growing potatoes in sacks

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Permalink Reply by Caro on February 20, 2011 at 16:56

Hi Caroline,  I grew potatoes in sacks and in the ground last year. (Dobies recommended 3 chitted spuds in each sack.) Both methods were successful but the joy of the sacks was that the kids could just plunge their hands in to find the spuds which caused great excitement.  For some professional advice, have a look at John Harrison's website, he has excellent practical articles on growing spuds, including when to plant for earlies, second earlies or maincrop.

http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/potato/potato-growing-guide.php

 

I chitted the potatoes in egg boxes, removed the lower 'eyes' and planted in about a foot of soil.  When you have about 4 inches of leaves above the soil, cover them with earth.  This encourages more potatoes to form.  Do this again when the leaves appear above the soil a second time.  You'll now have about 20 - 24" of soil in your potato bag. Keep the plant watered in dry weather and after it's flowered and the leaves (haulm) have started to die back, start enjoying your home-grown spuds (or dig up earlier for 'new' potatoes.)

By the way, we left our chitters far too long in the greenhouse through lack of time but we planted them and they still came up trumps for us.   We planted out throughout May so this year I hope to be planting out by mid-April.

Good luck with it -let us know how you get on!

Permalink Reply by Debbie on February 20, 2011 at 17:18

I've grown them in old compost bags, tubs, pots, dustbins, oh and the ground! Don't be put off. Go for it.

Permalink Reply by Damo on February 20, 2011 at 17:44

Hi Caroline, all the top 'veg showers' grow them in containers - polypots mostly - never directly in the ground.  And their results aren't bad at all.  Container growing is the way to go with spuds.  Just make sure they don't dry out, keep 'em nice and moist.  Good luck!

 

Permalink Reply by Debbie on February 20, 2011 at 19:17

Booooooooootiful!

Damo said:

Hi Caroline, all the top 'veg showers' grow them in containers - polypots mostly - never directly in the ground.  And their results aren't bad at all.  Container growing is the way to go with spuds.  Just make sure they don't dry out, keep 'em nice and moist.  Good luck!

 

Permalink Reply by Darren Blick on January 16, 2012 at 21:46

See my latest post in the main arena

Potatoes in Grow Bags

Try mixing 16oz of Vitax Q4 and 12 oz of Calcified Sea Weed (or sea weed meal) per 3 gallon typical builders bucket of compost

Permalink Reply by Paul Hearne on January 17, 2012 at 1:48

Most of my growing (this is my first attempt) will be done in containers or the like. I have on order my grow bags and tubers for the potatoes so I'm hoping that these will be one of my major successes....fingers crossed.

For me it's the option thats best

Permalink Reply by Darren Blick on January 17, 2012 at 13:19

If you grow in a grow bag, try to keep the bag to 2 or 3 tubers

Leave the potato to chit, then remove all the eye leaving just 2-3 eyes spaced apart

A potato will grow a certain weight, more eyes means same total weight but smaller spuds, less eyes means same amount of weight, bigger spuds

Permalink Reply by Caro on January 17, 2012 at 16:59

Good tip Darren, I didn't know that before.  Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Darren Blick on January 17, 2012 at 18:54

Your welcome

On new potatoes, leave them all on, if you want nice small juicy ones

Permalink Reply by John Martin on January 19, 2012 at 19:10

Paul

 

Big thing to remember about container growing is the need to water,  As the foliage gets up and covers the container little of no rain will penetrate and there is not a reserve in the container so they dry out very quickly.  Plants therefore take more watering in containers than the would in a normal plot.

   

Permalink Reply by Paul Hearne on January 26, 2012 at 13:43

Thanks John

Yes I plan to get the children on watering duty with me as to me it's important that they understand what's required.

I do have one beginners question...what soil/compost is best used in the bags for potatoes?

Permalink Reply by John Martin on January 26, 2012 at 14:46

Paul

 

I use peat with fert and calcified seaweed very similar to what Darrren mixes up. (16oz of Vitax Q4 and 12 oz of Calcified Sea Weed (or sea weed meal) per 3 gallon typical builders bucket of peat) Although I know a number of people who use general purpose compost instead of peat.

Hope this of some help.

 

John

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