Container spuds.

[bobbin]

Last year as an inexpensive experiment I grew potatoes in bags. Well actually they were in compost and the rolled down grow bags from the £ shop. Result was so so. The best being a larger old compost bag with 3 seed spuds in it. They came out clean unblemished and delicious and quite a few! The others had some scab ( maybe from inferior compost) and produced not many potatoes. (I planted 2 to a bag on those)
My question is... Does one particular variety do better in bags than others?
What do GYO members think and any helpful advice please. I've grown them on the plot but don't want too many as they take up room.
Thank you in anticipation.

[Snadger]

I also await replies with interest. I spose the question boils down (sic) to which is the best spud for container growth?

[cariann88]

I always use to grow Maris piper potatoes in grow bags. I seem to have got a decent crop out of them.

[muddled]

I may be wrog here but I thought scab was a result of too rich rather than inferior?
Certainly my spuds get scab when I'm over generous with the manure....

Can you remember which variety of spud you used bobbin?
And was it the same variety in both bags?
Do you think yield might have been affected by space as much as compost quality?

I just read that back it sounds like a nazi interrogation! So sorry....
I ask because I am short of space and am considering growing in bags this year myself.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I tried potato bags one year and went back to my dustbins, plastic water tanks and BF buckets. I found watering, a vital part of growing spuds in containers was difficult due to the uncertain drainage. Maybe they are making better bags now because it was 9/10 years a go.

Over the years I have settled on Lady Christl for my first and second early spuds, I just leave some in longer and get nice chippers and bakers. For main crop I grow Picasso, it suits my taste buds and I find it a consistent performer with regard to yield.

As to the compost being to rich I don't think this would cause a problem. What ever compost you start of with will be dead by about week 6 and ancillary feeding will be necessary in order to get the best yield.

[Penellype]

I think conditions are probably more important than the variety. I've grown the following in bags, 3 or 4 seed potatoes to a standard potato bag:

Maris Bard - reasonable crop of very early, small tubers
Duke of York - very disappointing crop, but hot and dry summer
Pentland Javelin - decent crop but not particularly early and uninspiring taste
Charlotte - excellent crop, very nice potatoes
Desiree - excellent crop, very nice potatoes
Sarpo Mira - decent crop, not as nice as Desiree
Sarpo Axona (experimental July sowing) - poor crop of very small potatoes.

I think watering is key - potatoes have a lot of leaves and lose water quickly in hot weather. I stand my bags on shallow trays and water at least once a day in summer unless its pouring with rain. I'm fairly certain that the poor performance of Duke of York was due to inadequate watering.

My potatoes are all grown in partial to almost complete shade. The foliage grows long and spindly and falls over, but they still produce plenty of potatoes.

[arpoet]

As above... but where abouts are you? How early do your put em in? Are they chitted? Do you start em growing inside (greenhouse/shed/garage)? Do they get pleanty of light when in leaf?

[muddled]

Charlotte - excellent crop, very nice potatoes
Desiree - excellent crop, very nice potatoes

Well that's good to hear,
Charlottes are my favourites and Desiree my number three.....my second faves being pink fir apple for fat-nobbly-bobbly chips!

[Penellype]

I grew pink fir apple years ago and loved the flavour but found them too much hassle to clean and peel. I've not tried them in bags.

Still eating my Desiree main crop from 3 bags planted last year

[muddled]

Don't peel, just scrub and snap off bits growing at right angles then double fry.

So, so good (and so so bad) the best chips EVER!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Those in the Morrisons flower buckets I start out in the green house end of Feb, one seed per bucket, then move them outside when I need the space for other things, these provide my first early crop.

Those that go in the larger containers are planted at normal times and they stay put. A full 80ltr dustbin can be quite heavy.

As Penellype pointed out watering is the key, after all a spud is 80% water, so no water no spud. I water whether it has rained or not, the haulm of the plant is about the best umbrella you can find in the natural world.

However to get the best crop you will have to feed as well, the compost will be dead by about week six and the plants are going to be in the ground from 10 to 22 weeks.

The first pic is the flower buckets, followed by dustbins and finally a 50 gallon water tank.

[Dorothy rouse]

Am very tempted to try a few in the Morrison buckets, and just keep them out on the balcony here, rather than take up the Plot. I used some bags last year, and although crop not brilliant, did find then them very easy and convenient, and v clean. I also had some grown in the usual way, was intending to increase number of bags this year.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I grow all my "Tatties" in bags purely down to the amount of open ground they take up



And like Lady P n Pots as pointed out, because your growing them in a limited space, it's all about feeding n watering.



And really don't think variety matters to be honest!

I've done various, n more than happy with the results I got

.................

[Spunky]

Does the cost of filling the pots with compost ever put people off? I'm in two minds weather to fork out for 30 litre pots or just chuck them in the ground either way they'd be at the allotment

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Spunky! Recycle ya tomato grow bags from the previous season with your own home made compost! Presuming you do compost!

I like others recycle every bit of compost, grow bag n the likes I can, it just needs "Humfing" a bit!

No cost incurred!