Growing potatoes in containers. How to grow your own potatoes if you don't have a garden - Enchanted Soul - LiveJournal

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If you've never tried freshly dug potatoes, you're in for a real treat. As with tomatoes, the taste and texture of fresh fruits is very different from those you buy in the store. When growing “your own” potatoes, you also have the opportunity to plant unusual varieties that are difficult to find. There are several benefits to growing potatoes in containers. It's easier to protect from creatures that like to feast on it, and you don't have to worry as much about weeds.

This project is also interesting for children because potatoes grow surprisingly quickly and many children love to eat them.

The only downside to growing potatoes in containers is that you need to remain vigilant about watering. It is very important that the soil is moist, not wet. Check the soil moisture level when watering, making sure the water penetrates deeply until it starts to flow out from the bottom of the container.

I grow potatoes in containers using organic fertilizers, no chemical additives. It's simple and interesting.
For sowing, I use seed potatoes that have not been sprayed to stop them from sprouting and also potatoes purchased from natural food stores that have sprouted (sometimes by mistake) in a cool, dark place.

What you need to grow potatoes in containers

Potting soil
. Seed potatoes
. Fertilizer
. Container
. SUN
. WATER

Container: You can use any large container to grow potatoes. I've seen potatoes grown in large waste bins, or even garbage bags, or piles of tires. However, I would be wary of using tires or trash bags because they can get very hot in the sun and the jury is still out on the toxicity of some plastics and rubber, which can release chemicals into the ground when they rupture.
Whatever you use as a container, make sure it has good drainage. If your container has poor drainage, add more drainage holes.

I also like to grow potatoes in Smart Pots. They are lightweight, environmentally friendly and made of fabric, so the potatoes have access to air during growth. Another benefit of Smart Pots is that they have excellent drainage, so your potatoes never sit in water and rot as a result.

Potting soil mixture: Use high quality potting mix. If you're using a Smart Pot, you can also mix garden soil with compost. I like organic soil mixtures. If using plastic containers, choose a soil mixture that drains water quickly.

Fertilizer: I use an organic slow-release fertilizer that I mix into the soil. Also, as the potatoes grow, I apply a water-soluble liquid fertilizer, like fish emulsion, once every two weeks.

SUN and WATER: Potatoes will not grow without sun and water. You need to provide at least 6-8 hours of sun per day. Your potatoes also need constant watering to grow. You should keep the soil moist but not wet. If the soil is too dry, the plant may die. If too wet, the plants may rot. If the humidity level is inconsistent, your potatoes will become irregular shapes.

Soil for growing potatoes in containers

Fill the container to a depth of 10-15 cm with soil. If your soil does not contain additives, mix it with a slow-release fertilizer according to the instructions on the package. I usually use organic fertilizers, which are more forgiving of dosage errors.

Preparing potato tubers

There are several theories for preparing tubers for planting. Some people wait for the potato tubers to sprout, and others simply plant them. There are people who cut the tubers and let them harden for a couple of days. If your tubers are small, then there is no need to divide them, and you can simply plant them. I let the tubers sprout, then cut them and plant them the same day.

When dividing tubers, make sure you have at least two eyes on each part. They say that each piece should be at least 50g. I have no idea what 50g looks like, so I just do it by eye. If the seed potatoes are small, I just plant them whole.

The plants grow really big, so make sure you give them plenty of room to grow. This container is about 50cm wide and I planted 4 small potatoes in it. This will allow you to get a larger harvest than you thought possible.

Cover your potatoes with soil

After planting the potatoes, cover them with a few centimeters of soil and compost. Don't get too enthusiastic about this unless you want your potatoes to be too deep. The cooler the climate, the less soil you should put on top. Also add 3 to 10 cm of soil for each planted tuber.

Water thoroughly. One of the keys to growing potatoes is keeping the soil moist, not soggy. To check the moisture level, stick your finger into the soil to at least 2-3 cm or up to the second knuckle. If you feel dry, water. Check at least once a day. If it is very hot or windy, you may need to water more than once a day. Make sure the water penetrates deeply and flows out of the bottom. It is very unproductive to water only the surface of the soil.

