Potato question

[Bill HH]

When growing potatoes in containers does anyone use gravel or broken pots in the bottom as drainage? I was taught to always do this when potting plants yet no one seems to bother where potatoes are concerned. I have seen a u tube vid where the guy put rocks or gravel in the bottom then a layer of weed suppresing mat, is he wasting his time?

A secondary question, in my compost bins I have hundreds of potato sprouts from the peeling I have put it, would these make viable plants? I am not proposing to use these but if a peeling can produce a plant you could drasticly cut seed costs by getting maybe 10 plants from one seed potato. I know people cut spuds in half but peelings seems a bit extreme. I suppose the question is how much nutrition does the sprout get from the original seed potatoe as opposed to the surrounding soil.

I have bought a load of 45 litre containers this year, I used bags last year and found them difficult to use, messy to look at and harder to move about.

[Thelma Sanders]

During the war when there was a shortage of seed, Dad said he grew all his potatoes from peelings

[Potstubsdustbins]

I know people who grow from peelings and others who quarter their seed spuds. They tell me they get a good crop but then again they would wouldn't they.

As to drainage gravel I have never used this in my bins or Morrison's black pots but I do have 4 or 5 drainage holes in each one just in case one gets blocked. It has not happened yet but you never know, so better safe than sorry.

I water heavily whilst the tubers are forming and can usually see water running from the bottom of the bin, telling me things are OK.

Potty

[Dorothy rouse]

Some of my peelings 'sprouted' and grew leaves,but there were no potatoes, so I wouldn't risk it.

[marchogaeth]

I heard or read (sorry to be vague) that scientists have now shown that drainage materials can actually make things worse because water has trouble moving from compost to gravel if the change is abrupt. The advice concluded with the statement that it was better to fill your pots with growing compost and then to stand the pots on feet so that water could run out if the pot was over watered. I haven't put anything other than compost in pots or bags since.

Growing from peelings, can be done but the plants are less robust and more prone to fader and die. If VC is reading this, there was a whole thread about it a while back that she prompted by growing some potato sprouts, maybe she could post the link if you are interested.

[Bill HH]

I heard or read (sorry to be vague) that scientists have now shown that drainage materials can actually make things worse because water has trouble moving from compost to gravel if the change is abrupt. The advice concluded with the statement that it was better to fill your pots with growing compost and then to stand the pots on feet so that water could run out if the pot was over watered. I haven't put anything other than compost in pots or bags since.

Growing from peelings, can be done but the plants are less robust and more prone to fader and die. If VC is reading this, there was a whole thread about it a while back that she prompted by growing some potato sprouts, maybe she could post the link if you are interested.

Last year I stood all my containers on some old wooden ladders to keep them off the ground, and yes if VC has time i would like that link,

[polc1410]

My understanding is that the tuber is the source of 'energy' for the plant until it gets its shoots above the light. So while you can get viable plant from a part seed or even a peeling it may need to be nearer the surface and may object to earthing up by covering the whole shoot.

Other Half's Dad swears by cutting his seeds in half. But he also swears by using Asda Whoopsed Spuds as his seeds... to the extent you'd think if there wasn't a yellow sticker on it it wont grow!

I've never put gravel in my bags but I'm not yet convinced that bags are any better than soil for me.

[Bill HH]

My understanding is that the tuber is the source of 'energy' for the plant until it gets its shoots above the light. So while you can get viable plant from a part seed or even a peeling it may need to be nearer the surface and may object to earthing up by covering the whole shoot.

Other Half's Dad swears by cutting his seeds in half. But he also swears by using Asda Whoopsed Spuds as his seeds... to the extent you'd think if there wasn't a yellow sticker on it it wont grow!

I've never put gravel in my bags but I'm not yet convinced that bags are any better than soil for me.

I am pretty convinced containers are not any better for yield but they have so many other advantages, easy to move around (into or out of a GH) possibly more isolated from diseases,pests etc, much easier to harvest, and they can be grown on patios or concrete releasing other ground for other plants (A big consideration for me).

[Bren In Pots]

I stopped using crocks in my pots because they were just a comfy home for slugs.

[veggiechicken]

Growing from peelings, can be done but the plants are less robust and more prone to fader and die. If VC is reading this, there was a whole thread about it a while back that she prompted by growing some potato sprouts, maybe she could post the link if you are interested.

This is it, I think!! http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ots_63073.html
I did pot them up and grow them on and there were little baby potatoes as a reward. Worth doing for a bit of fun but not if you want a plate of chips

[Penellype]

I tend to agree that potatoes grown from peelings would be likely to be weak and produce a very light crop.I've found this with the very small potatoes that sometimes get left behind and grow the following year - if you leave them you get very little from them and risk perpetuating or spreading disease.

I don't put crocks or gravel in for my potatoes, and I agree that they can just be a home for slugs. I would put some in perhaps if a pot had large holes, as this could prevent the compost from washing out. I tend to stand my pots/bags in water trays in the summer to keep them damp (and bale them out if it rains hard), and lift them onto pot feet or bricks in winter to keep them off the ground and out of lakes.

[out in the cold]

FWIW, we grew very nice spuds in the plastic grow sacks you get from the pound shop last year. Got better results than the previous year when we tried growing in raised beds (much higher yield)

[Bill HH]

FWIW, we grew very nice spuds in the plastic grow sacks you get from the pound shop last year. Got better results than the previous year when we tried growing in raised beds (much higher yield)

Yes I dont dispute the yields can be good, but I have my veg patch in my garden and it has to look reasonably tidy, my wife thought bags flapping about looked a mess and advised me that is I did it again I would be needing to grow nuts rather than spuds, so i am going for 45lt containers this year.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Walnuts or Hazel Bill?

If you need to buy more containers think of plastic dustbins, they give you lid as frost protection and are good for storing compost over the winter.

Potty

[Bill HH]

Walnuts or Hazel Bill?

If you need to buy more containers think of plastic dustbins, they give you lid as frost protection and are good for storing compost over the winter.

Potty

More like monkey nuts i think,

Good idea about the plastic dustbins, I am quite impressed with these 45 lt containers though cos they are sturdy with haldles and only about a fiver each, but i can see dustbins might have more varied uses. i will have to put it to my wife when she convienes the next planning meeting.