Potato growing bags

[sewer rat]

Nick
You've been warned already about making me jealous. Seed tatties up here have only just started chitting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rat

[hils]

grow bag tatties

A few years ago I grew tatties in growbags; very tasty charlotte's
1 growbag = 2 tattie containers.

Divide compost in two and push to each end of the bag. Chop through the middle of the bag, stand each half on end, poke a few drainage holes in bottom. Plunge a couple of tatties in the bottom of the half bag, water well and top up with fresh compost if necessary.

You may ask why use an expensive grow bag? They were going seriously cheaply (<1£) at local superstore.

[jimbo]

before my allotment days i grew spuds in buckets, large pots and eventually bags to supplement a small garden. used them like potato barrel and got decent crops, very clean. can't lose the habit but no offer to give away surplus 'home grown' has ever been refused.
jimbo.

[andrewo]

The great things about container growing potatoes is the lack of slug damage, of course they need more water but the great thing is you know when you've given them enough as it comes out of the drainage holes.

[pigletwillie]

I can get an inexhaustable supply of 25 litre plastic oil barrels from work that come with handles. I just cut the top out, add a few drainage holes and plant 1 or 2 tubers per barrel.

Most of my main crop are planted on the plot but I try half a dozen new varieties each year to see if we like any of them more than what we currently grow.

The crops are always damage free and very clean. An added bonus is that the barrels can be moved easily with the handle. I also use them for very early crops by starting them off in a greenhouse and bringing them out later.
They are also cracking for carrots etc.

As they are very durable they last for years.

[nick the grief]

a little bit of fragrance clings to the hand that shovels muck as well PW

Most of the serious show groweres use barrels & the like for the very reason of damage & pest problems plus its hard to dig the beds for a 4foot long Parsnip

[bramble]

Potatoes in barrels

Hi pigletwillie,
I have a couple of half barrels that used to have shrubs i and are currently empty. Can you tell me how many seed spuds to put in and what variety of carrot you grow in the barrell. Are they the long rooted ones or the stumpy ones.?

[pigletwillie]

Hi Bramble,

the barrels are 25 litres in capacity and I put a couple of tubers in, if your barrels are wider you can plant more, they never quite run out of room. As for the carrots, I just boadcast over the top and eat thinnings as I go. I generally grow chanteray style carrots in my raised beds but the barrels are ideal for the longer rooted varieties of which to be honest I cannot taste the difference between (they all taste good). I will sow any that come to hand or I buy when out.

[bramble]

Hi Pigletwillie,
Thanks for the advice, will try that. Regards, Gabrielle.

[JennieAtkinson]

My potato pots have not turned up (apprarently I ordered something else by mistake ) Obviously yet another senior moment ...... anyway .......... I now have a few empty 80 litre compost bags - are these too big? for about 4/5 tubers?

[Jaxom]

Jennie, 80 litre compost bags would be ideal. Just turn the bags inside out and the black side will be on the outside so that they warm up and look a lot nicer too. Roll down the tops like a sock and plant up, then as the shoots grow just unroll the sides and fill with earth/compost.
Jax

[JennieAtkinson]

I was so hoping someone would say that, so thanks Jaxom, as today I went out and bought another bag of seed tatties - charlotte - all I could get, so am going to give it a go.

I also like your idea Hils with the cheap grow bags, Somerfield are selling them for 99p, but they are so thin, I wasn't going to bother, but great idea for tattie bags!

[sewer rat]

Jennie
I'm sure a lot of your local farmers / crofters will have empty buckets that used to contain mineral supplements or sheep raddle (marker dye) - I am growing my tatties in these - they are about 21 litres capacity and would just end up in landfill sites.
However, ironically enough, the majority of my tattie buckets used to contain RAT POISON

[Jaxom]

However, ironically enough, the majority of my tattie buckets used to contain RAT POISON

Rat I hope you gave them a real good scrub and then for peace of mind a second one! You are the one Rat we would like to keep round.
Jax

[Amanda1]

I think I over ordered on my seed potatoes as I have 80 (4 diff varieties). I was planning on planting in 10 litre bags (one tuber per bag) but I'm concerned about how much this will cost. These look like turning out to be the most expensive potatoes I will ever eat - that's if they grow!