This year, I’m going to try growing potatoes in small patches distributed throughout the garden.

Artist, farmer, editor https://medium.com/invironment

Jan 23, 2016

At the time I was struggling to control potato beetles in the garden and she would help me hand pick and squish the buggers. I eventually stopped growing potatoes because the beetles were so difficult to manage organically.

My Top 10 Stupidest Gardening Moves

Geoffrey B Ives

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This year, I’m going to try growing potatoes in small patches distributed throughout the garden. Hiding them basically. And growing as many different varieties as I can find to hopefully select for varieties that are the most resistant in the future.

The thing I learned after last year’s struggle was basically that if I do nothing, yes, they will destroy the foliage eventually. But I will still be able to harvest delicious small potatoes and no one else around here has any organic potatoes.

Last year was tricky too because my garden is basically surrounded on all sides by conventional fields, and last year was a potato year for them, so presumably the potato beetles were all draw over to my non-poisoned crops because they tasted so good.

So be it!