Grow Your Own Magazine

has anyone put out tubers into containers yet. my seed potatoes are chitting very well and my rocket is an inch tall.

I have one charlotte in a bucket in the house, one vales emerald in a bucket outdoors.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Two vales emerald in a plastic box in the unheated greenhouse.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

i'm going to do mine on good friday

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Smile and the world smiles with you

I've got loads more to plant but waiting for better weather. Still waiting for delivery of Golden Wonder and Edzell Blue from T&M - anyone else waiting for spuds from them?

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Is a normal size bucket big enough to put chitted potatoes in, and how many to the bucket? Is there a minimum container size? Do I just start them on a few inches of compost at bottom and keep putting more compost in as the haum grows. If so, when the bucket is full how long to harvest? Sorry I have so many questions, but this will be my first crop and I'm salivating just thinking about them

Is a normal size bucket big enough to put chitted potatoes in, and how many to the bucket?

Yes, regular size bucket - one spud or maybe 2 if you only want small spuds.

Is there a minimum container size?

I grow in 10 litre flower buckets, would think they are about the smallest for a decent crop.

Do I just start them on a few inches of compost at bottom and keep putting more compost in as the haum grows.

That's about the size of it, give a good handful of pelleted chicken poop, well rotted manure, or potato fertiliser.

If so, when the bucket is full how long to harvest?

That depends on your spuds - there is a table somewhere on the vine that tells you but if I remember right it is around 12 weeks from appearance of shoots to harvest for first earlies and up to 15 or 18 weeks for maincrop.

Sorry I have so many questions, but this will be my first crop and I'm salivating just thinking about them

Hope they grow well for you.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I planted my Swift at the weekend but I moved the potato bag they're in and put it in the greenhouse when it turned so cold Monday.

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Off to China

Thanks for the concise reply Shirley. No excuse for failure now!

Just watch out for blight - that's the only thing that will stop them other than lack of water. Check the soil moisture every day or two as even in rainy weather the leaves can keep the water from the soil (if that makes sense)

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I have had ten tubs planted up for over two weeks, they are nice and warm under all that compost, as Shirl said plenty of water even if it has been raining and don't forget to feed them as potato's are a hungry plant.

when and how often do you feed them and with what

You could either use good well rotted compost from your dalek/compost heap or well rotted farmyard manure in the tubs or potato fertilizer/growmore then when the leaves appear feed once a week with a potash feed/comfrey.

would diluted bokashi juice be any good. or i have blood fish and bone

I have an unchitted Pentland Firth in a bucket on the back step, although I brought it in when there was frost earlier in the week. I planted it as an experiment last week, 26th Feb to compare its growth with the ones I am chitting in the house. Those will go out in about two weeks time.

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si'sraisedbed

You can purchase vegetable, "bags " from places like homebase, to grow potatos and veg in, these cost about £15 for three. i prefer to use the bags homebase sell for packing up the shopping, they cost £1 i think, and are round about the same size. I plant 5 seed potatos and earth up as much as i can over time. I think some would recomend 4 though...

Ive got 10 tubs of potato's on the go in the greenhouse covered with fleece in case of frost, the tubs I use are those yellow builders tubs that they sell in wickes except I have drilled holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.

Cheers Chris

How many spuds do you put in the tub? I gather it's a 40 litres flexi tub (with handles). I'm guessing upto 6 spuds should be alright.

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Food for Free

I put 5 in each tub, they are about half way up the tubs now, and I just have fleece over the tops of the tubs in case of frost.

Cheers Chris

Hello Paul, what is a good potash feed please?

[quote=crichmond;192380]Ive got 10 tubs of potato's on the go in the greenhouse covered with fleece in case of frost, the tubs I use are those yellow builders tubs that they sell in wickes except I have drilled holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.

Got some builders tubs, but if I don't have enough room in greenhouse overnight will they be ok outside with some newspaper or fleece over them?

I just put a good handful of well rotted muck, chicken poo pellets or potato fertiliser (new trial for me this year) in the bottom of the bucket when I plant the seed spud. They don't get fed after that.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

If putting them outside I would double up the fleece just in case.

I just used multi purpose compost, will they be OK or should I put something on top of the pots, nothing has come through as yet, been in about a week and a half...

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si'sraisedbed