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Potato Grow Bags - How To Grow Potatoes In A Bag
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Potatoes
By: Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist
Image by Grahamphoto23
The potato is a favorite and versatile food that proves easy and inexpensive to grow. Home gardeners traditionally “hill” potatoes to encourage them to produce lots of roots and hence lots of tubers. This method takes some space and there is a high probability that you won’t get all the spuds out of the earth when you harvest. Grow bags for potatoes are an excellent solution for patio or small space gardeners. You can make your own potato bag or purchase them. Learning how to grow potatoes in a bag will provide a space-saving solution, and it’s a fun family project.
About Potato Grow Bags
You can make a bag out of burlap or even grow potatoes in a cardboard box. The container or bag lets the plant spread out its roots and you can still add layers of soil. The reason for layering is the same as hilling. Potato tubers send out roots at the eyes, which branch out in the soil. The more you cover the top of the root zone, the more roots they send out. More roots equal more potatoes.
Using potato grow bags allows you to control the region the tubers are planted in and makes them easy to harvest. The spuds will be confined to the box or bag so all you need to do is dig around to find them.
How to Make Your Own Potato Bag
The easiest bags are just old burlap sacks with the tops rolled down. You can also sew or staple together weed barrier fabric into the appropriate shape. Leave enough fabric at the top to unroll as you hill the potatoes inside. You are not limited to growing potatoes in bags, however.
You can also set out an old tire and fill it with soil and seed potatoes. Another easy method is to cut off the top of a bag of compost. Dump out all but the bottom few inches (7.5 cm.) of compost and roll the top of the bag down. Plant in the bottom of the bag, adding compost as the plants grow.
How to Grow Potatoes in a Bag
Once you have a bag for your potatoes, fill the bottom with a couple of inches (5 cm.) of soil and compost mix and plant your seed potatoes. Fill with just enough medium to cover the tops of the tubers. Keep the soil mix evenly moist and cover the sprouted potato greens with a compost mix as they come up.
Keep them covered and unroll the burlap as the soil level rises. Once the soil is at the top of the bag, allow the plants to flower and die back and then dump out the contents so you can pick through and get all the spuds. You can also harvest young spuds early in the process. Growing potatoes in bags is a simple, no-fuss method that yields more potatoes and causes less harvest damage.
Additional Potato Growing Tips
Grow bags for potatoes are a good basis for the growing method, but the spuds have a few other needs. New tubers must be kept covered by soil to prevent greening or sunscald.
Situate your bags in full sun and keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy.
Keep an eye out for pests, especially chewing insects which can affect the vigor of your plants. Occasionally unearth a small tuber and check for any damage to the young potato. If you use clean, new compost, you are unlikely to have any major soil-borne insect problems.
Start harvesting as soon as you have little potatoes for tender spuds on the grill. By fall, remove all the spuds to prevent them from freezing and splitting.
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How to grow potatoes in a bag: everything you need to know
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Learning how to grow potatoes in a bag will open up a whole new world of gardening potential. An extremely easy vegetable to grow, potatoes offer a high-yield for very low output - they're a great choice if you're new to growing your own vegetables.
Find out how to grow potatoes with our step-by-step guide – perfect for your vegetable garden ideas.
Potatoes are also best grown in containers due to their propensity to spread into all the soil available to their tuberous roots. They are also difficult to harvest in raised beds or borders, often leaving behind unwanted 'volunteers' that will start their own unwanted potato plant the following year.
Therefore, knowing how to grow potatoes in a bag offers one of the best options for growing your own, both in terms of ease of harvest and versatility. 'You can even have potatoes in a tiny rented plot. Grow them in a potato bag or sack and you’ll be able to move house without unearthing your sack of spuds,' says Amateur Gardening magazine's Tamsin Westhorpe.
How to grow potatoes in a bag – preparation
There are three things that you will need before starting to learn how to grow potatoes in a bag for your kitchen garden. These are: chitted seed potatoes; compost; and a bag.
Chitting potatoes helps to accelerate the growth of your potatoes. Stand the seed potatoes in egg boxes and place in a light and cool, but frost-free, place. Light is vital so a windowsill in a porch or outside in a glass greenhouse are an ideal place to place your potatoes to chit.
