Small potato towers/beds

I thought I would share my potato tower method with the group. I chose to put it in the Urban Gardening forum because it takes up only a small space for a decent yield.
If anyone has any suggestions to make a better tower, I am all ears!
I'm in zone 9b and growing determinate varieties. I start with a piece of wire ranch fencing about 3 feet tall. The sections are enough to form a circle approximately 2 feet in diameter.
I use straw to keep the dirt inside the fencing by stacking a small amount around the perimiter.  I have seen some folks use woven shade cloth, but a compressed bale of straw only cost about $16 at Tractor supply and I can reuse it. It stores easily insde a plastic garbage pail.
After putting the primeter straw lining about 4-6 inches high, I fill the center up with amended soil. Set another perimeter ring of straw and repeat. When I get about 16 inches tall, I add the seed potatoes and cover with a final 4 inches of dirt and mulch the top with more straw.
The last one of these I did had a yield of 5 pounds of spuds from 3 golfball sized seed spuds.

What a nice product you created out of minimal inputs! I like the round design and the fact it can be assembled anywhere. Congrats on getting a nice yield.

Respectfully asked, I’m curious as to why you wait until you have 16 inches built up before you plant your seed potatoes? When I grow them in grow bags, 4-6 inches is all I put in the bottom, so the stalk has the opportunity to grow taller with more inches of dirt/straw touching the stalk as it grows so more potatoes can pop out the sides of the stalk.

Angela,
The method you describe only works with indeterminant vaieties. Determinant vaieties will grow deeper and produce spuds along the entire root system, if I recall correctly. Fom what I can determine, these seed spuds I am using are detemiant vaieties. So, I'm giving them room to propagate deeper.

Joshua States wrote:Angela,
The method you describe only works with indeterminant vaieties. Determinant vaieties will grow deeper and produce spuds along the entire root system, if I recall correctly. Fom what I can determine, these seed spuds I am using are detemiant vaieties. So, I'm giving them room to propagate deeper.

Joshua,
Thank you for the clarification. Best to you!