Did you know you can grow potatoes in a container? It’s true! You can grow potatoes in a container and I’m going to attempt to show you how to do it with the video below. Growing potatoes in a container is ideal if you have limited gardening space like me!
Before you watch the video, I feel as though I should warn you about the lack of “greatness” to the video. I winged it the other night after Sienna had gone to bed. In other words, it’s not scripted, I didn’t fix my hair or get the leftover lasagna off my sleeve :P. And I gave some incorrect details in the video that I’ll write out correctly below the video. 🙂
There are a variety of containers you can use to grow potatoes, but I really like using a big plastic garbage can because it holds a lot. These potato grow bags also look amazing!
Here are the 10 steps to growing potatoes in a container:
- Poke or drill several holes in the bottom of the garbage can.
- Place your container in a spot that will get a lot of sun throughout the day.
- Fill the bottom of the container with about 3 inches of soil.
- Place 4 – 5 whole seed potatoes into the soil, making sure they’re evenly spaced.
- Make sure the potatoes are completely covered by about two inches of soil.
- Water the potatoes thoroughly.
- Once the plants have grown to 7-8 inches in height, pour more soil into the container. The soil level should be about three inches from the top of the plants.
- Water the plants as needed. (Everyday, unless the rain gets them good)
- Each time the plants reach 7-8 inches above the soil level, pour more soil into the container, maintaining the soil at three inches from the top of the plants.
- At the end of the season, dump out the contents of your container and dig all around the soil to get your potatoes!
Have you ever tried growing potatoes in a container?
What is the total time period from scratch to ready potatoes?
It depends on the variety of potatoes you choose to plant, but they can take anywhere from 70 – 120 days until they are ready to harvest.
Is this an organic container? as I would worry of the chemicals that possible be release on to the potatoes from the container, in the heat of summer, Would not be edible for some.
Love this! Thank you so much for the post. Do you fertilize? If so, what would work best?
Great idea on growing spuds, I’m from northern. Ireland, and this idea would save money. Instead. Of. Buying. Them. So. Thank you. Once. Again. Josh.
What was the yield?
Potting soil or garden soil?
what kind of soil? Potting or garden?
So when you say cover the growth…do you mean completely cover it with soil so that the green growth is under 3 inches of new soil? Or do you leave some of the leafy stalks exposed ?
Tanja…..you add enough soil so that it is 3 inches from the top of the plant. That is…always leave 3″ of the potato plant above soil level.
How do I know when ” Harvest time ” is?
When the leaves/vines start to die and go brown, you should be goo to harvest. Hope that helps!
What was your yield for 4 seeds in a trash can? How many pounds of potatoes did you get total? Did your potatoes ‘make’ on several different levels, or on just one level ? From experience, in the garden, I get ONE level of potatoes that begin to ‘make’ after the plant blooms. A tip: Many potato plants ALSO make seeds where the flowers once were. You can harvest these seeds after they fully mature, and plant them next year for a potato crop.
I have never grown potatoes although I grow a lot of other things. My question is what kind of yield you get from the 4 seed potatoes? How many potatoes per seed potato?
Will this work for sweet potatoes too?
Yes, this will work for sweet potatoes as well! The only difference is that once they’re ready to be pulled, you’ll have to set the sweet potatoes in a warm spot in your house for about a week so their skins can ripen and the flavor has a chance to sweeten. Hope this helps!
Oh my… it took my potatoes forever to sprout and reach 6-8″… but then!!! I was adding soil every 2-3 days! They sprouted the 10th of may… after being in the soil for about a month. They reached the top of the 55 gallon barrel on June 23rd, and today they are 6″ above the top and have flower buds. I stopped putting soil in on June 30, the top of soil is about 3 inches below the top of the barrel (garbage can). Now I guess I just be patient and see how it all worked out at harvest time!!
Well Grinderella, What was the outcome?