What to plant after potatoes.

denny27 · Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:12 pm

I just dug up my potatoes this weekend and got a pretty good haul. I'm just not sure what I can plant in their place to get a fall crop. I am in zone 7b. I want to plant some more squash and some spinach but not sure if either one is a good idea. Any suggestions would be a great help.

Thanks,
Dennis

SPierce · Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:23 pm

Spinach is ALWAYS a good idea!

I decided to go for carrots, this year.... will see how they end up doing!

hit or miss · Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:25 pm

You should have some luck with leaf crops, I wouldn't follow them with any other root crop though. Soil depletion and all that.

gixxerific · Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:41 pm

Sour cream and chives. Oh and a bacon plant as well.

soil · Mon Jul 25, 2011 10:24 pm

mmmm bacon plant

digitS' · Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:54 pm

I will begin digging potatoes this week and will replant those beds with Asian greens (mostly bok choy).

With your frost coming much later than here, couldn't you still plant green beans? I set out late summer squash about the 1st of July and that has worked well before but can't imagine they would produce if set out now in NC. Honestly, I don't really have any idea about that

. Maybe.

Oh, if you think you want to sow bok choy, you might want to wait until your summer heat has begun to give way a little.

Steve

DoubleDogFarm · Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:53 am

mmmm bacon plant

ROFLMFAO

Eric

Fig3825 · Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:51 am

Yes, the bacon plant...intended to be planted next to the lettuce and tomato plants...

applestar · Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:51 am

FWIW -- There IS such a thing as "Beefsteak Plant"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perilla

I think you would avoid fruiting or root crops at this point, so leafy greens or legumes might be the right choice. I always struggle with what to plant after potatoes.

Last year, I had started black eyed peas and bushel gourds NEXT to the potatoes, and after the potatoes were harvested, the pea and gourd vines took over the area. I also tried a fast maturing watermelon in a different potato bed and that actually worked and I had 4 fruits, but the chipmunk ate into them.

The year before that, I tried a short season corn, but they only grew knee high and tasseled -- a complete failure.

Bush beans should definitely work, and faster Edamame might be an option too since they like the heat to grow in but cooler temps to set pods. Watch out because some varieties of Edamame take longer like 95-100 days. I want to say fall peas, but so far, I haven't been able to successfully grow them in the fall.

In theory, you should also be able to start fall cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower as well as kale from seed. Aren't you looking at approximately 80-90 days before first frost? These can take light frost anyway.

soil · Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:19 am

perilla is good stuff. we grow lots of it.

take a big leaf, put some rice, add some stir fried chicken, a little hot sauce and plop it in your mouth.

garden5 · Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:12 pm

Bush beans are fast maturing and make for a nice fall harvest.

TheWaterbug · Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:53 pm

applestar wrote:I also tried a fast maturing watermelon in a different potato bed and that actually worked and I had 4 fruits, but the chipmunk ate into them.

[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=198240#198240]This will protect[/url] melons and squashes from rodents.

It's quite labor intensive if you have dozens of fruit, but if you have ~4 or so, you can make a set of these in 15 minutes.

faster Edamame might be an option too since they like the heat to grow in but cooler temps to set pods. Watch out because some varieties of Edamame take longer like 95-100 days.

Mmmm. I just ordered a [url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GJ2Y28]packet of edamame seeds[/url]. They should be here in a few days.

TheWaterbug · Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:55 pm

gixxerific wrote:Sour cream and chives. Oh and a bacon plant as well.

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hendi_alex · Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:03 pm

I planted yellow squash and cucumbers behind my spuds. The squash took off and have been producing for a couple of weeks. The cucumbers are just about ready to bloom. I'll plant greens and garlic in the space when then squash and cucumbers are spent.

cherishedtiger · Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:19 pm

Now I am sitting here trying to debate what to plant once my taters are done... so many good ideas!!

Thinking I will go with spinach again, that was an awesome fall crop last year and we ate all we harvested...

Bobberman · Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:26 pm

I have two beds of potatoes to dig up this week! I will put in yellow beans and zucks! try the yellow zucks they are very tender!. The potato soil is always very loose so almost anything will grow just add a little nitrogen! like blood meal or cotton seed meal will do it! After the zucks are doe in the potato bead I will put in a third bed for the season of lettuce and peas or climbing beans probably all three for he fall crop the firs week of sept! AH NO not winter again!

denny27 · Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:00 pm

Thanks for all the advice. I think I will go with spinach or maybe zucks. I would love a second pea planting but I don't think it will work real well here. Bush beans might also be a good idea for me.

SOB · Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:09 pm

This is my first year with raised beds and I filled them with a clay-heavy soil. I am following my onion/garlic/potato section with a green manure to help break up the clay and add nutrients to the soil. I figured instead of taking more out of the soil in it's early life why not give some back?