How to hill potatoes

Once your plants reach a height of 15cm, you need to hill them up by adding a mixture of soil and compost.

Add soil as potatoes grow

You will need to add a layer (a few centimeters) of soil and compost around your plants. When doing this, be careful not to break the plants.

You can cover some of the leaves of your plants with soil, but at least 2/3 of the plant should remain outside.

Continue hilling the potatoes as they grow.

You will need to add soil and compost several times as the plants grow or until the soil level reaches the top of the container. Potatoes grow spectacularly fast, so be extra careful and don't let them get ahead of you.

Potato harvest

You can start harvesting any time after the plants finish flowering. Just gently reach deep into the soil and pull out a few potatoes.

You can also wait until the plant turns yellow and wilts, then harvest the entire crop. The easiest way to do this is to empty the container onto a wheelbarrow or tarp. This way you can freely dig up all the soil to look for potatoes. You may find a few tiny tubers - don't throw them away - they may be the tastiest.

Cook your potatoes and enjoy!

Growing plants in containers is not only a useful technique for urban gardeners and those who only have a limited amount of space at their disposal, but it is also useful for those who want to maximize their harvest in a controlled environment.

Growing potatoes in barrels not only reduces the need for weeding and rids the plants of pests and fungi, but you don't even risk damaging the new potatoes by digging them out of the ground. Just turn the barrel over!
Here are simple four-step instructions for growing potatoes in a barrel.
1. Select and prepare a container


You will need to select a suitable container, such as a 225 liter waste drum. Alternatively, you can buy a used food grade barrel or commercial potato growing container. Any container between sixty and ninety centimeters high will do, but try to choose a container that already has holes for moisture drainage or cut them yourself. Then clean it with a mild bleach or disinfectant powder to get rid of any harmful microorganisms that have already taken up residence in it. You should not use bleach; find some alternative.
Good drainage is essential to growing potatoes, so you'll need to cut or drill several large drainage holes in the bottom and sides of your container.
2. Select the tubers you want to grow and place them in a container


Seed potatoes can be found in nurseries early in the season, but you will only have to buy them once. If you have the opportunity, try to germinate your potatoes before planting in the ground, for example, by placing them in a cardboard egg tray with the side facing the largest number eyes up, and placing it in a cool, bright room away from direct light. The same result can be achieved by placing the tubers in an open paper bag.
Fill the bottom of your container with loose potting soil and compost to about fifty centimeters. If you have the opportunity, use a litter, such as recycled coconut shells, to avoid excessive compaction of the soil and help retain moisture for the roots. Then place some seed potatoes on the soil, leaving enough space between the tubers. You can use whole tubers or cut them into three to five centimeter cubes. Loosely sprinkle the tubers with filler and compost another twenty centimeters and water them well. Keep the soil moist at all times, but avoid overwatering.
3. Add more land


When your tubers produce fifteen to twenty centimeters of tops, add another layer of soil-compost mixture to cover the visible stems by half or three-quarters. Repeat this process, allowing the shoots to grow, then covering them with soil and watering until they reach the top of your barrel.
4. Harvest


After about ten weeks, or before the plants flower and begin to turn yellow, the potatoes should be ready to harvest. Carefully dig with your hands and examine the top layer of filler. If your expectations are justified, tip the barrel onto a piece of polyethylene and harvest your harvest.
Some tips for growing potatoes


After the first harvest, save some potatoes to plant next year.
Bush beans are excellent complementary plants for potatoes.
Instead of soil, try growing potatoes in sawdust.
Experiment with different containers, different varieties of seed potatoes, and watering schedules.

Planting potatoes this way is a thing of the past. The method is based on the fact that potatoes can form stolons with tubers along the entire length of the stem, no matter how long it is (if, of course, the stem is placed in the soil). To do this, they used to plant potatoes in holes, gradually filling them with earth, or in barrels. A modern option is planting in a collapsible container.

