Potatoes in Bags?

[Dorothy rouse]

I have to get my potato order in to the allotment society next week, and wonder if anyone can recommend particular varieties that do well in bags. I tried this for the first time this year, and although not so great, much easier to cope with. So thought I'd try more next year.

Thanks

[Kristen]

I only grow First Earlies in bags, and that just to get a few weeks early crop ahead of the ones I grow outside. Yields have always been low-ish for me, in bags, and expensive with compost etc. so I'm just after early spuds for best flavour (at a time when they are expensive in the supermarket)

[Nannysally99]

We did Charlotte last year, which were lovely tasting. This year international kidney were good.
It is expensive start up wise, but our yields have been very good - due to feeding and watering well - .,
Unlike soil, it's possible to re use the compost providing you re fertilise it, so the expense lessens each year.
I'd say give it a go, we have thoroughly enjoyed them

[Chippy Minton]

Lady Christl did it for us this year, very fast maturing, got blight but the spuds were fine and very tasty. That's our choice again for next year

[Dorothy rouse]

Should have said, these will be outside. Haven't tried Lady Chrystl, so might give them a go.

I did have just a few Charlotte this year, and they were good flavour.

Must admit all I did was water, but they are v easy to look after, so thought I'd do more next year.

Thanks

[Bill HH]

I have no choice due to lack of ground space so I do all mine in 45 litre plastic containers. Rocket produce 7 lbs from one bucket but didn't inspire me taste wise. oral were much better. Planted them all early in the GH, then pushed them out to make room for the toms. I still have 4 buckets of sarpo mira growing. I put a handful of chicken manure pellets and a handful of Blood fish and bone in each container at the start.

[skeggijon]

I've planted some in potato planters bought from poundland (forgotten how much they cost ) in the polytunnel for a christmas crop. I've put a layer of well rotted horse manure in the bottom, 1/4 filled the bags with compost and planted potatoes, then I've added compost to bags to earth up as the shoots grow until bags are full. If my calculations are correct we should have homegrown potatoes for Christmas. Forgotten what variety they are - I'll update after I've been to the lotty.

[arpoet]

I grew marfona (second earlies) in tubs and they did ok. I don't have enough space to grow enough to last the winter so end up buying sack full. I then take out the tiddlers and use them for seed tatties.
I also reuse compost and mix it with rotted hos muck.

[Kristen]

Should have said, these will be outside.

If you have somewhere frost-free, a garage perhaps?, then you can grow them "early". Just keep them in the warmest place where the bags are not a nuisance until they sprout, that will kick-start them, and then bring them in on nights where frost threatens (or, if you can be bothered, on nights that are below 5C or so)

[sparrow100]

I grew 3 each of lady christl, charlotte and desiree in their own bags. Each gave about 3.5kg of spuds. I got the bags from Marshalls and will definitely be doing it again next year.

[Penellype]

I've grown Desiree, Pentland Javelin, Duke of York and Maris Bard in bags. The Maris Bard were slightly disappointing otherwise yields were ok. I wasn't keen on the flavour of either Pentland Javelin or Duke of York. I tried planting Sarpo Axona in bags in July for Christmas last year but yields and potatoes were tiny.

[Noosner]

oral were much better.

Do you mean Orla, Bill? That did make me titter!

[Noosner]

Unlike soil, it's possible to re use the compost providing you re fertilise it, so the expense lessens each year.
I'd say give it a go, we have thoroughly enjoyed them

Thanks, NS, that's a really good point. The expense has put me off in the past even though I do have 2 potato bags. I will give it a go next year after hearing about how good your spuds have been this year (to great envy as mine have all been rubbish apart from Sarpo Axona).

[Penellype]

On the subject of compost for potatoes, I did a trial this year with Pentland Javelin - 1 bag of 4 potatoes in each of 100% bought compost (Westland MPC) and 100% home made compost from my hotbin and 1 bag in home made compost consisting of a mixture of 2nd hand compost and old traditionally made compost. The MPC looked like you would expect compost to look and cost about £4, the hotbin compost looked chunky, sticky and, well, not great, but was free. The homemade stuff contained more in the way of soil and was less chunky than the hotbin stuff, again free. I stupidly forgot to count/weigh the potatoes before I started eating them, but in terms of (rough) amount and size of potato there was not a lot of difference between the bought and hotbin bags. The homemade compost definitely contained fewer potatoes. In terms of ease of dealing with them, the ones in the bought compost were slightly difficult to clean as the compost seemed to stick to them. The hotbin ones were so clean they almost looked like they didn't need washing. The homemade compost produced nearly clean potatoes. Neither of the bought or hotbin bags contained any diseased or damaged potatoes. The traditional home made compost produced several potatoes with scab and some were an odd shape (and I have previously had trouble with slugs and millipedes although not this year).

I have to say I am very impressed with the hotbin compost, which I found surprising given the appearance of the stuff!

[Kristen]

On the subject of compost for potatoes, I did a trial this year with Pentland Javelin - 1 bag of 4 potatoes in each of 100% bought compost (Westland MPC) and 100% home made compost from my hotbin and 1 bag in home made compost consisting of a mixture of 2nd hand compost and old traditionally made compost.

I've not done any comparative studies, but I plant them in MPC as I figure that the water retention / drainage properties of that are better than my homemade compost which is pretty rough stuff and plenty of soil, like yours. A Hot Bin process would produce much nicer compost.

But I earth mine up with homemade compost as I figure that that is not trying to do the same job once the spuds have "germinated" and got properly under way. I am doing that purely as an economy measure, compared with using MPC for the whole bag-fill.