Comments on: How to Grow Potatoes in a Bag in Ten steps http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/ news, reviews, hints and tips on vegetable gardening, fruit growing and herbs. Thu, 4 Dec 2008 22:58:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: TopVeg http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8455 TopVeg Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:17:26 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8455 Hi Brenda Pleased your Bildstar have done well. The idea is to half fill a bag with compost and plant the seed potato just below the surface - so it is about halfway up the bag. So I am surprised all your potatoes were at the bottom. Compost is placed over the growing tips a couple of times. This is to prevent the new tubers being exposed to light. If the new tubers are not covered they will go green. The addition of compost will not lead to more potatoes. The number of potatoes produced depends on the genetic make-up of the seed (Bildstar is not a particularly heavy cropper), the fertility & water provided, & the amount of space. If several seed potatoes are planted in a bag, they will compete for nutrients, water and light, & each seed will be less productive. The only reason for adding compost to the bags as the potatoes grow is to keep the light off the developing tubers to prevent greening. Hope that helps! Hi Brenda
Pleased your Bildstar have done well.
The idea is to half fill a bag with compost and plant the seed potato just below the surface - so it is about halfway up the bag. So I am surprised all your potatoes were at the bottom.
Compost is placed over the growing tips a couple of times. This is to prevent the new tubers being exposed to light. If the new tubers are not covered they will go green.
The addition of compost will not lead to more potatoes. The number of potatoes produced depends on the genetic make-up of the seed (Bildstar is not a particularly heavy cropper), the fertility & water provided, & the amount of space.
If several seed potatoes are planted in a bag, they will compete for nutrients, water and light, & each seed will be less productive.
The only reason for adding compost to the bags as the potatoes grow is to keep the light off the developing tubers to prevent greening.
Hope that helps!

]]> By: Brenda Moore http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8448 Brenda Moore Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:40:15 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8448 I have just lifted my bildstar potatoes from 3 potato bags. I got 4 pound from each bag, but they only appeared at the bottom of the bags. Is it necessary to keep filling the bags with compost as the chitted potatoes grow or should they have grown up the bag more? I have just lifted my bildstar potatoes from 3 potato bags. I got 4 pound from each bag, but they only appeared at the bottom of the bags. Is it necessary to keep filling the bags with compost as the chitted potatoes grow or should they have grown up the bag more?

]]> By: TopVeg http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8437 TopVeg Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:59:32 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8437 Hi Diana One advantage of growing potatoes in a bag is that you can move the bag about. If you have a sack barrow, or some other wheels, you could move the bag into a warm spot when it starts to get colder outside. Then you may have potatoes at Christmas! Hi Diana

One advantage of growing potatoes in a bag is that you can move the bag about. If you have a sack barrow, or some other wheels, you could move the bag into a warm spot when it starts to get colder outside. Then you may have potatoes at Christmas!

]]> By: Diana http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8414 Diana Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:40:20 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-8414 10 step is very interesting. At home I found a couple of potatoes which had chitted. I know you said Feb or March but I have just done step 1-6 and will carry on to 10 just to see what happens. I do value your expertise and possibly I will not be able to get to No.10 because of the timeing but. hey ho. it is worth a try! Diana 10 step is very interesting. At home I found a couple of potatoes which had chitted. I know you said Feb or March but I have just done step 1-6 and will carry on to 10 just to see what happens. I do value your expertise and possibly I will not be able to get to No.10 because of the timeing but. hey ho. it is worth a try!

Diana

]]> By: TopVeg http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7535 TopVeg Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:24:26 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7535 Maris Thanks for letting us know that you are in Holland. I was just checking that you were not on the other side of the world! In nature a potato will start to grow in the spring and have decent sized tubers in the autumn. But gardeners in the UK are trying to stretch the boundaries & some are now trying to produce new potatoes for Christmas day - but it is not easy. This year we have grown 2 crops of early potatoes on one patch. The first are planted in a polytunnel in February. As soon as these are harvested, they are replaced with more early potato seed. These yielded well in July. Next year we are planning to grow 3 crops of potatoes in the same patch. The third crop will be new potatoes planted in July, but they will need to be covered with plastic. The problems & difficulties in growing potatoes 'out of season' are: seed maturity,(the seed potato must have been produced in the previous calendar year - and to keep it from sprouting and growing, it has to be kept very cool) If potato seed is left in the light during the summer, it will age, and become too mature to grow when planted (even if it has not grown long shoots.) It is important to stop the potato seed from ageing, if it is going to be planted late (Sept-Oct). Keep the seed in the bottom of the fridge (cold & dark) to stop it ageing. warmth, (to allow the potato plant to grow well), daylength (which we are running out of) but needed for hours of growth frost (which is no good at all!) HTH Maris

Thanks for letting us know that you are in Holland. I was just checking that you were not on the other side of the world!

