How to Plant and Grow Container Potatoes

Bucket Potatoes

Potatoes are easy to grow, and you can have fun growing them in an enclosed space. Planting your potatoes in a clean barrel, new plastic garbage can or another container lets you grow an abundant crop even if you have a small garden. A plastic container is a good choice, because it won't rust. Wait to plant your potatoes until about two weeks after the last average frost date in your region. Be sure to purchase certified seed potatoes; if you use potatoes from the grocery store, they may not grow properly and you increase the chance of disease problems.

Things You'll Need

• Large trash can, barrel, bucket or tub
• Power drill with 1/2-inch drill bit
• Garden soil
• Compost
• Slow-release fertilizer
• Water-soluble fertilizer

Instructions

1. Drill several 1/2-inch holes in the bottom of your container to provide drainage. Drill a few holes in the side of your container, about 1/2 inch from the base, recommends garden expert Ciscoe Morris.

2. Fill your container about 6 inches deep with a mixture of potting soil and compost. Add a handful of slow-release fertilizer.

3. Place your seed potatoes on the soil, spaced three to five inches apart. Plant small seed potatoes whole; cut larger ones into two or three pieces, making sure each has at least one sprout (eye). Cover your potatoes with an inch of your soil mixture. Water your newly planted potatoes.

4. Add compost to your container when the potato vines reach 3 to 4 inches tall. Cover all but an inch of the vines with the compost. Add more compost when the vines grow another 3 or 4 inches. Continue until the vines are an inch or two from the top of your container. Place wood or bamboo stakes in the container. As the vines grow out of the container, tie them to the stakes.

5. Feed your potatoes regularly with a water-soluble fertilizer, after your slow-release fertilizer diminishes in about two months. Water your potatoes regularly so the bottom soil doesn't dry out, but be careful not to overwater.

6. Harvest young "new" potatoes from your container when the vines flower. Dig around under the soil and pick the tiny potatoes. Let some potatoes grow to full maturity. Harvest them when the vines die back at the end of summer. Pull up the dead plants and pick off the potatoes. Store the potatoes in a dark, cool spot.

Tips & Warnings

• You don't have to keep adding soil to your container if you don't want a large crop of potatoes. Instead, fill your container about halfway with your soil mix, plant the seed potatoes and let the plants grow to maturity.

References

• Gardening with Ciscoe: Growing Potatoes in a Container
• NC State University Cooperative Extension: Plant Potatoes Now for Spring Harvest
• The San Diego Union-Tribune: Potatoes a Good Fit for Containers
• Mother Earth News: When and How to Plant Potatoes