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  • Potatoe bags/tubs/sacks

    Has anyone tried these, the tubs,bags and buckets type containers....?

    I am interested as I dont have a large amount of space and have seen a small range of bags with handles and a big bin type thing that you lift the bottom up to harvest the spuds.....what do you think?
    I have some chitted Maris Pipers, when should these go in?
    Sam

  • #2
    There are lots of us growing potatoes in bags/tubs this year, myself included. I'm using black bags i bought from Thompson and Morgan, but my parents used ond compost bags last year, and you can use anything pretty muc as long as you can put a few holes in the bottom for drainage.

    I've seen the spud barrels with the door - they seem very expensive to me, especially when a old compost bag will do! but i guess they are more aesthetically pleasing on a patio

    I was going to ask everyone what sort of compost i should use in my bags - multi-purpose/peat free/bog standard vs fancy stuff?? My spuds in bags are primarily for showing so i want to avoid skin blemishes - any ideas??
    There's vegetable growing in the family, but I must be adopted
    Happy Gardening!

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    • #3
      Never tried growing in pots or tubs myself, but I've heard it works. I have an allotment so not short of space. I would have thought multipurpose compost would be fine - peat based or peat free would be up to you and whether you believe peat should not be used commercially. Whatever compost you use initially I would think you would need to use some sort of feed during the growing season. Good luck.

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      • #4
        I was going to buy special potato tubs last year - then I asked the same question her and everyone said 'why bother' when you can just use old compost bags and so that's what I did. I would've got a better crop if I hadn't mixed up which bag contained which potato as I ended up emptying one bag of spuds and not finding that many to then discover I should have left them in for several more weeks! I'm not making that mistake again this year as I've written the name of each potato variety on each spud.

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        • #5
          This year I'm growing some spuds in large dog food bags which are made from thick polythene. I've got 2 german Shepherds who we feed them on dried dog food and the sacks the food comes in are black on the inside so when they are turned inside out, they don't stand out in the garden. I'll be using soil from the garden which is clay but I'll mix in some all purpose compost. I'm not sure how well it'll work, but I'm putting 2 tubers per bag so hopefully, I'll get a reasonable crop (fingers firmly crossed)
          I want to live forever - or die trying

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          • #6
            I grew spuds in Morrison's flower buckets last year (8 for 99p). I drilled holes in the bottoms and filled with multi purpose compost, mixed in some chicken manure pellets at planting time and topped up as per earthing up instructions. They were great - clean and tasty. I suppose you could feed them more if you wanted to but for home use they were super just as they were.

            By the way I used one seed potato per bucket and got enough spuds from each pot for a meal for four. So impressed I am doing it again on a larger scale this year! Good luck
            Happy Gardening,
            Shirley

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            • #7
              Hello ELLasmum. I have been growing spuds in tubs for years. I use multi-purpose compost with chicken granlies, six inch. deep, plant tuberson top as leaves appear add composeand water,do not forget drain holes at sides of tuds, add soil or multi-pourpose as leaves growup to top,after flowering cut Stolons about six to eight inch. keep watering as spuds continue to grow for a week or two let them dry-out, you will be amazed at the crop. wish you well and good luck. j.tate

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              • #8
                What sort of crop are you getting John? If I plant 3 tubers in a large compost bag, what should I expect as a yield? Just trying to work out how many tubs/bags to plant up.
                I find spuds the most complicated thing to grasp as a new GYO'ner...when to plant what etc.
                I have a small bag of chitted Maris Pipers and thats it, can I plant them at reagular intervals or do I need another veriety too?
                Confused!!!!

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                • #9
                  I would plant 2 per compost bag.

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                  • #10
                    I have a couple of surplus black plastic dustbins and I was going to put in a mix of multi-purpose and manure and put 2 potatoes in each. But I hasten to add, I've never grown potatoes before...

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                    • #11
                      Thanks everyone for the advice. I would like not to spend too much so the black sacks sound good. Any further advice on this or on my what to grow when dilema (See 2nd post on this thread) would be most gratefully received.
                      Cheers
                      Sam

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                      • #12
                        Hi Ellasmum
                        I grew in pots and halved compost bags last year (cheap compost bags from Somferfield which I cut in half and rolled back the sides. I did experiment with two in some and three in others, but found I got better larger spuds when I only put in 2. I did find that they fell over sometimes, so I've bought some cheap large pots this year and hoping I get a good crop with them for my salads.
                        ~
                        Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway.
                        ~ Mary Kay Ash

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                        • #13
                          Having seen the potato bin thingy with the lift up section at a potato day I would definitely say don't bother. It was extremely flimsy and very expensive for what it is. It didn't even look aesthetically pleasing up close.

                          At the same day I met someone who uses black bin liners with holes in for drainage. I've planted a few earlies for a friend in a large "tree" pot which can be reused for other things.
                          Bright Blessings
                          Earthbabe

                          If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

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                          • #14
                            I've bought 10 of those B&Q orange buckets, only 98p each, for potatoes, etc.

                            Does anyone see any problems with those?

                            They don't shut out all of the light, do you think they'll need a coat of black paint to stop the potatoes going green?

                            Going to use a few in the green house as well for the bigger plants like cucumbers and melons - They got very pot-bound last year in the black tomato tubs!

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                            • #15
                              Hi - I grew my first potatoes in tubs last year, planted them very late and had a fab crop on Christmas Day - had earlier frozen the carrots I had grown (for the first time, again in tubs!), so nice homegrown veg on Christmas Day.

                              I dont have green fingers although am trying other stuff this year. My mother in law kept on about those barrels with the door - dont bother - expensive gimmick - If I can grow in a tub, so can any five year old, let alone someone with an interest in gardening!!!! Stick to the tubs/compost bags!!!
                              8 chickens, 1 Whippet and a small garden

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