Unlike the two smaller towers, I filled this one to the top with soil.
You can see some of our hens investigating the leafy tower.
It looks like I walked in during an important meeting. I wonder what our hens are plotting this time?