Selfsufficientish.com

what size container do you need for potatoes?

would a standard bucket be big enough?
or a 5 gallon drum?
or are we talking about a barrel?

Anything at least 1ft dia x 1ft deep. Bigger the better but not so big it's too heavy to turn out.

Start with a foot of compost - I don't have any spare big pots so I usually put in a couple of seed spuds in an old compost sack with the top rolled down and unroll the bag and top up with compost as the plants grow. Probably why tyres are so popular - easy to raise the height and top up, easy to disassemble.

The big thing is to make sure they get enough water - rain is not enough - insufficient and you'll only get marbles!

Someone I knew used old compost bags, roll down top put in compost and spuds cover with compost.Keep adding compost as leaves shoot, till done really.

[quote]The big thing is to make sure they get enough water - rain is not enough - insufficient and you'll only get marbles![quote]

I think that's where I have been gowing wrong, thanks for the tip Marshlander. I'll try to make sure I water them enough this year!

marshlander wrote:Anything at least 1ft dia x 1ft deep. Bigger the better but not so big it's too heavy to turn out.

Start with a foot of compost - I don't have any spare big pots so I usually put in a couple of seed spuds in an old compost sack with the top rolled down and unroll the bag and top up with compost as the plants grow. Probably why tyres are so popular - easy to raise the height and top up, easy to disassemble.

The big thing is to make sure they get enough water - rain is not enough - insufficient and you'll only get marbles!

should i not bother making holes in the end of the container?

stonethrower wrote:

marshlander wrote:Anything at least 1ft dia x 1ft deep. Bigger the better but not so big it's too heavy to turn out.

Start with a foot of compost - I don't have any spare big pots so I usually put in a couple of seed spuds in an old compost sack with the top rolled down and unroll the bag and top up with compost as the plants grow. Probably why tyres are so popular - easy to raise the height and top up, easy to disassemble.

The big thing is to make sure they get enough water - rain is not enough - insufficient and you'll only get marbles!

should i not bother making holes in the end of the container?

Not if you can teach the taters to swim

i bought potato bags last year, which were dear initially but i got great spuds and i'm using them again this year

I've used blue barrels found on beaches (usually they've broken away from muscle farms) cut in two, giant plastic flower pots that people have given away on Freecycle and I've grown potatoes in tyres though some don't like the idea because of possible contamination. You can always put a plastic bag inside the tyres and use the tyres as support

This year I'm growing spuds in some compost bags, some biiig plant pots, some old kitchen swing bins, and two of the old style black plastic bins from before wheelie bins. I'm also trying out one of the dogs empty food sacks, it's paper but it's sort of waterproofed so I'm seeing if it lasts long enough.

I'm determined to make veg patches in the garden this year, I've got plenty of space but I just use pots each year because it's easier.

stonethrower wrote:

marshlander wrote:Anything at least 1ft dia x 1ft deep. Bigger the better but not so big it's too heavy to turn out.

Start with a foot of compost - I don't have any spare big pots so I usually put in a couple of seed spuds in an old compost sack with the top rolled down and unroll the bag and top up with compost as the plants grow. Probably why tyres are so popular - easy to raise the height and top up, easy to disassemble.

The big thing is to make sure they get enough water - rain is not enough - insufficient and you'll only get marbles!

should i not bother making holes in the end of the container?

Oh yes, drainage holes needed - my compost sacks tend to be reused and have holes anyway!

You can also grow in cardboard boxes. I have grown all kinds of things in cardboard boxes. Even with the rain, they last for a season.

Has anyone seen the potato bags in Li$l ?
They are like the 'bag for life' canvas/plastic type bags, but half the size & planted with 3 spuds.... I saw them, didn't buy but was most impressed as they have already been grown to the stage where you might need one more top up & just water until harvest.

Hey, it's not ideal, but it'll get a lot more people on the growing bandwagon!

<shiver>
Buying bags to grow in?

Not very self-sufficientish.

When you buy plastic it encourages people to make more of the stuff.
</shiver>

No James - they're not proper plastic, they're the recyclable placcy type... oh, I don't know what it's called!

I actually think that it's pretty cool for a discount supermarket selling stuff like this - if it helps to get folks growing their own, it can't be all bad & maybe next year, they will try their own seed spuds?

I've been spanked by a Galway woman.

This Kilkenny Cat will shy away otherwise we won't keep winning the All-Ireland.