potatoes/beginner

[redkoatz]

I am keen to start trying to grow my own food.
I have done some research but want some kind of tutorial or somewhere I can come if I'm,stuck.

Just to start out with this upcoming spring I want to try something small, and if it works out ill plant in the summer.
It seems I can plant potatoes in a container?? I heard if someone planting inns tyre.
How would I,start?,what kind if soil, how to test the ph level , detect pets ? Organic type pest killers ?

[Snadger]

Dig a hole 6 inches deep, stick a potato in it in the spring, cover it with soil and it will grow and give yopu a decent crop. Simples!

[Lumpy]

Firstly, hello and welcome to the Vine as you have come to just the right place to find out all the info you will need to get started.

I grow Charlotte's in large buckets - 3 in each but in smaller, normal sized you can put 1 tattie in.
I grow them in Multi Purpose Compost (MFP).
I don't check the pH level.
Slugs can be a problem but beer traps, orange skins (turned to look like an igloo), sheeps wool etc there are loads of ways - I do a 3 times a night slug hunt with a head torch, bucket of very salty water and a pair of pound shop tongs.

The idea in tyres is to fill the bottom tyre with MPC - put your seed tatties on it then put the 2nd tyre on and fill with MPC. As the growth appears add another tyre and fill again.

[Lumpy]

p.s don't forget that in 2-3 months you can get potato grow bags from the pound shops as well as seed potatoes.

I would recommend having a go at first or second earlies as they are ready before the main blight season gets underway.

[Kirk]

In containers is "easy".
I use a large plastic pot - any that I picked up in special offers. Mine are around the 20/22/24 inch diameter area, tend to be similar depth.
I use a mix of 50/50 cheap compost and manure, mix well, fill about 1/3 of the container, put in 3 or 4 seed potato's and then fill to the top with the rest of the mix. Pat down a bit and water.

That is about it. I do tend to plant the salad varieties, Anya or Pink Fir Apple, not the larger main crop varieties.

Most successful way I have found of growing the things.

Pots do not need to be plant pots specifically, 2 of the best I hae were round storage containers that just did not sell so they went on sale at £2 each, they are excellent and a good 70cm across and they have handles.

As to the rest - ph, soild, pests don't worry. Although the adverts may say otherwise there is not a lot you can do. As far as potato's in containers go never had a problem. Soild type and ph is what you mix, and never had a pest.

For soil about the best advice is dig it over a few times, add manure, dig it again. Garden soil is full of good things and not so good things. You cannot remove one without the other and destroying the balance. Find that the best is to minimise damage.

My "biggest" pest is a squirrel that bury's his nuts and things in my patch. Garden centres do not have much for one of them. And definately nothing organic. A water gun from Toy R Us is useful however.

[Penellype]

Hi Redkoatz, welcome to the vine. It would help us to advise you if you put your location in your profile.

Potatoes are easy to grow in containers as long as you keep them well watered. Personally I find growing them in large (30 litre) buckets works best. When the potatoes are ready you can just tip the whole lot onto a tarpaulin and pick out the potatoes - no digging required. I grow mine in home made or previously used compost with some blood, fish and bone fertilizer, or in new multipurpose compost. Pests are not much of a problem, the biggest issue is likely to be diseases such as blight. How likely you are to suffer from this depends on your location. There are blight resistant varieties which usually begin with Sarpo which you can grow if blight is a real problem in your area.

[redkoatz]

Im glad to see the activity here ,as if I have a question I can. Get a quick answer.
Let me see if I get this straight.

I need to get ( first)
1. Proper soil ? From where ? Garden centre ?,Amazon ? What do I ask for , can you show me ?

2. I need a counter ,what size ? A barrel , or tyre size ?

3. What kind of potatoes are organic , good for say mash , or jacket potatoes, taste nice, are resistant to germs etc. Where to get them ? Show online please. So I know what to put on my list etc I don't want to just get whatever carp they are selling off cheap

4. And importantly, for self sufficiency If I grow potatoes how can I store them over winter and replant in spring ? I heard from a man I have to store them carefully and prepare them in the spring before planting , something about keeping them in a dark cool, frost free dry environment?
Please elaborate , I was confused.

Supposedly if I get a grow bag I don't need to get a container or soil ? Sounds easy

Are there other resources online I can read up on about potatoe types etc ?

Thanks

[redkoatz]

Im glad to see the activity here ,as if I have a question I can. Get a quick answer.
Let me see if I get this straight.

I need to get ( first)
1. Proper soil ? From where ? Garden centre ?,Amazon ? What do I ask for , can you show me ?

2. I need a counter ,what size ? A barrel , or tyre size ?

3. What kind of potatoes are organic , good for say mash , or jacket potatoes, taste nice, are resistant to germs etc. Where to get them ? Show online please. So I know what to put on my list etc I don't want to just get whatever carp they are selling off cheap

4. And importantly, for self sufficiency If I grow potatoes how can I store them over winter and replant in spring ? I heard from a man I have to store them carefully and prepare them in the spring before planting , something about keeping them in a dark cool, frost free dry environment?
Please elaborate , I was confused.

Supposedly if I get a grow bag I don't need to get a container or soil ? Sounds easy

Are there other resources online I can read up on about potatoe types etc ?

Thanks

S,e Wales

( don't have permission to edit profile)

[veggiechicken]

Hello and welcome to the Forum
There's a usefull guide to growing potatoes at Growing Potatoes | How To Grow | Planting | When To Plant | Blight | Sweet
You need to give us a bit more information before we can answer some of your questions - like do you have a garden and do you live in the UK?

