I just found you on here. I love to garden...both vegetable and flower. I have to say I'm a big fan of repurpose, reuse, and recycle. I think potatoes would be an excellent candidate for buckets.
I just found you on here. I love to garden...both vegetable and flower. I have to say I'm a big fan of repurpose, reuse, and recycle. I think potatoes would be an excellent candidate for buckets.
Hi! Pleased to meet you!
This is my first attempt after a few years off dealing with health issues. Finally feeling feisty enough to tackle it.
I've tried potatoes in the past, but tried to use a straw bale method. Not so good results. Maybe I'll try them next year if I'm adventurous. A new friend, @amberyooper, is growing them in his garden. He's also got a greenhouse that I'm jealous of.
Fingers crossed...
I'm doing the trash bag method in my garden. I took regular black kitchen bags, cut a bunch of holes in the bottom. I rolled the sides down...kinda like when you put a sock on. Filled with a few inches of compost and peat then put 3 pieces of seed potato in and covered them with a few inches.
Your supposed to keep covering the plant as it grows with more soup mix and roll up the side of the bag.
I have six white and six red potatoes.
That's the method that seemed most doable after my previous debacle. If I get the firepit area completed soon, I may have time to try it yet this year. Potatoes are my absolute favorite veggie. It's very tempting!
Thanks for the mention, aunty! :-)
One method that I've seen for growing potatoes in a small space is using a tote with drainage holes in the bottom, starting with about 3-4 inches of dirt in the botom, and adding dirt as the potatoes grow to cover the main stem as it grows.
You could also build a series of 2 foot by 2 foot box sides, like a raised bed, and stack them as the potatoes grow, to hold the dirt that you add as the plants grow. You don't want to plant too many seed potato chunks in a small space, you don't want them to crowd each other out. I would say 4 in a 2X2 space or 2-3 in an average size tote, like an 18 gallon. Try to get heavy duty totes, they're more expensive, but they won't split with the weight of a load of wet dirt.
That would take care of the grub and slug problem I had last time I attempted them. I'm thinking the trashbag method (contractor heavy-duty, maybe doubled) would be a good test run. If that works, then the bins would be a good second, more permanent, solution.
So many options! I'd forgotten how much fun this can be!