byCatherine Sherriffs
15 Comments
There’s nothing like the taste of a freshly harvested potato! It’s unlike anything you’ll get at the stores. And guess what? You don’t need a whole lot of gardening space to grow them. They do very well in containers!
You will need:
- Organic seed potatoes
- Some 5 to 10-gallon buckets or containers
- Good soil
- Water
NOTES:
- If you can’t find seed potatoes, buy some organic ones at the supermarket and plant those instead.
- You can plant five seed potatoes into a 10-gallon bucket and about three into a 7-gallon. If you’ve only got 5-gallon buckets, plan on using only two potatoes.
- Expect a 5-gallon bucket to yield a couple of pounds of potatoes. So if you’re feeding a family or just love potatoes, do more containers or bigger ones.
- Finally, make sure you select a clean, food-grade container or bucket that has never been used to store any nasty chemicals.
- If there are no drainage holes at the bottom of the container, drill them yourself.
Getting Started
Getting your potatoes going is an easy process, but it takes a little bit of time. Follow the steps below, and in just a few months, you’ll be enjoying the tastiest mashed, roasted, or steamed sides you’ve ever had.
Step 1: Chit Your Potatoes
Making sure your potatoes have chits on them helps your crop grow faster and leads to an earlier harvest. This process involves placing the seed potatoes in a sunny windowsill for a few weeks until the chits (AKA shoots or eyes) are about ¾ of an inch long.
Step 2: Cut And Scab Your Potatoes
Once the chitting process is over, you’ll likely need to cut your seed potatoes into smaller pieces for planting. The rule of thumb is the potato you plant should be no larger than a golf ball.
Cut the potato, so each piece has a couple of chits on it. The flesh will be wet when you cut into it; you need to scab it over so it’s dry for planting. To do this, place the potatoes in a cool, dark place for a few days.
Step 3: Planting The Potatoes
Planting potatoes is a breeze. Start by filling your bucket, container, or fabric pot with 4-6” of good soil. Water so it’s evenly moist.
Next, place the number of potatoes appropriate for the container size (five in a 10-gallon, three in a 7-gallon, two in a 5-gallon) with their eyes up and about 8” apart.
Cover the potatoes with a couple of inches of soil. Tubers exposed to the sunlight will have health issues and compromise the yield.
Sprinkle some bone meal over the top of the soil and mulch. Water thoroughly, making sure the tubers get an inch and a half of moisture weekly.
Within a couple of weeks, you’ll notice the plants beginning to grow. Once the stalks are about 8” high, backfill the buckets with more soil and mulch, leaving just the tops exposed. Let them grow again, and continue to cover with soil until the container is almost full.
When the containers are full, continue watering regularly. Fertilize occasionally with a product higher in phosphorus and potassium (5-10-10 is good).
Step 4: Harvesting Potatoes
Harvest time varies between the type of potatoes planted. You’ll know the potatoes are ready for picking when the plants flower and then die back, usually in about 2-3 months.
Happy harvesting!
Author
Editor at Garden Culture Magazine
Catherine is a Canadian award-winning journalist who worked as a reporter and news anchor in Montreal’s radio and television scene for 10 years. A graduate of Concordia University, she left the hustle and bustle of the business after starting a family. Now, she’s the editor and a writer for Garden Culture Magazine while also enjoying being a mom to her three young kids. Her interests include great food, gardening, fitness, animals, and anything outdoors.
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Leave a Comment
15 Comments
Mikki Chalmers says:
July 21, 2023 at 10:00 am
I really needed this info!! I planted eyes in 5gal grow bags, both white and sweet. They are in sun on my patio. The vines are extensive,and I don’t know if I should trim them. I am a first-time grower and I believe I planted in June. I feed with Miracle Grow weekly. I figured that I can make a dent in my grocery bill by growing my own. Thanks again!
Reply
area man says:
May 22, 2023 at 11:16 pm
It is my understanding that growing potatoes in the manner you described only works with indeterminate varieties of potatoes. German butterball, Burbank russet, and most purple potatoes are examples of indeterminate potato varieties.
Reply
Eric Coulombe says:
June 21, 2023 at 12:15 pm
I believe you are right. Great point, thank you.
Carolina says:
April 17, 2023 at 9:30 pm
Great read! I was wondering if you have to drill holes in the bucket to drain excess water. Thank you!
Reply
Eric Coulombe says:
June 21, 2023 at 12:35 pm
yes! plants should always have good drainage.
