Maris-Bard-new-potatoes
Growing your own potatoes is very satisfying, and does not depend on possessing a large vegetable garden. Salad potatoes grow well in pots & containers.
Choose an early variety of potatoes as earlies grow well in pots – main crop varieties do not.
Potato varieties particularly suited to container growing are:
* Amandine
* Swift
Chit the seed for about six weeks, so that the sprouts are about 5cm (2in) long, and dark
in colour.
Prepare the container:
* Find a large container – at least 30cm (12in) across and deep, with drainage holes. Buckets, dustbins, plastic crates, pots or a heavy plastic bag will do the job if they have drainage holes in
the bottom.
* Put broken pottery, stones or polystyrene crocks in the bottom of the container to cover the drainage holes and prevent them getting bunged up with soil.
* Add a layer of compost 10cm (4in) deep . Use multipurpose compost or a mixture of loamy garden soil and compost or well rotted manure .
When to plant potatoes in containers
* Late January in an unheated greenhouse, cover with fleece in frosty weather
* Outside in late February in mild southern areas, or April in colder parts. Protect from frosts when forecast.
Plant the potatoes
seed-potato-in-planting-hole
* put three seed potatoes on the surface of the soil
* place so chits pointing upwards
* cover the potato seed with 15cm (6in) of the compost or soil
* add water if the compost is dry – until it drains out of the holes
* do not water again until the shoots appear
* place the pot in a light, sheltered spot
potato-shoot-emerges
This book by Alan Tichmarsh has lots of handy hints for potato growers:
Growing potatoes in containers or pots is rewarding and does not take up much room.
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Pingback by Early Potato Seed FAQ « TopVeg – growing veg,fruit&herbs — January 4, 2010 @ 3:32 pm
Thanks for the post. I am always looking for ways to improve my gardening and cooking skills. My family loves eating real food.
Comment by Vegetable Garden — November 21, 2010 @ 8:44 pm