The point of the design is the ability to build up the walls of the box, gradually filling it with soil. Watering is carried out through leaky pipes. The easiest way is to drive four pieces of reinforcement or stakes into the ground and attach board walls to them with wire.

The bottom must breathe. We place boards on the bricks, leaving gaps between them. The size of the container is arbitrary, for example 1.5 × 1.5 m with a height of 1.2 m. It turns out 5-6 floors of boards. We assemble the first floor from the walls and fill it with a light organic mixture. Ideal: humus and expanded clay screenings in equal parts. We plant well-sprouted and processed tubers. If you plant early (and the sooner the better!), cover the container with film.

The tops will grow just above the second floor, we install new boards and add soil again. And so on until the buds appear. To prevent them from appearing too early, you need to water each floor with a portion of manure compost and protect the container from heat: shade it from the sun and mulch the soil with straw or sawdust.

With the appearance of buds, we finish construction and create good conditions plants - we feed them with compost, herbal infusion, and save them from all misfortunes, if any appear. When the harvest is ripe, we dismantle the container and select the tubers, and remove the soil until next year. We clean the boards, dry them and put them away until the next construction site.

On our plot about fifteen years ago, we began planting potatoes in a multi-storey way. I knocked down a container from boards (see Fig. 1.) 3.5 m long, 1.7 m wide, 1.3 m high.

We planted the Lukyanovsky and American varieties. There are 20 bushes in total. The result exceeded all expectations! The harvest amounted to 490 kg (!) of selected tubers and 3 buckets of small ones.
Moreover, we did not yet know that the best tubers on the stems form late varieties.

We have been using one container for 4 years. To prevent the boards from rotting, I covered them with film from the inside using a stapler.
And further. It is worth paying special attention to the lightness of the soil (more loose organic matter), nutrition (liquid fertilizing, early planting) and protection from the heat. Gaps can be left in the side walls of the container so that fertilizing can be done through a hose and watering can.

This method of growing potatoes in containers is also good because it saves space and at the same time increases the yield, and also frees you from grueling weeding :) Again, the lack of maintenance of a hoe and shovel will help avoid damage.

The principle of the entire project is based on 4 steps.

1. Container preparation

50-gallon trash cans or food barrels or a homemade structure 2 to 3 feet tall will work for you, with the option of creating an additional hole in it. If it is a used container, be sure to clean it with a mild bleach solution or boiling water and soda solution to kill pathogens.

Good drainage is essential for growing healthy potato tubers, so you'll need to drill a series of large drainage holes in the bottom of your container, or you can cut out the bottom entirely and place it on a quality drainage surface, like a soft cushion.

2. Planting potatoes.

It is advisable to purchase seed potatoes, which before planting, place in egg cartons with the shoots facing up, and place them in a cool room away from direct sunlight, or you can place them in an open paper bag for a similar effect.

We are waiting good growth shoots.

Fill the bottom of the container about 6 inches with loose planting mix and compost. You can use a mixture for planting that contains peat moss, or even better, as an auxiliary fertilizer for the soil, add coconut fibers, which are saturated with nutrients, to the composition, and also in order to prevent soil compaction and help it retain moisture for the roots . Place the seed potatoes on a bed of loose, prepared soil, leaving plenty of space between each tuber. You can use whole potatoes, or you can cut the potatoes into 1 - 2 inch cubes for planting. Top the planted potatoes with another 6 inches of loose, nutritious soil and mix compost with water to moisten the soil. Keep the soil moist at all times but be careful not to over-water it.

3. Add more soil

When the seedlings have about 6 to 8 inches of shoots, add another layer of nutritious, loose compost soil covering about one-half to three-quarters of the ground stem with foliage. Thanks to this constant addition of moist soil, the plant forms many tubers.

4. Potato harvest

After about 10 weeks, or when the blooms begin to yellow, the potatoes are ready to harvest. By opening the bottom flap, you can carefully pull out large, ripe tubers from a rich harvest. And throughout the summer you will be pleased with delicious potatoes. prepared in various ways.

based on materials from the website-mattovermatter.com

And that is not all. wooden structure can be replaced with wire mesh.

