Question for Tattieman

[susieq100]

Have watched your videos and read the posts.
Would these do as potato bags?
Wickes Heavy Duty Woven Bags

[Snadger]

I'll leave tattieman to give a more informed answer but I would say that I tried growing spuds in white plastic buckets and the spuds round the edge turned green with the sunlight playing on the sides of the buckets! Might be the same for white bags?

[tattieman]

I have people asking me this question quite alot. The only problem with those bags could be that they are not flat bottomed and could be difficult to stand up right. At that price it would be worth a gamble. It really depends on the weave of the bag as to wether it lets the spuds go green.
Hope that helps.

[Jillyreeves]

Now tattieman has had his chance to reply I would like to add my bit :-)

When I first looked at them my first though was that they were white and could let too much light in giving you green spuds.

[zazen999]

I think they will also not hold the water or the heat that helps the potatoes grow.

[Pies]

Stick a cheapo black bin liner in job done,they will stand up no probs as I have my manure in them

[Jillyreeves]

Or old compost bags :-)

[womble]

I grew some a couple of years ago in green plastic boxes that let light through, I taped some old compost bags to the outside (black bit outside if it makes any difference) and it worked fine, until the tape holding the bags on fell off and they blew all round the garden
So if you want to do it, I suggest putting the compost bags/bin liners inside the white bags as you fill them up.

If you want to make them stand up, just lean a whole row together and anchor one end against something like a wall.

On the other hand if you have old compost bags to hand anyway, just use those

edit, oops, I should read the other answers first
Btw, the problem with those woven bags, is that when they start to "go", they very rapidly go downhill and you get bits of plastic everywhere.

[piskieinboots]

Or old compost bags :-)

yep - I've had good crops from nawt more sophisticated than a turned-inside-out (why do we do that?) old compost bag

[basketcase]

yep - I've had good crops from nawt more sophisticated than a turned-inside-out (why do we do that?) old compost bag

So it looks elegant and sophisticated? And less like a compost bag!

[Two_Sheds]

a turned-inside-out (why do we do that?) old compost bag

... because black plastic absorbs more heat than plastic with a pretty picture on it?

[basketcase]

... because black plastic absorbs more heat than plastic with a pretty picture on it?

You just had to go and get practical, didn't you?!

[Snadger]

Have a good supply of 25kg fertiser bags which are black on the inside. Wan't going to turn them inside out but black does absorb heat better and will possibly look a bit more aesthetically pleasing!

Jobs a guddon!

[susieq100]

Thanks for all the answers! I thought the 'woven' bags might be a bit more porous than the compost bags - I've got loads of those! Deffo going to try your potato sack method in the back garden around the edge of the 'flower bed' (and that is a very loose application of the term)!

[Lazgaot]

Having used old compost bags this year I'd be hard pushed to go out and buy a "potato grow bag" The only problem I had was putting in too many seed potato to start. I had tons of growth and the plants were like big sails and keps getting blown over. Next year its 3 seed tatties per bag for me. The spuds were perfect and the compost just fell off them, hardly had to wash them!