Potato Experiment - Greenhouse vs. Outdoors by Trudy Hodges

This spring I planted potatoes. I had more potatoes than I could easily plant in the

greenhouse, so I planted some of them outside in a new bed. I thought it would be a

fun experiment to see how each group fared and how much they produced. My initial

prediction was that the greenhouse group would do better since it is in a warmer and

more protected environment.
 

The greenhouse crop was buried about 6-8 inches deep and filled in as the top plant

grew. The plants grew nice and tall, with bushy green foliage. The plants died back in

late August and the greens were cut. I left the potatoes in the ground for 10-12 days

before digging to let them toughen up. I harvested about 4 pounds of small to medium

sized potatoes.

Greenhouse crop

The outdoor potatoes were buried about 6-8 inches deep and filled in as the top plant

grew. They didn’t get quite as much attention as the greenhouse potatoes and were

much slower to sprout. They were certainly not as bushy and full as the indoor

potatoes, but did eventually grow.

In September the plants died back and the chickens began to scratch and peck in the

planting bed. The weather was also changing, with a cold spell in the forecast, so I

decided it was time to dig. WOW what a difference! I harvested just over 10 pounds of

medium and large potatoes (size relative to the others that I had dug).

Outdoor crop

Next year all of the potatoes will go outside, leaving more room for tender plants in the greenhouse.