Method 2 - grid.

Check out these pictures of homemade vertical mesh containers lined with straw along the sides - this is a great way to drain the soil!

Here is a list of items that should be on hand:

3 to 4" height fencing wire.

Flexible wire for fastening.

an armful of straw or hay,

Pure compost (no manure),

And of course potatoes

and you have already looked at how to build an etc structure.

Let's start learning 3 ways.

growing potatoes in towers

A Vietnamese mat is also suitable for constructing vertical containers.

Approximately 12" high, additional reinforcement is used, which requires 4 pieces for each container, inside of which the reinforcement is stuck into drainage loose soil to strengthen the structure in a vertical position.

I can imagine what the little peeps passing by will think:)))

All these vertical methods of growing potatoes are 3 times more efficient in terms of yield than growing them in the ground. There is also less maintenance for such plantations, and space is saved. I especially like the lack of weeding and hilling :))

And so the same principle is used for growing.

Sprinkling the tubers on top with drainage soil with the addition of straw.

Beauty and convenience:) Not to mention fertility:))

What rich vegetation:)

The next method is similar, but you can also use laundry baskets for the container :) Let's take a look.

Growing Potatoes in a Laundry Basket

I really want to try it, but don’t have anything at hand? :))) no problem. Let's take the path of least resistance. This is of course not so aesthetically pleasing, but in the backyard of your own plot it is quite acceptable :))

After your first harvest, save a few potatoes to use as seed potatoes next year.

Beans planted next to potatoes will help get rid of the Colorado potato beetle, and the potatoes themselves will help protect the beans from its pests.

Now is the time when you can experiment with different containers.

In such cases, some summer residents use bags or containers where they grow potatoes, and they have also often begun to use potato towers. These methods primarily help save a lot of space.

A peculiarity of potato growth using these methods is that during the process of growth of the tops, its stems go into the ground, where new tubers grow. Thus, you will get the same amount of potatoes, but take up very little space.

You do not have to purchase different materials; they may be on your site, which will save your finances.

Potato towers

First of all, you need to find a metal mesh, preferably a rigid one, pliers, material that will be used to secure the frame parts, compost, straw, and potato seeds.

First you need to cut several pieces of mesh of a certain length, usually three meters. The height of this tower is on average one meter. Next, everything needs to be connected with wire.
In some cases, summer residents use these towers as decoration for their territory.

This stage is filling the tower with compost, but first it is necessary to cover this tower with geotextiles or cover it with straw. Then you can start planting the seeds in a circle at a depth of twenty centimeters.

Then you need to plant the potatoes again, water them, and fill them up, and so on until the top of the tower. The top layer cannot necessarily be planted with potatoes; any other plant can be used.

This method is also characterized by the absence of excavation work; when the crop needs to be harvested, you can simply turn the tower over and dig into the ground. On average, one such tower yields up to thirty kilograms of potatoes.

If you don’t want to make towers, you can use empty containers that you probably have on your site. You just need to take into account that the capacity should be fifty liters, no less. In this case, it does not matter at all what the container is made of, either metal or wood.

This container must be divided in half and drainage holes must be made. Next, you need to fill the selected container with a thirty-centimeter layer of humus. Scatter the potato seeds, water thoroughly and cover with a twenty-centimeter layer of soil.

Wait until the potatoes have grown thirty centimeters, then add more soil, but leave the leaves on the surface. This is done so that one bush produces several more shoots and you get as many potatoes as possible. Don't forget to water the new soil. This can be done until the container is completely filled.

In addition to containers, potatoes are often planted in bags, but if you don’t have any containers on your site, and purchasing them is too expensive, then bags are ideal.

The principle of planting in bags is no different from planting in a container. Do not allow excess water to accumulate and secure the bag as it may fall.

To get as much harvest as possible, use potassium fertilizer. Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content should not be used.