'Keep an eye on your potatoes whilst they chit and wait for strong, short green shoots to appear (4-6 weeks) about 2-3cms long from the eyes of each tuber,' says plantswoman Sarah Raven ,
'If you want to maximize the size of your potatoes, rub off all but three or four of the shoots at the top end of the tuber before planting out. If you leave all the shoots intact, you’ll end up with lots of small potatoes.' Once you've got shoots, your seed potatoes are ready to plant out.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
If you're working out how to grow potatoes in a bag then you also need to think about the soil. Potatoes grow best in 'well-drained, light, deep, loose soil, high in organic matter,' says the experts at Cornell University .
Potato plants also 'perform best in acid soil with pH 4.8 - 5.5'. So, by growing your potatoes in a bag, rather than a raised bed or in the garden, you can curate the perfect soil conditions for the potatoes.
The final consideration for learning how to grow potatoes in a bag, is the bag itself.
'The important thing is that the bags need good drainage, so with re-used plastic bags do ensure that you make lots of extra holes in the bottom,' advises Bob Flowerdew in Amateur Gardening Magazine . 'Nearly as important is that the sides must exclude light – black bags are better. Hold them up to the light, and if any comes through then try doubling up or line the bags with several sheets of newspaper.'
Alternatively, purchase a dedicated potato bag that will be designed for the task. Some varieties even have a flap that helps you check on your potatoes while they're growing.
Traditional DIY method for growing potatoes in a bag
- Opt for a large sturdy rubble bag, hessian or jute sack, or a specific potato bag – around 8 to 10 gallons are the most popular sizes.
Prick a few small holes into the bottom to prevent the bag becoming waterlogged. - Fill the bottom of the bag with about five inches of compost.
- Roll the sides of the bag down to the level of the compost so that it stands by itself.
- Plant three or four chitted potatoes – roots facing down - into the compost and then cover with a few inches of additional compost – unrolling the first folds of the bag if needed.
- Place in a light, bright, frost-free position and water well.
- When the potato plant starts to grow green shoots , unfold the edges of the bag until it reaches the top of the shoots and then cover with soil.
- Continue to do this every time shoots are visible or until the bag is full.
- Watering is vital but only water when the top few centimetres of soil feel dry to the touch. 'If the tubers dry out while they are developing, they won’t develop into potatoes, resulting in a smaller harvest,' advises Deborah Miuccio, product research and testing coordinator at Gardener’s Supply Company .
On the other hand, overwatering can cause the tubers to rot which will also reduce the quantity and quality of your harvest. - When there is no more bag to unroll, then let the shoots grow.
- Once the leaves and stem have started to die back, harvest potatoes by cutting through the plastic bag or tipping out jute, hessian or fabric sacks on a sheet of tarp and collect your harvest. The compost can then go into your compost heap – just make sure there's no rouge potatoes left in the compost.
(Image credit: Future)
Quick and easy way to grow potatoes in a bag
If you would like a lower-maintenance method for learning how to grow potatoes in a bag then consider opting for this alternative method from Sue Sanderson, horticulturalist at Thompson & Morgan .
- Fill a two gallon potato or rubble bag (that has small drainage holes punched into the sides) with multipurpose compost to about an inch below the rim.
- Then plunge one chitted potato tuber 5 inches into the compost before covering with more compost.
- Place the bag in a bright, frost-free place, water and feed regularly and wait for the potatoes to grow.
- Let the potatoes continue to grow, rather than covering when the leaves appear, and then harvest potatoes in the same way as above when the leaves go yellow and limp.
- Be sure to store potatoes correctly to ensure their freshly harvested taste is retained.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
How to grow potatoes in a specific potato bag
While growing potatoes in a bag that you've repurposed is a great low-cost way to grow your own harvest of potatoes, a specialist potato grow bag can maximize the quantity and quality of your crop.
'As the roots grow and reach the side of the pot, the fabric causes the roots to stop growing, essentially killing the tips of the roots. This is called air pruning or root pruning. Roots that aren’t air pruned will instead continue to grow and circle around the containers, which leads to root-bound plants,' advises Deborah Miuccio, product research and testing coordinator at Gardener’s Supply Company .
'Air pruned plants encourage new roots to form from the center, which is the best root structure for container grown plants. A strong root system is essential for a bountiful harvest, especially for potatoes.'
You can even get grow bags that have a sealable pocket so you can check on potato growth and readiness.
If you opt to grow your potatoes in a specific potato bag, then you can follow which ever of the above methods works best for you.
