Growing potatoes can be easy if you use a container
A trip to the grocery store results in the purchase of potatoes. There are usually three types available: Russet, red or Yukon Gold. Once in a while you might see an over-priced bag of French Fingerlings. Truth be told, there are more than 500 varieties of potatoes.
When you grow your own, you can pick and choose varieties not commonly found in typical supermarkets. Local nurseries may have the varieties you want. You can also order seed potatoes from catalogs.
Potatoes are easy to grow and need very little care. Potatoes take up quite a bit of space in the garden and can be difficult to harvest as they grow deep underground. There is a solution to both these problems when you grow your potatoes in a container. Any large container will do.
One of the easiest ways to grow potatoes is in a 30 gallon trash can. Begin by drilling many holes in the bottom with a half inch drill bit. Drill some holes on the sides of the can as well. Potatoes need good drainage or they will rot.
Fill your pre-drilled garbage can with 4-6 inches of high quality, good draining potting soil. Plant 4-6 seed potatoes and cover with a little more soil. When your potatoes sprout, add an organic liquid fertilizer. Stay away from high nitrogen fertilizer as it will make the leaves of the potato plants grow large and lush while leaving the spuds small and tasteless.
Potatoes prefer full sun, and that means at least six hours of sun each day. They like water as well, but don’t over-do it or they will rot. Do not let the soil in the can dry out completely or your potatoes will take on peculiar shapes and will lack good flavor.
The potato leaves will continue to grow and as they get taller, add good quality compost around the stems. Don’t cover the leaves. The potatoes need the leaves for photosynthesis (remember ninth grade biology class). Continue to add compost throughout the season. By the end of the summer, your can will be quite full.
Once the potatoes have flowered and the pretty little things begin to fade, you can reach into the can and pull out a few potatoes. These are called new potatoes for obvious reasons. Unlike mature potatoes, new potatoes do not store well and are best if eaten right away.
The rest of the potatoes can be harvested when the tops are brown and look, well, rather dead. Lay out a tarp and dump the whole can and its contents out. You might be surprised to find about 25 pounds of potatoes.
The soil can be reused, but not if you intend to plant more potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or eggplant. These plants are all members of the nightshade family. Nightshade members tend to harbor disease and pests in the soil in which they are grown and can negatively affect next year’s crop with blight. Crop rotation is always important, but never more so than when growing nightshade varieties.
If you do notice pests on your potatoes throughout the growing season, hand pick them off and dispose of them. Placing them in a bucket of soapy water will usually render them, well, dead. You can then cover your potato plants with a lightweight mesh or landscaping fabric to keep further pests from bothering your plants.
When you grow your own, you can pick and choose varieties not commonly found in typical supermarkets. Local nurseries may have the varieties you want. You can also order seed potatoes from catalogs.
Potatoes are easy to grow and need very little care. Potatoes take up quite a bit of space in the garden and can be difficult to harvest as they grow deep underground. There is a solution to both these problems when you grow your potatoes in a container. Any large container will do.
One of the easiest ways to grow potatoes is in a 30 gallon trash can. Begin by drilling many holes in the bottom with a half inch drill bit. Drill some holes on the sides of the can as well. Potatoes need good drainage or they will rot.
Fill your pre-drilled garbage can with 4-6 inches of high quality, good draining potting soil. Plant 4-6 seed potatoes and cover with a little more soil. When your potatoes sprout, add an organic liquid fertilizer. Stay away from high nitrogen fertilizer as it will make the leaves of the potato plants grow large and lush while leaving the spuds small and tasteless.
Potatoes prefer full sun, and that means at least six hours of sun each day. They like water as well, but don’t over-do it or they will rot. Do not let the soil in the can dry out completely or your potatoes will take on peculiar shapes and will lack good flavor.
The potato leaves will continue to grow and as they get taller, add good quality compost around the stems. Don’t cover the leaves. The potatoes need the leaves for photosynthesis (remember ninth grade biology class). Continue to add compost throughout the season. By the end of the summer, your can will be quite full.
Once the potatoes have flowered and the pretty little things begin to fade, you can reach into the can and pull out a few potatoes. These are called new potatoes for obvious reasons. Unlike mature potatoes, new potatoes do not store well and are best if eaten right away.
The rest of the potatoes can be harvested when the tops are brown and look, well, rather dead. Lay out a tarp and dump the whole can and its contents out. You might be surprised to find about 25 pounds of potatoes.
The soil can be reused, but not if you intend to plant more potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or eggplant. These plants are all members of the nightshade family. Nightshade members tend to harbor disease and pests in the soil in which they are grown and can negatively affect next year’s crop with blight. Crop rotation is always important, but never more so than when growing nightshade varieties.
If you do notice pests on your potatoes throughout the growing season, hand pick them off and dispose of them. Placing them in a bucket of soapy water will usually render them, well, dead. You can then cover your potato plants with a lightweight mesh or landscaping fabric to keep further pests from bothering your plants.
Published: April 10, 2011