In nature a potato will start to grow in the spring and have decent sized tubers in the autumn. But gardeners in the UK are trying to stretch the boundaries & some are now trying to produce new potatoes for Christmas day - but it is not easy.

This year we have grown 2 crops of early potatoes on one patch. The first are planted in a polytunnel in February. As soon as these are harvested, they are replaced with more early potato seed. These yielded well in July.

Next year we are planning to grow 3 crops of potatoes in the same patch. The third crop will be new potatoes planted in July, but they will need to be covered with plastic.

The problems & difficulties in growing potatoes ‘out of season’ are:

seed maturity,(the seed potato must have been produced in the previous calendar year - and to keep it from sprouting and growing, it has to be kept very cool) If potato seed is left in the light during the summer, it will age, and become too mature to grow when planted (even if it has not grown long shoots.) It is important to stop the potato seed from ageing, if it is going to be planted late (Sept-Oct). Keep the seed in the bottom of the fridge (cold & dark) to stop it ageing.

warmth, (to allow the potato plant to grow well),

daylength (which we are running out of) but needed for hours of growth

frost (which is no good at all!)

HTH

]]> By: TopVeg http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7467 TopVeg Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:17:31 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7467 Hi Maris It all depends where you are in the world. Are you in the UK? TopVeg Hi Maris

It all depends where you are in the world. Are you in the UK?

TopVeg

]]> By: Maris http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7466 Maris Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:08:24 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7466 Is it only during feb-march you could grow potatoes? Can I repeat the process in Sep-Oct or later? Please help Thank you Is it only during feb-march you could grow potatoes? Can I repeat the process in Sep-Oct or later?
Please help
Thank you

]]> By: TopVeg http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7160 TopVeg Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:18:38 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7160 Hi Brenda Second early potatoes are should be ready to lift 16 weeks after planting. Have a sneak preview to check if they are big enough for you. You can cut a small hole in the bag, & whittle a potato out with your fingers, to see how big it is. It is up to you what size you take them - leave them for another week or two if they are not big enough yet. The small hard tomatoey things growing on greenery are the fruits of the potatoes. The flowers develop into fruits after they have been pollinated. These fruits must not be eaten. Hope that helps! Enjoy! TopVeg Hi Brenda

Second early potatoes are should be ready to lift 16 weeks after planting.

Have a sneak preview to check if they are big enough for you. You can cut a small hole in the bag, & whittle a potato out with your fingers, to see how big it is. It is up to you what size you take them - leave them for another week or two if they are not big enough yet.

The small hard tomatoey things growing on greenery are the fruits of the potatoes. The flowers develop into fruits after they have been pollinated. These fruits must not be eaten.

Hope that helps!

Enjoy!

TopVeg

]]> By: Brenda Moore http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7156 Brenda Moore Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:46:40 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-7156 I have Bildstar potatoes in bags they are 2nd earlies when should they be ready to lift? when will i know they are ready? No flowers but small hard tomatoey things growing on greenery. Please help. I have Bildstar potatoes in bags they are 2nd earlies when should they be ready to lift? when will i know they are ready?
No flowers but small hard tomatoey things growing on greenery.
Please help.

]]> By: TopVeg http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-6131 TopVeg Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:18:17 +0000 http://topveg.com/2008/03/09/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-a-bag-in-ten-steps/#comment-6131 Jerry Our compost bags are about 30inches tall. The idea is to roll them down to half way and fill them with compost. The seed is planted on top of the compost. There will be just under 15" of the bag to roll up, adding a few inches of compost every few days as the shoots grow. You will have to leave a few inches of the bag unfilled, to be able to water. So, realistically, there is only about 12" of the bag to roll up at the most, so it is only possible to cover the seed potatoes with 12" of soil. The average depth of soil above the seed is about 9 inches. Hope that helps! Jerry

Our compost bags are about 30inches tall. The idea is to roll them down to half way and fill them with compost. The seed is planted on top of the compost. There will be just under 15″ of the bag to roll up, adding a few inches of compost every few days as the shoots grow.
You will have to leave a few inches of the bag unfilled, to be able to water. So, realistically, there is only about 12″ of the bag to roll up at the most, so it is only possible to cover the seed potatoes with 12″ of soil.
The average depth of soil above the seed is about 9 inches.

Hope that helps!

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