How to grow potatoes in a bag sustainably
If you want to make sure that your method of growing potatoes in a bag is sustainable then there are a few things to consider.
Plastic sacks – like those used to sell compost - are a great option in which to grow potatoes. Reusing the bags in this way will recycle them and give them a life beyond their original usage. They will also still be able to reused for several years.
Hessian sacks or coffee bags can also be recycled and will even biodegrade when no longer usable.
Opting for organic potato seeds and avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers or pest-control will ensure that you produce a completely organic crop.
Finally, peat-free compost is a must. Peat compost contributes to greenhouse gas levels and its harvest eradicates the habitats of rare wildlife; there have been many calls to ban it due to the environmental cost. If you want to make your gardening even more sustainable, then you can use the compost from your compost heap. Our guide to how to make compost has helpful information on this.
(Image credit: RHS/Paul Debois)
How many potatoes does it take to grow in a potato bag?
It only takes one potato to grow in a potato bag. Each chitted potato - whether a whole potato or part of a larger potato – will produce one plant. The number of chitted potatoes needed depends on the size of the bag being used. As a general rule each potato plant needs about 2.5 gallons. Therefore a 10 gallon bag will support four potatoes while a 5 gallon bag will accommodate 2 potato plants.
If you want to grow a large number of potato crops, it is best growing them in separate bags rather than one huge bag. Splitting your crop between different bags means that you can harvest them at different times so you can have a more continuous supply, rather than a sudden glut.
How to grow potatoes in a bag in time for Christmas
'If you want to grow some potatoes in time for Christmas you best get to it, time is of the essence,' says Leslie Vincent, Horticulturalist & Gardening Expert at Atkins Garden Shop . Start planting your potatoes from mid-September to early October, for a December harvest. If you have your heart set on eating your own potatoes on Christmas Day, then stagger your planting – starting from the end of August through to the start of October.
Leslie takes you through the steps:
- 'Fill your bag with a decent multi-purpose compost about two thirds of the way full, lightly compact the compost.
- Lay three seed potato tubers on the surface, space them out around 20-30 cm apart
- From here, you’ll want to nicely soak your compost and give it adequate time to drain.
- If the watering has uncovered the tubers, add a bit more compost to cover.
- Place your bag in a greenhouse and wait for your shoots to appear, when they do throw in another layer of compost to keep them covered, repeat this process until the bag is full.
‘It's worth noting too that potatoes are cool weather crops and thrive best in the spring and fall, so if you miss planting them before Christmas, you can plan on planting them early and harvesting them for Easter,’ advises Shelby DeVore, animal expert, avid gardener and founder of Farminence .
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Having graduated with a first class degree in English Literature four years ago, Holly started her career as a features writer and sub-editor at Period Living magazine, Homes & Gardens' sister title. Working on Period Living brought with it insight into the complexities of owning and caring for period homes, from interior decorating through to choosing the right windows and the challenges of extending.
This has led to a passion for traditional interiors, particularly the country-look. Writing for the Homes & Gardens website as a content editor, alongside regular features for Period Living and Country Homes & Interiors magazines, has enabled her to broaden her writing to incorporate her interests in gardening, wildlife and nature.
Potatoes in bags, barrels, bags and boxes - a harvest for the lazy. Growing features. Photo - Botanichka
Vertical cultivation of potatoes in the West is a fairly common occurrence among gardeners. By planting a dozen tubers in several bags, large bags, boxes or barrels, you can end up with a crop of several buckets of potatoes. We are still new to this method. We are accustomed to calling potatoes the second bread and growing them in much larger quantities: so that we have enough for ourselves, our relatives, and for feeding animals. But today more and more summer residents refuse to grow potatoes in general, they say, it costs a penny, and there is enough trouble with it for the whole summer.
If you also think so, but at the same time do not want to forget the incredible taste of your young potatoes, try growing it in a bag, box or barrel - the result will surely please you. nine0003 Potatoes in bags, barrels, bags and boxes - a harvest for the lazy
Read also our article 5 reasons why I no longer plant potatoes.
Advantages of growing potatoes vertically
It is this method that allows you to get the fastest harvest (of course, when choosing early-ripening varieties), because the mobile "beds" warm up the fastest.
