potato tubs/ barrells - advice please

[snake the squadie]

i use both tyres and old dustbins but prefer the tyres. with the bins i put abot 6" of compost in the bottom then place the spuds on top then cover with compost. then as the stems/leaves start to appear i just cover with soil and keep doing this until the bin is full. i do the same with the tyres but i just keep stacking them up then when it comes to harvest i just unstack them one at a time as and when i need the spuds

[NSB]

Mat and Alice fantastic advice. Mat Can I ask is it better for the potatoes to be moist in the compact soil rather than dry?

Cant believe my original question has come up with so much advice and experiences THANKS V MUCH

[mat]

Try never to let them dry out, NSB; provided you've got good drainage in the container (a few inches of crocks at the bottom isn't a bad idea, along with lots of drilled holes) then I would prefer to keep them slightly on the damp side rather than dry. Too wet of course and they'll rot, or run out of oxygen in the soil; but I have had scab on them before from the compost drying out.

Good drainage, regular plentiful watering - that's the ideal!

[moggssue]

Thanks for some excellent advice Mat. I had a decent crop from my containers but now think I should have watered more. i didnt bother when it rained, but thinking back, you're absolutely right about the foliage getting in the way of the rain - I shall remember next year! And this, with my experimental christmas spuds!

[mat]

Good luck with the xmas spuds. For years, I couldn't figure out why they're sold as xmas potatoes, when they actually come ready in October or November ...

Well, I never pretended to be quick! But last year I finally found out how to do it: when the foliage dies on my xmas spud pots, in the autumn, I cut it back, and then cover the pots in fleece, and either move them into the cold greenhouse, or leave them on the patio and hope for the best, and then with luck (it worked perfectly last year, anyway) the potatoes were in perfect condition when I emptied the pots on Boxing Day.

[angie a]

I've never had a decent crop from my potato barrell, despite careful watering etc. Might give the cardboard box a try next year instead. My veg plot's only 12sq ft so can't afford to take up the space with potatoes.

[nick the grief]

I do the same as you Alice if they are in tubs as they are at home not up the lottie. But as a rule I wouldn't use shop bought ones in the ground.

[Marthaclematis]

Hi there, I'm going to grow some first earlies in a big tub this year and they're chitting as we speak. I have been reading what I can and have found much advice on this site but I don't understand - at which point do you stop covering the green shoots with more compost? What should be the distance between the planted seed and the top of the bin / bucket / grow-bag? Thanks.

[smallblueplanet]

Here's some advice with pictures Martha.

Royal Horticultural Society - Advice: Planting Potatoes in Containers