Potatoes in pots

[Kimbo]

Last weekend I got my charlotte, pentland javelin, pink fir apple and maris piper potatoes into pots. The weekend before I did my arran pilot. The pots are now looking very dry with all the warm weather we have had - should I water them?

[Grandpadragon]

I would and have! Pots dry out quicker than odinary beds.

[Alice]

Yes, keep them well watered at all times Kimbo. I planted my Charlotte in buckets in January and here they are.

[Paulottie]

My late neighbour (well in his 90's when he went) was an expert at early crops in buckets. He used a compost/ leafmould/sand mix. and had a knack of sliding the pot contents onto plastic sheet and picking out the best few without disturbing the rest when replacing it. I believe he used Suttons foremost.

All plants need water but in ratio to the amount of leaf they have ...and lots when the roots are swelling.

In my opinion, unless this is a space issue, it is only really worth doing to get an early or xmas crop. I'm not sure i'd bother with a maincrop like p.fir apple or maris piper where the yields are going to be so reduced when spuds are so cheap.

Charlottes are looking good Alice -do you bring them in; or cover them up at night?

[bramble]

Alice, they're looking really healthy. Mine went in latwe this year so am playing catchup at the moment.

[Alice]

Hello Paul, no I don't take the potatoes in at night. They've always been outdoors - but it is a sheltered, south facing spot. Once the shaws are up I cover them with fleece at night if it's predicted to be cold.

Hope your potatoes do well Bramble.

[KayJay]

Hi everyone
I'm new to growing potatoes and other veg in general. Mine are in containers and the shoots are just beginning to show. Do I cover up the shoots or just earth up around them?
Thanks for any feedback
KayJay

[TonyF]

First spuds starting to show through the soil in the first of my tubs - it was a bag of freebies that I got when I bought some other spuds and jerusalem artichokes.

Excellent!

[Alice]

Hello KayJay and welcome to the Vine. If your potato containers are full of compost with shoots showing out the top, then you don't need to do anything. If the containers are not full, with shoots showing through the compost, then add more compost, just leaving the tips of the shoots showing. Keep doing this until the containers are nearly full to the top (leave a space at the top for watering). Hope this makes sense. Hope your potatoes do really well.

[Protea]

noticed yesterday the first shoots of my Kestrel potatoes in bags were starting to peek through! hurrah! covered them with a bit more compost. Having to keep them quite well watered as the bags are in a sunny patch on the garden path and with the sunny weather we've been having they've been drying out quite quickly.

[berksmike]

How many seed potatoes do grapes plant per pot?
I've got some 100L tree pots... Was thinking about 5 or 6 in each

[LaurenGrows]

BerksMike,
Maybe this link will give you some idea. I plant ONE potato seed in a 60 litre pot. If the 100 litre pot were mine, I would use three seed potatoes...Lauren

http://www.hartcanna.com/pots.htm

[Leeder]

Hi Alice,

Your spuds are looking great. I just wanted to ask if that is B&Q orange buckets that they are in?

As it looks like it and I have read a few people suggest these as a suitable container to grow potatoes in. However looking at the size of the buckets at B&Q yesterday I was a bit concerned they were too small and therefore wouldn't provide much yield.

[nick the grief]

Struth Lauren, I put 3 in a 25L pot!!! and 1 in a 12L polypot so I would have thought 6 would be fine. It'll cost you in compost though (unless you use homemade) most bags are 60ltr these days.

[shirlthegirl43]

I put one spud in a 10 litre pot