Eliminates the need for hilling potatoes and weed control - the dream of every lazy gardener! This method of growing potatoes is also suitable for those who have a small plot. Barrels and boxes of potatoes will help give the site an original look. nine0003
When growing potatoes in bags and barrels, the root system of the plant grows much longer than when planting potatoes in the usual way. And since the number of roots depends on how many tubers are formed, the harvest will always be excellent.
And the most interesting - potatoes in buckets and large flower containers can be successfully grown not in the garden or in the garden, but at home - a sunny loggia or balcony will do.
In addition, vertical-bed potatoes:
- easy to plant;
- can be economically watered and fertilized;
- no need to dig up the crop (formed tubers are simply poured out of the containers along with the ground).
And it's also a matter of reusing materials (waste containers, old bags, sacks, barrels), which means taking care of the environment. At the same time, vertical beds for potatoes can be very diverse. For example:
- plastic, metal, wooden barrels; nine0022
- old tires from wheels;
- fabric and synthetic bags;
- large black garbage bags, oilcloth bags;
- large flower pots;
- old buckets.
How are potatoes grown in barrels?
Over time, all barrels become unusable.
It is no longer possible to pour water if, for example, the bottom of the barrel is leaky. Basically, this applies to metal containers. But plastic can suffer due to mechanical damage. nine0003
If the metal barrels are old and untidy, then it makes sense to paint them before planting the potatoes. At the same time, you can show creativity and imagination by creating beautiful pictures or original ornaments on the outside of this container.
If there are few holes in the bottom of the metal barrel, make them with a nail and a hammer. For such an impact on a plastic barrel, you can use a drill with a drill or heat a nail and carefully make holes in the bottom of the barrel with it. If for growing potatoes you will place the barrel horizontally, then make holes for water drainage on the side of the barrel, and on the other side - larger ones to plant potatoes. nine0003
At the bottom of a vertical container, drainage is covered with a layer of 15-20 cm. These can be medium-sized stones, broken bricks (for horizontal "beds" this and subsequent layers should be of a lower height).
Grass cuttings, chopped straw, fallen leaves, compost can be placed on top of the drain to a height of 30-50 cm. Then light fertile soil is poured into the barrel with a layer of approximately 15 cm.
The soil is well watered from a watering can. For 5 liters of water, it would be good to add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium humate. You can also spill this vertical bed with water and a universal liquid mineral fertilizer. nine0003
On the surface of this layer of soil lay the tubers eyes up at a distance of 15 cm from each other. From above, the potatoes are covered with earth - 15 cm.
When the shoots are 2 weeks old, the first "hilling" is performed. To do this, simply pour the earth under the bushes. Then they do the same two or three more times. As a result, the potatoes will be well covered with earth, which stimulates the formation of additional roots and tubers, while the roots do not turn green.
Since the barrels are limited in size, it is important to water them in time, because the earth here will dry out quickly.
It is better to install such mobile beds in advance where something obscures them so that the soil does not overheat. In this case, the seedlings must be in the light. nine0003 Large oilcloth bags, bags of flour, sugar, large and dense garbage bags are suitable for growing potatoes. © Antonov Sad
Growing potatoes in bags, bags and bags
All recommendations for planting and growing potatoes in barrels are also relevant for potatoes in bags and bags. Large oilcloth bags, flour bags, sugar bags, large and dense garbage bags will do. These containers do not take up much space, they can be placed in a free area, where the summer resident wishes. nine0003
To make it easier to "dig" the potatoes planted in this way, you can cut a rectangular hole in the bottom of the bag or bag. Velcro is attached to this flap, paired elements are sewn around the cut hole. Then it will be possible sometimes to see if the crop is ripe, and if necessary, take a few large potatoes, leaving the bush to grow further.
See also our article Potatoes under straw.
Tires from the machine - "beds" for potatoes
If it is possible to use tires from wheels, they will also make an excellent vertical bed for potatoes. You can immediately install several pieces one on top of the other, or build such a "Leaning Tower of Pisa" gradually, as the potatoes grow.
First you need to dig up the earth to the diameter of the wheel, add fertilizer or compost to the soil. Then plant the potatoes with their eyes up. Now you need to put a tire around it and fill it to the top with light soil.
When the seedlings have grown to a height of 15 cm, a second cover is placed on top of the first cover. The earth is also poured into it, this will also be “hilling up” at the same time. nine0003
You can stop there, but it is better to use 1-2 more tires and add more soil as the potatoes grow. Harvest will certainly please you.
