The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: ellied on April 08, 2011, 08:18:56 pm
-
I had a real problem getting rid of tiny potatoes after cropping them so didn't grow any the past couple of years but I have some chitted and ready to go and thought I'd put them in bags rather than the beds to see how that works..
Any advice on how to keep the bag - I have rolled down the top and put well rotted manure at the base then topsoil before the seed potatoes and put 4 to a bag tho that might work out too cramped I don't have many bags.. Was thinking I'd add more to the top as they grow to mimic rowing up, and water regularly but I'm not sure how much watering it'll need compared to bed grown, might dry out quicker but I don't want to waterlog them either ???
Has anyone bag grown potatoes and got tips?
-
It's really a case of suck it and see with bags and watering. I used the builders type bags last year, quite successful till the bad weather came and i didn't get out to harvest them - they got really wet and rotted.
-
give them a good soaking now and then dont water them again till you see green poking up. then water regularly - you cant drown them cos the excess will just run out the bag (assuming you've put drainiage holes in?).
keep earthing up when the green haulms show, till your bag is full.
you can furtle around once you think they are ready (are the earlies) and if you like the size of them, then they are ready!!
-
With hindsight I think the big dumpy bags are too big. I couldn't really rake around tro see what I'd got.
-
I'm doing a trial on growing :spud: in bags this year, but the local stores were out of stock when I was ready to plant. So I have planted-up some old wild bird seed bags (weaved plastic type with holes punched in the bottom) with the tops rolled down - manure & multi-purpose compost, will top-up the level as the shoots grow thro.
I then noticed that Morrisons had some reusable shopping bags with piccys of :spud: :spud: :spud: on them - 29p each ??? ... so I bought 10 & planted-up 3 to a bag ... the shoots are just starting to appear :D
-
i'm using buckets, i've never grown spuds before and didn't realise they grew so fast, i jusst keep covering the growth with more compost then a few days later i have to do it again.
kn
-
I bought four potato bags last year, planted up (late) and they came to nothing. Didn't get a single potato that was big enough to bother with - and not many of those. The instructions said plant up with compost, cover, add more as the haulms show through.
This year I've done it differently: I planted up the bags with a mix of some compost but mostly soil from the veg plot (manured last year). I put the potatoes in and then filled the bags right up. I water every few days and already the haulms are starting to show through.
Can't say how many I'll get this year, but can't be worse than last! ::)
-
Thanks - these are chaff/carrot sacks made of a plastic-y weave so should drain ok but only the size of a large feed sack so am rootling about for more bags as I think 1-2 plants is probably the limit rather than the 4 I was thinking..
These are roosters my favourite but I also have some maris in a sack that are sprouting so would like to use them up too now they're too soft to eat. I have 2 damaged builder bags I use to drag hay out and the bases are holey - how many in one of those and I'll think about replacement bags next winter ;)
-
I tried growing potatoes in sacks once without much success too. Masses of foliage but tubers not worth the effort. If you miss any little tubers when you dig up your outdoor crop, it doesn't really matter because when they start to sprout you can see where they are and get them out then, and the crop you get from the ground is so much better and easier. But for the builders bags I would think you might get 9 plants in there or am I being over-optimistic?
-
I tried growing potatoes in sacks once without much success too. Masses of foliage but tubers not worth the effort. If you miss any little tubers when you dig up your outdoor crop, it doesn't really matter because when they start to sprout you can see where they are and get them out then, and the crop you get from the ground is so much better and easier. But for the builders bags I would think you might get 9 plants in there or am I being over-optimistic?
I only had 6 in each and to be honest that was sufficient.
-
cheap sacks of compost open at 1 end shove spuds as far down as you can add water as required, when ready to harvest split the whole bag take potato's use spent compost as top dressing for anywhere that needs it!!!
a 70litre sack of compost will take 2 good seed potato's to maturity quite easily.
-
I have purpose made bags and I also use feed bags with 2 tatties in. I have done this for about 6 years and always had good success even grown spuds for xmas. I also found that carrots and parsnips grown in bags do very well. I have very heavy clay and I'm still working on the veg plot adding more compost grit etc to get it more manageable so root crops are really a no go at the moment in the ground but a bit of creative thinking and I found I can grow them other ways.
-
My potatoes are just starting to show through ready for their first covering-up ;D
AND I sowed some carrots & parsnips in my Morrisons shopping bags last weekend - couldn't find any with carrot or parsnip piccys on though, had to stick with the potato piccy ones, hope think the little roots won't mind :D