Josh, I plant 150-200 pounds of potatoes every year. Most of these I dig at the small "New Potato" size. I dig about 40-50 pounds for each market I attend. Usually, I dig about 100 pounds on Monday and hope that holds for the week.

I do it all by hand. Yes I am crazy, but it really isn't too hard. I use a potato fork to dig. I have established raised beds for my potatoes. I spread compost and soil amendments, run the tiller down the row and then I drag a pipe to make a furrow. I plant them (my two oldest girls are my planters. I give them a spacing stick and a bucket of seed potatoes and I have the most evenly spaced spuds in the world!) and I come back and cover up. I come back and hill up the loose dirt as they grow. I usually run the tiller down between the rows to loosen any more soil. I hill up with a rake or flat bottomed shovel. I can hill up a 75 foot row in about 5-10 minutes. The dirt really flies! I start digging in Mid May and I am out by mid July-August. I didn't mulch, I regretted that last year. I will mulch the later spuds, but leave the earlier ones with out it.

Jay

Jay, what do you use for mulch? I bought an old McCormick one row planter and a horse drawn digger that looks similar to a walking plow. This will be my first year. I ordered 150 lbs of seed. We will see what happens.

I use old rotten wheat straw. My parents still farm and bale straw into big round bales. Every year they use the straw for bedding. They always bale more than they need. Then every year they just use the newest stuff because it is the least rotten. That is where I move in and take the older more rotten bales. He just likes to get rid of them and will give them to me for free! Well it is like a payment for all the work I do for them for free.

Also, two years ago, my neighbor had a lot of straw that was chopped up in a tub grinder. He got the cattle out to pasture earlier and had extra feed laying there. He gave it to me for free also. It was really good stuff. The problem was it was so light and fluffy, it took forever to load it, but it did form a nice mat that weeds didn't grow through.

Jay,

You been spying on me. I do almost an exact carbon copy of yours. Including the tilling and square shovel. hmmm
I also apply bedding from the duck house and rabbit hutches. I picked up about 20 spoiled bales of hay from a local farmer. My small operation I only plant 50lbs or so.

People ask me, why plant potatos, they are so cheap to buy.

Several reasons, variety, organic, fresh and its like digging for gold. :~)

Josh, Tiller, shovel, square tine fork and a bow rake. How about that for big equipment.

Eric

I have an old belt drive silage chopper. I was thinkng of running some straw bales thru it. I have plenty of horse manure with a lot of straw in it, but I don't know if that would be the best since it is fairly fresh.

I reckon I could grow enough for the family that way, but what if I wanted to plant 1000 pounds.
josh

Be careful with fresh manure, you can get scab.

Eric

I dig by hand, or potato fork. The guy down in your area Josh, mows his potatoes off and then uses a middle buster to bring the potatoes out of the ground. I'm not sure how he plants them, but I know he does have a transplanter and you can use one to plant potatoes.

Josh:

With your tractors, you could use a 1 or 2 row lister or middle buster. I have seen old listers sell in auctions for 50-100. Use this to put in the row and then plant. When digging time comes around, drop down the lister, drive down the rows and the lister turns over the potatoes. Walk down the row and pick them up.

Next best thing to a real potato digger.

Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: Middle Buster

Mine are also all done by hand, but I haven't had a crop in two years. It has been so wet they all rotted.

how about a 1-bottom plow? Think it might work??

I have a middle buster, and a lay off plow, Ill look around for a lister.
I figure with the 2 row lay off plow I could drive down the row opening a couple furrows, and like jay have the kids walk behind dropping the taters in and the wife could follow them covering em up, now thats a family operation.
Would a one row plow work for hilling them up?