Container Potato Growing

[Alan G]

I've just bought a collapsible bucket for £3 from a local DIY shop.

Similar design to this:

http://www.focusdiy.co.uk/invt/184372


Its about 45cms wide by 60cms deep.

Made of what seems to be a reasonably durable, quite thick polythene- it flattens down when not in use as well which is a bonus.

Never grown spuds before but I'll be giving them a go in this, this year - reckoning on 3 or 4 seed potatoes in this contraption and see how it goes.

Hoping they work.

Will try the inside out compost bag approach as well in case the above doesn't work.

[gingerneil]

I'll be planting mine in T&M potato grow sacks, using fresh compost and some well rotted horse manure. My questions are: how much manure should I use in the compost - is there a suggested ratio? Also, if using manure, do I need additional potato fertilizer, and if so, when should I add this?
Or should I use the manure elsewhere and use bought tatty fertilizer?

[Prozac]

I have access to stackable pallet frames....can't think of any other way of describing them.... they're quite big and I usually use them for compost heaps for which they are brilliant.
I reckon they'd be great for spuds.
I'm planning on using an existing compost heap as a basis for my potato container.... I'll empty the heap into another new heap and plant several chitted tubers in the bottom frame and then just add more frames as they grow.

I've gone for Pink Fir Apple for the containers and Rooster as a maincrop.
Neither have arrived yet.... not sure when to expect the tbh.....

[gojiberry]

Hi Gingerneil I would just use the potato fertilizer in your sacks and use the manure elsewhere. I get good results in the sacks and usually just use a handful of chicken pellets about half way up the earthing up. My first batch of spuds are through and providing I can keep the frost at bay should be ready about end of March to mid April. (fingers crossed)


Ian

[Two_Sheds]

I've just harvested my Charlottes, one seed grown in a Morrisons bucket: a grand total of 4 spuds (left side of the photo)

The middle spuds are Charlottes grown in the ground: larger, and more of them, but scabby. The ones on the right are Kestrel

[gingernuts]

Help! First time that I have grown potatoes. I have several potato bags and some compost bags inside out. I am growing Winston, Anya and Ratte, the plants are huge and all bags now filled to the top with earth but though lots of foliage still no flowers. should I wait or start looking for my spuds.

[sewer rat]

Just wait - as long as the tops . haulms / shaws (call them what you want) are healthy, leave well alone - your tatties will continue to grow and get larger. You can have a quick look / feel when they flower or just wait til the top growth starts to die back.

[Potstubsdustbins]

GN if you could pop your location in your profile it will help when giving advice.

Flowers on spuds have very little to do with whether the tubers are ready for harvest, timing is usually more reliable.

All three varieties you have are early spuds so anywhere between 10 to 14 weeks dependent on the weather.

Ratte are a smallish spud anyway so don't go looking for monsters.

By the way welcome to the site Colin

[Potstubsdustbins]

I have just harvested a bucket of Accord. Planted 2 sets in a true 20ltr container and thought you may be interested in the result. Still lots of little tubers so hoping the yeild on my last two buckets will be even better

Did give them a nice clean before I took the picce though.

Colin