a little help please..

[mrswadders]

I gave up my lottie last year so am now growing everything in the garden, now I don't want to use valuable space for spuds so am planning on using bags, I'm only looking at growing 'new' spuds, i've got some anya and a supermarket one called juliette chitting nicely. Now what i need to know is how many to a bag(thinking grow-bags)?

thanks

[Nicos]

What size are the bags mrsW?

[mrswadders]

'normal' grow bags that you'd get for toms etc

[mrswadders]

i assume i'd have to top them up with more compost?

[Nicos]

Advice from an expert!!

How to grow potatoes in a bag - Projects: Fruit and vegetables - gardenersworld.com

[mrswadders]

cheers Nicos, just what I was after

[veggiechicken]

I don't know whether this would work, but if you can upend the growbag and rest it upright on its short side; then slit open the oppsite short side, you'll have greater planting depth. Remove about half of the compost and put it aside for topping up; then roll the sides of the grow bag down to about halfway.
Of course, if you have some old compost bags they would be better as more surface area

[Doive]

You might have a better result with potato planters, depending on how much space you have. With five seed potatoes they give a very good yield.

[mrswadders]

I don't know whether this would work, but if you can upend the growbag and rest it upright on its short side; then slit open the oppsite short side, you'll have greater planting depth. Remove about half of the compost and put it aside for topping up; then roll the sides of the grow bag down to about halfway.
Of course, if you have some old compost bags they would be better as more surface area

that's what i'd thought - just wasn't sure how many spuds in each, if I used growbags I should be able to find space for about 6-7 so shoukd be able to get a decent crop I hope!

[mrswadders]

i'm sure I also saw someone on here who planted in morrisons buckets - surely they're a bit small? can anyone enlighten me. Can't believe i'm finding this so complicated, it was so much easy bunging them in the ground!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Morrisons buckets are quite useful for an early crop as you can easily move them to shelter should frost threaten. Compost about 4" deep, 1 seed per bucket. You can usually start to harvest at 9 to 10 weeks and will get a good boiling. From then on the harvest will just get bigger with every week that passes.

A couple of tips for growing in any kind of container. One, make sure you have good drainage otherwise you will get rotten spuds. Two water well, spuds are mainly water and a lack of it will lead to a poor harvest. As a guide when I know the tubers are forming I use a 2 gallon bucket 1 per dustbin this will ensure the compost is moist right down to the bottom. Three, don't forget to feed them, they are hungry plants and the MPC won't have enough nutrients to see you through the growing season.

Potty

[mrswadders]

Morrisons buckets are quite useful for an early crop as you can easily move them to shelter should frost threaten. Compost about 4" deep, 1 seed per bucket. You can usually start to harvest at 9 to 10 weeks and will get a good boiling. From then on the harvest will just get bigger with every week that passes.

A couple of tips for growing in any kind of container. One, make sure you have good drainage
otherwise you will get rotten spuds. Two water well, spuds are mainly water and a lack of it will lead to a poor harvest. As a guide when I know the tubers are forming I use a 2 gallon bucket 1 per dustbin this will ensure the compost is moist right down to the bottom. Three, don't forget to feed them, they are hungry plants and the MPC won't have enough nutrients to see you through the growing season.

Potty

many thanks potty, here speaketh the voice of experience, I'll try both ways as I already have quite a few morrisons buckets

[Kirk]

I usually grow my potatoes in containers of some sort, 3 large pots, 18" across, at present but I have 2 large tubs, 24" across, ready for this year.

Potatoes need some depth, so the growbag would be no use in it's normal position. I also suspect that the fertiliser in one is insufficent for potatoes.

If you can get a few large pots (plastic ones are fine) use them with a compost and manure mixture.

Presently Wilkinsons have nice big tubs in, but they are £10 a piece - you could get 4 or 5 anya's in one of them. May need a hole or two in one as I think they don't have any for drainage.

Check out whatever stores are around you as one may have something if you don't have anything.

[Spunky]

Mrs wadders I grew earlies in morrisons buckets last year and I'm no expert, 1 to a pot and got loads, doing the same again this year just more!

[Potstubsdustbins]

If you are going to spend £10 on a container then think......................................... dustbin. Even comes with it's own lid and it's ideal for storing compost over winter.


Potty