Potatoes in pots - flower buckets or buckets?

[Storming Norman]

Hi all,

Can I have your input please?

I have been able to get my hands on Free flower buckets from Asda this week but I'm not sure how much use they are for potatoes. Will they do? How many seed pots to a flower bucket?

At the same time I noticed they were selling big 3 gallon black buckets [nice & strong] for 50p [with handles].

I need to plant a fair number of my pots in containers this year and have given up on the plastic bag idea and being too flimsy to move them around.

Would it be sensible/an investment to buy to the buckets?

How have you got on with these? Thanks.

Ann

[crichmond]

I grow mine in those big yellow builders tubs with holes drilled in the bottom and around the side at the bottom, this has worked well for me for the past 2 years.

[shirlthegirl43]

I use the flower buckets, drill holes in the bottom and plant one seed spud per bucket. Obviously you don't get the worlds biggest crop but it works okay.

[nilling]

Last year I used the square flower buckets from Tesco - they have a handles in the rim so you can move them, not that you would want to when they filled up. I put a series of holes around the sides about 1" up and filled this with stones - this should ensure that rain water collects at the bottom and the pot does not dry out. Last year I put 3 seed pots but will try putting only 2 in this year. The rest I'm going to plant in the ground.

[Sanjo]

If they are the size bucket that you would use to wash the car then 50p is a bargain. Cheapest locally is Tesco and B & Q which are 98/99p. B & Q Builders buckets, which are a tad bigger, are £1.98 but very strong. I shall be putting 2 spuds per builder bucket.

[snakeshack]

anyone tried the blue woven bags from ikea they are only 25p and are bigger than builders buckets