Potatoes are enjoyable to develop. They solely want 4 or 5 hours solar, you will get an affordable crop from a bucket sized pot (1 – 2 kg / 2 – 4 lbs), and, if in case you have youngsters, you’ll have nice enjoyable harvesting them collectively!
What kind of pot?
Potatoes do effectively in luggage – luggage for all times are splendid – as you may roll up the edges as they develop. However any pot that’s bucket measurement or greater will do (simply examine it has drainage holes).
Baggage for all times make splendid containers for potatoes. Roll the edges up as they develop.
What sort of potato?
“First Early” and “Second Early” potatoes (as gardeners name them) are finest in small areas as they mature quickest (often prepared in 10 – 12 weeks after planting). They may also offer you scrumptious new potatoes, that style superb freshly picked. However it’s also potential to develop Predominant Crop potatoes. They are going to want bigger pots (ideally 40 litres or extra) and can take longer to mature (round 15 weeks or extra).
Just one seed potato wanted in a small bucket. These are completely different varieties (largely Earlies) – you may see the harvest from every of those buckets within the picture on the prime.
The best way to develop potatoes
- Add 8 – 10 inches (20 – 30cm) of potting combine to the underside of your pot. Potatoes should not too fussy and can often develop okay in outdated potting combine so long as you add fertiliser (a handful of blood fish and bone or different common function fertiliser will do the job).
- Put your seed potatoes on prime (one seed potato in a bucket, two or three in a big bag for all times, 4 in a 50 litre container), then cowl them with an extra six inches (15cm) of compost.
- Put them in a sunny place. They want a minimum of 4 hours solar – the extra the higher. Then water as soon as to ensure the potting combine is damp.
- Water as wanted within the coming days to maintain the soil damp (however not too moist – or the seed potato can rot). Inexperienced shoots will often seem after three to 4 weeks.
- When your potato crops are a couple of foot tall, roll the bag up about six inches and prime up with potting combine. Preserve doing this each couple of weeks till the bag is totally unrolled.
Roll up the facet of the bag and prime up with potting combine because the potatoes develop.
7. Because the potato grows greater, examine extra commonly for watering. Child potatoes could solely want watering a few times every week, however mature potatoes (when the leaves are large and bushy) can want watering as soon as, even twice a day, significantly in sizzling or windy climate.
When to reap
Flowering is one signal that your potato is likely to be prepared for harvest. However the one certain approach to inform is to place your hand into the soil, rummage round a bit, and pluck out a potato! If the potato has reached a good measurement, it’s prepared, if not, go away for every week or two longer. In case your potato hasn’t flowered after twelve weeks – examine anyway.
The small flowers on this potato (within the foreground – onerous to see – not the plant with numerous yellow flowers behind!) are an indication it is likely to be prepared for harvesting.
The best way to harvest potatoes
The simplest manner is to tip the entire bag out and undergo the compost to seek out the potatoes. (Youngsters love this!).
Your flip
I would love to listen to your ideas for rising potatoes in containers within the feedback – and any varieties that you just significantly prefer to develop?