EDIT - You've just posted that you're in SE Wales - as I am! Croeso

[Penellype]

Im glad to see the activity here ,as if I have a question I can. Get a quick answer.
Let me see if I get this straight.

I need to get ( first)
1. Proper soil ? From where ? Garden centre ?,Amazon ? What do I ask for , can you show me ?

2. I need a counter ,what size ? A barrel , or tyre size ?

3. What kind of potatoes are organic , good for say mash , or jacket potatoes, taste nice, are resistant to germs etc. Where to get them ? Show online please. So I know what to put on my list etc I don't want to just get whatever carp they are selling off cheap

4. And importantly, for self sufficiency If I grow potatoes how can I store them over winter and replant in spring ? I heard from a man I have to store them carefully and prepare them in the spring before planting , something about keeping them in a dark cool, frost free dry environment?
Please elaborate , I was confused.

Supposedly if I get a grow bag I don't need to get a container or soil ? Sounds easy

Are there other resources online I can read up on about potatoe types etc ?

Thanks

1. potatoes will grow in just about any sort of soil, but will need feeding occasionally for a good crop. If you don't have home made compost and want to use a container, buy some multipurpose compost. This usually has enough feed for about 6 weeks. You can then feed with tomato feed that you can easily buy.

2. I allow 1 seed potato to about 10 litres of compost, so the minimum container size would be 10 litres. A barrel or tyre would take several potato plants, but you would need at least 2 tyres depth otherwise you might find the potatoes forming on the surface and they would then go green and inedible.

3. There are a huge number of potato varieties, all with their own characteristics. See Varieties for a list of what these are. The best way to go about this is to find out what you can easily buy and then decide which varieties will meet your needs. I grow Lady Christl which is a nice tasting early new potato, Charlotte, which is a slightly later new potato, Desiree for mash and chips and Sarpo Mira, which is blight resistant and makes nice big baking potatoes, but has a less good flavour than Desiree. All of these are widely available. As for organic, you would have to look for seed potatoes that were labelled organic - this would limit your choice of varieties.

4. Early potatoes do not store well and are best eaten within a couple of months of harvest (preferably straight away when they are at their best). Maincrop potatoes should store into the new year if kept in a cool, dry, dark place - thick paper sacks are good, but will start to sprout by spring. Some sprout earlier than others - Sarpo Mira keep best of the ones I grow. Mashed potato freezes well and I use this to tide me over until the new potatoes are ready in early summer. You can keep and plant your own but you risk building up diseases that potatoes are prone to. It is best to buy in certified disease free seed potatoes each year. Much is often made of "chitting" seed potatoes. This means laying them out in trays in a light place and allowing the tubers to sprout. Potatoes will grow if you just shove the tuber into the ground, but for early crops chitting them gives them a head start over tubers planted straight into cold soil.

Potato bags are plastic sacks with flat bottoms and handles on that are big enough to grow 3 potato plants in. You would need to fill them with compost.

[redkoatz]

Hi : )
Thanks.
So replanting creates blight ? But the main crop one you mentioned is blight resistant and good for jacket potatoes , and store longer ? Ill probably go with those

[BUFFS]

If you decide on containers,the bigger the better, and make sure that there are drainage holes in the bottom or you will drown your tatties..

[Bigmallly]

Hi : )
Thanks.
So replanting creates blight ? But the main crop one you mentioned is blight resistant and good for jacket potatoes , and store longer ? Ill probably go with those

Hello RK & welcome to the Jungle.
You do not re-plant potatoes, once in the ground they stay there but you must keep covering the leaves with compost/soil while ever there is a threat of frost or it will kill the leaves. They will grow back but it will knock them back a few weeks.
Blight is caused by weather conditions & usually affects late varieties, as has been mentioned there are blight resistant varieties which can still get blight but are less prone to it. Keep asking questions and you will always get an answer.
Potatoes come in 3 categories..........1st Earlies, 2nd Earlies & Maincrop. All can be planted at the same time but are harvested at different times..........1st earlies after about 10-12 weeks, 2nd earlies about 14-16 weeks & maincrop about 18-20 weeks.

BBC - Gardening - Gardening Guides - Techniques - Growing potatoes

[Penellype]

Hi : )
Thanks.
So replanting creates blight ? But the main crop one you mentioned is blight resistant and good for jacket potatoes , and store longer ? Ill probably go with those

Replanting doesn't create blight, but blight is a fungus which overwinters as spores which can only live on living potato or related (eg tomato) plant material. As blight is very common, saving your own potatoes to plant next year risks spreading it. Stray potatoes left in the soil are the main way in which blight overwinters.

Sarpo Mira is a decent potato, if a bit floury and not as good flavour as some. It is certainly worth trying.

[redkoatz]

Im getting very useful information here.
So if I grow in containers it's probably actually better, because I can sieve the soil,to easily dig out ( all ) the potatoes and not leave stray ones in causing blight , plus it seems easier than digging. I gather these grow bags make removing the soil easy.

For replenishing the soil for next year , do I need to wait 4 years and cycle different soil each year, or do I put rotten organic material in the soil. ( or both) btw doesn't rotting organic material also harvest blight ?

And when I gather the potatoes ( after reading the useful gude ) I wasnt entirely sure what was meant by using the bad tubers right away and leaving the rest to dry on the soil ?
I'm a bit hazy on the process of storing potatoes until next year, I understand it has to be light and frost free, but how strict is 7 degrees ? With the thermostat on I think over winter even in the coolest place it'll be 20. Also I heard from another site which I can't remember because it was 6 months ago., that in ww2 they cut potatoes in half , waited for a callous to form , which meant the skin went hard then they can be planted in halves ? This seems cool,as one potato can be two pants? Want to confirm/ clarify ?