Potatoes in a dustbin

[Sportball]

Hello,

i was told that you can grow potatoes in a pot simply by cutting up some old potatoes and planting them 2ft deep in soil. I did this a few months back and had a huge plant grow up. Unfortunately the stalks broke alot.

After it got 2ft tool i dug them up but the potatoes where tiny.

Did i harvest too early or put too many in the dustbin (we planted 4-5)

Many thanks

[Two_Sheds]

Um.
1) You can plant any old spuds, but proper seed potatoes are certified virus free.
2) you plant the seed potato about 5 inches deep; 2 foot is a bit excessive
3) first earlies take about 3 months to produce good size spuds (depending on conditions)
4) a potato plant need about 12-15 inches of room, ie plant your seed potatoes 12 inches apart from each other
5) here's some good advice: Royal Horticultural Society - Advice: Planting Potatoes in Containers

[Alice]

I don't think cutting up bits of potato works well Sportball. That was the desperation measure of a starving population who couldn't afford to plant a whole potato.
You will get much better results by planting whole potatoes.
I tried growing in a dustbin and in buckets. The result from the dustbin was disappointing compared with the buckets for the amount of compost used. I stick to the buckets now with good results. See below.

[Skotch]

Hello,

i was told that you can grow potatoes in a pot simply by cutting up some old potatoes and planting them 2ft deep in soil. I did this a few months back and had a huge plant grow up. Unfortunately the stalks broke alot.

After it got 2ft tool i dug them up but the potatoes where tiny.

Did i harvest too early or put too many in the dustbin (we planted 4-5)

Many thanks

I think this is a major problem not really highlighted by all the publications that espouse growing in pots - if you use compost, you will have a LOT of green growth as it is too nitrogen rich.

I grow mine in bags which are 2/3 soil and 1/3 compost, with occasional addition of chicken manure pellets which have been dissolved in water - and have had fantastic results

Skotch

[markwcel]

saying that i grow in sacks of compost and dont get too much green growth..i plant 3" deep and top up as they grow even adding grass cuttings for extra nitrogen...always plenty of taties at the end