If it is possible to use tires from wheels, then they will also make an excellent vertical bed for potatoesPlanting potatoes in buckets, large flower pots
This method will allow you to get your potatoes even in a city apartment.
If you have two large plastic pots that are slightly different in size, then cut rectangular holes on the sides in a small one. Then it will be easier to collect potatoes as they ripen (large tubers are removed first, and small ones are left to grow further). nine0003
Potatoes can also be planted in ordinary large capacity flower pots. 10 liter buckets are also suitable for this. Someone will be able to grow potatoes this way at home, others will use this idea in the country. The main thing is to provide the potatoes with as much sunlight as possible.
Growing potatoes in a bucketPotatoes in wooden boxes, boxes
You can make a wooden box for growing potatoes with your own hands. You need to take four bars and arrange them vertically. They will be at the corners of the box. Outside, boards are stuffed on them. You can immediately provide a door at the bottom of the box, so that by opening it slightly, you can remove the grown tubers. nine0003
And if you have factory-made wooden boxes, for example, in which nails were sold, then you can use them or any others.
Features of growing potatoes in boxes are the same as when planting them in barrels.
Growing potatoes in bags, bags, barrels - all about vertical technologies
The technology of growing potatoes in a mobile format is an unusual phenomenon for us. Since ancient times, we have been growing potatoes in the beds, not imagining that it is possible otherwise. Read about other ways in this article. nine0003
There is no information about who exactly came up with the idea of growing potatoes in a confined space. We only know that this is an ancient method. Allegedly, a certain peasant accidentally dropped a potato tuber into a barrel of ripening compost. And when the bush sprouted, it turned out that its yield was twice as high as that of potatoes in the beds. The barrel was filled to its full depth with strong healthy tubers. The peasants began to plant potatoes in old barrels, tubs and boxes - this saved space and gave a generous harvest. Later, the technology of growing in bags and bags appeared.
Today on sale you can find special cylindrical bags made of non-woven materials with convenient "windows" for harvesting. nine0003
Growing potatoes vertically offers many benefits.
- You can grow a dozen different varieties in small quantities and try which one tastes better.
- Mobile beds warm up faster than open ground, allowing for an early harvest.
- In a limited volume, less fertilizer is used, less time for watering. There is no need to excavate the area.
- Barrels, boxes, packages can be moved at any time if you need a place for planting ornamental plants. nine0022
- No expense - you reuse containers that just littered your shed.
- An opportunity to be creative and personalize the site.
What can be used
| Barrels | Metal, plastic, wooden with drainage holes (can be made with a drill). |
| nine0002 Bags | Canvas and cloth bags. |
| Buckets, tubs | Metal, plastic, ceramic containers with a volume of 10 liters. Garden vases, flower pots. |
| Boxes | Wooden boxes for fruits and vegetables. nine0003 |
| Tires | Old car tires. |
Durable trash bags. Shopping bags. Growing Potatoes in Barrels
This is a convenient way to put leaky containers to good use. We recommend to be creative and decorate the surface with drawings, ornaments. Barrels can be placed standing and lying down. When placed horizontally on top, you need to cut a “window” - wide enough for planting, watering and monitoring the development of bushes. nine0003
A drainage layer is placed on the bottom (expanded clay, pebbles, crushed bricks). Above - a layer of chopped straw or leaf litter (20-30 cm). The final layer is fertile: moist garden soil fertilized with organic matter (compost, peat, humus).
Layer thickness - 15-20 cm.
Germinated tubers are buried in the same way as in open ground - to a depth of 7-10 cm and at a distance of 15 cm from each other. In round containers - in a spiral, in rectangular - in a checkerboard pattern. Carefully monitor soil moisture, avoiding overflow and drying out. In a limited scope, this is especially important. To prevent the tubers from greening in the light and the accumulation of corned beef, regularly hill up. nine0003
Growing potatoes in bags
Bags and bags look less aesthetic than barrels on the site. They can be placed along the fence, fence and in other places that are not conspicuous. Make sure that the bags are stable, do not roll.
The bags are filled in the same layers as the drums. A drainage layer is optional. To make it convenient to harvest, rectangular "windows" can be cut out in the lower side part.
Growing potatoes in boxes
This method is very environmentally friendly because the wood "breathes".