Jo says:
January 30, 2023 at 3:20 pm
Where do I keep the grow bags/buckets? Can they be indoors? Do they need lots of sunlight? What temperature?
Reply
Eric Coulombe says:
June 21, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Indoors or outdoors. lots of light, 75-80 degrees ish
Kathy says:
November 22, 2022 at 5:50 am
The fewer potatoes planted, the bigger they will be, correct ? When I put mine too close together, they are much smaller.
Reply
Cassandra McBeath says:
October 13, 2022 at 10:05 am
Could you use dog food bags that aren’t paper?
Reply
Celia Sayers says:
October 26, 2022 at 11:03 am
That’s a great question. Considering that the bag should be made from food-grade plastic, it should fit the bill but to be sure, maybe stick with non-comestible varieties! Happy Growing!
Janine says:
August 3, 2022 at 11:54 am
I have baby potatoes that are smaller than a golf ball. Do I still have to cut and scab them?
Reply
Becky says:
March 23, 2023 at 11:38 am
You can plant any potato without cutting and scabbing but, if there are lots of eyes, you may make the pot choked with a few too many plants. This year I got “mini potatoes” that are no bigger than the size of a lima bean. I certainly won’t be cutting those.
Susanne Jolley says:
May 28, 2022 at 8:43 pm
Growing in cloth containers and they are doing awesome… almost ready to flower. Only get morning sun and keep them watered. Thanks!!
Reply
Andrew Reid says:
July 8, 2022 at 12:11 pm
I love fabric grow bags!
Pamela Shiels says:
September 11, 2021 at 7:32 pm
Helpful thanks.
Reply
Author
Editor at Garden Culture Magazine
Catherine is a Canadian award-winning journalist who worked as a reporter and news anchor in Montreal’s radio and television scene for 10 years. A graduate of Concordia University, she left the hustle and bustle of the business after starting a family. Now, she’s the editor and a writer for Garden Culture Magazine while also enjoying being a mom to her three young kids. Her interests include great food, gardening, fitness, animals, and anything outdoors.
Trending articles today
The Need to GROW: Free Viewing For A Limited Time
Foodscaping: A “New” Way To Create A Garden
Build Your Own Rainwater Collecting System
Comfrey In The Garden: A Powerful Medicinal Weed
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert in gardening and horticulture, I can provide you with information related to the concepts mentioned in this article. Growing potatoes in containers is a great way to enjoy the taste of freshly harvested potatoes, even if you have limited gardening space. Here are the key steps involved in growing potatoes in containers:
Step 1: Chitting Your Potatoes
Chitting refers to the process of allowing the seed potatoes to develop small shoots or "chits" before planting them. This helps the potatoes grow faster and leads to an earlier harvest. To chit your potatoes, place them in a sunny windowsill for a few weeks until the chits are about ¾ of an inch long.
Step 2: Cutting and Scabbing Your Potatoes
After the chitting process, you may need to cut your seed potatoes into smaller pieces for planting. The rule of thumb is that the potato pieces you plant should be no larger than a golf ball. Each piece should have a couple of chits on it. To prevent rotting, you need to scab the cut surfaces by placing the potatoes in a cool, dark place for a few days until the flesh is dry.
Step 3: Planting the Potatoes
To plant the potatoes, fill your container (such as a 5 to 10-gallon bucket) with 4-6 inches of good soil. Make sure the container has drainage holes at the bottom. Place the appropriate number of seed potatoes in the container, depending on its size (five in a 10-gallon, three in a 7-gallon, two in a 5-gallon). The potatoes should be placed with their eyes up and about 8 inches apart. Cover the potatoes with a couple of inches of soil, making sure they are not exposed to sunlight. Water the container thoroughly, ensuring that the tubers receive about an inch and a half of moisture weekly. As the plants grow, backfill the container with more soil and mulch, leaving just the tops exposed. Continue this process until the container is almost full.
Step 4: Harvesting Potatoes
The time it takes for potatoes to be ready for harvest varies depending on the type of potatoes planted. Generally, you can expect to harvest them in about 2-3 months after planting. The potatoes are ready for picking when the plants flower and then die back. At this point, you can dig up the potatoes and enjoy your homegrown harvest.
I hope this information helps you successfully grow your own potatoes in containers! Let me know if you have any further questions or need additional guidance.
Note: The information provided above is based on this article and my expertise in gardening.