Growing potatoes??

[megankl]

I have been thinking for a couple years about how I would love to attempt to grow some potatoes but am always afraid to tackle it for a reason I don't know! I guess I am just scared that after all that waiting and not really knowing if any potatoes are producing is intimidating to me. But I think in the spring I am ready to give it a shot. I was just looking for a couple suggestions! What do most of you grow your potatoes in when growing them off a balcony? Do you think that a regular sized tote would be big enough? And also, what have your outcomes been like? Have you ever dug up to your plant to find no potatoes?

 

[DancingLady]

You will need a fairly deep pot. Potatoes need to be planted at least 4 inches below the surface,and have room enough to go deeper as they grow. I would use the biggest pot I could find if I was trying to do this in pots. I don't know what your weight limit is though, for a balcony you might need to be careful here.

 

[headfullofbees]

There are bags available specifically for the purpose here in the UK; I'm sure you'll have similar in Canada.
Here they even come with the right number of seed potatoes:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pack-Potato...r=8-1&keywords=potato+grow+bags+with+potatoes

Here's a video with some help:
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/how-to-grow-potatoes-in-bags



With this, you could even grow mint/chives to go with them, and some other herbs:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gardening-N...r=8-9&keywords=potato+grow+bags+with+potatoes

 

[Chuck]

I have been thinking for a couple years about how I would love to attempt to grow some potatoes but am always afraid to tackle it for a reason I don't know! I guess I am just scared that after all that waiting and not really knowing if any potatoes are producing is intimidating to me. But I think in the spring I am ready to give it a shot. I was just looking for a couple suggestions! What do most of you grow your potatoes in when growing them off a balcony? Do you think that a regular sized tote would be big enough? And also, what have your outcomes been like? Have you ever dug up to your plant to find no potatoes?

Here is what I grow mine in. I had an average year and ended up with about 20 lbs

 

[Momhardatwork]

That is an awesome pic Chuck. I haven't tried to grow potatoes again until recently, but when I did before, I had a pot shaped more like a small barrel and it yielded about 10-12 potatoes. I was also able to use the leaves for cooking and it was a very enjoyable and easy experience. I do believe that grow bags are a really good method as well. What do you have to lose? Just give it a try.

 

[helagumamela]

That is an awesome pic Chuck. I haven't tried to grow potatoes again until recently, but when I did before, I had a pot shaped more like a small barrel and it yielded about 10-12 potatoes. I was also able to use the leaves for cooking and it was a very enjoyable and easy experience. I do believe that grow bags are a really good method as well. What do you have to lose? Just give it a try.

I didn't know that you can use the leaves of potatoes for cooking? How did you prepare the dish? Was it like a salad? I think that I will try to grow potatoes for this reason. :O

 

[emhughes]

I recently read an article on the Farmer's Almanac about growing potatoes in a large trash can and as the potato plants grow, you keep adding more dirt until eventually the whole can is full of potatoes. Any thoughts on this?
The article also stated that you could use sawdust instead of dirt to grow "clean" potatoes.

 

[Chuck]

I recently read an article on the Farmer's Almanac about growing potatoes in a large trash can and as the potato plants grow, you keep adding more dirt until eventually the whole can is full of potatoes. Any thoughts on this?
The article also stated that you could use sawdust instead of dirt to grow "clean" potatoes.

The plants that make the potatoes still have to have all of the nutrients to grow. Just plain sawdust does not have them. And you can keep applying more and more..................up to a certain point

 

[emhughes]

The plants that make the potatoes still have to have all of the nutrients to grow. Just plain sawdust does not have them. And you can keep applying more and more..................up to a certain point

I think that it meant after the potato plants got started in the first layer of dirt and then the next layers could be sawdust. I thought it was a little strange, but I'm only a novice gardener. It's such a clever idea though, I just might have to give it a try. (but with dirt, not sawdust)

 

[kevinkimers]

How interesting. My boyfriend and I were just discussing that about the fact that we live next to one of the biggest producers of potatoes in the US and he was thinking of going to go work for them so he could learn more about planting. They don't just grow potatoes here, they grow Alfalfa and wheat here too. The soil here is perfect for potatoes, dry and soft. They seem to love it out here. I was even thinking of growing some myself.

 

[gata montes]

For anyone thinking of eating potato leaves please note

The only part of a potato plant that you can safely eat is the bit that grows under the ground - the potato - which means not the stems, flowers or the leaves.

Particularly as eating the leaves, stems or any part of a potato that has gone green - may well be the first and last time that you ever get to try them - due to the fact that Potatoes - Solanum Tuberosum - belongs to the Solanaceae or Nightshade family - which includes tomatoes, eggplants, sweet peppers and deadly nightshade to name but a few - all plants in this family produce a substance called Solanum in their stems and leaves which is poisonous to both humans and animals.

I would however just add that it is quite safe to eat the leaves of Sweet Potatoes - Ipomoea Batatas which belong to the Convolvulaceae plant family and not the Nightshade family and apparently very beneficial too - as the leaves are said to be very nutritious.

 

[Primalclaws1974]

I personally love to grow vegetable plants in pots and indoors, but I fear that such a deep-rooted plant would have difficulties growing in a pot, no matter how large it is. I have tried to grow other root vegetables, such as carrots, and they have died on me every time. It is possible because the vegetable is a root it is sensitive to how loose the soil is in a pot compared to the ground outside. Please let us know if you attempt this. I would like to know.

 

[headfullofbees]

I personally love to grow vegetable plants in pots and indoors, but I fear that such a deep-rooted plant would have difficulties growing in a pot, no matter how large it is. I have tried to grow other root vegetables, such as carrots, and they have died on me every time. It is possible because the vegetable is a root it is sensitive to how loose the soil is in a pot compared to the ground outside. Please let us know if you attempt this. I would like to know.

Potatoes grow great in pots, with only 4" (10cm) of soil below the seed tuber.