The potato tower: does it really work?

You have a small garden and don't want your vegetable patch to take up all the space. There are plenty of solutions for optimising the space in your little patch of greenery. In particular, when you grow vegetables that take up a lot of space, such as squash or potatoes. The best solution is to grow them high up using trellises or potato towers. But what is a potato tower? Let's find out.

How does it work?

The potato tower allows you to grow potatoes high up. If you have a balcony or garden, this is a good solution for you. The tubers will be grown on several levels. You'll need to fill the first level with soil, then plant the sprouted potatoes. Watch out for the first leaves. When the stems are strong enough, you can add more soil to the top of the plant. The plant will continue to grow through the layers of soil, producing new potatoes as it goes. Repeat the operation all the way to the top of the tower. Once the season is over, you can remove all the soil layer by layer and harvest the potatoes that have grown on the various levels. An important advantage is that you won't have to worry about weeding.

What about the performance of such a device?

There is one definite advantage to this tower: it saves space. What's more, growing potatoes is very simple thanks to this system. Unlike growing them in the ground, you won't suffer any losses and you'll be able to recover your entire crop. However, there is a big difference in size between the vegetables in the first and last layers. To ensure good results, it's important to choose the variety of potato that suits you best. If you want to keep potatoes for several months, you can choose the "Bernadette" variety. For a good yield, the "Monalisa" and "Spunta" varieties are interesting. But if you prefer a potato with good taste, go for the "Ratte" or "Bintje".

How do I get a potato tower?

You can find them in any garden centre, but they come at a price. If you fancy trying a potato tower, without breaking the bank. No worries! It's very easy to create this kind of tower yourself. You can simply make wooden frames and place them one on top of the other. The advantage is that you can use it for several years. Do you have any leftover wire mesh in your garden? You can recycle them. Place four stakes in a square and surround them with netting. For each new layer, add a height of netting. To give your tower a more natural look, you can surround it with canisses or bamboo. Have you ever tried a potato tower?