Anna Corbett has run lots of sessions at the Workshop sharing creative ideas with plants and planting, and during the lockdown and beyond, she is offering to help answer any gardening questions women may have. You can ask on Facebook or email info@womensworkshop.net and we will pass on your questions – or you can comment on this post too.

Today Anna is sharing how to grow potatoes in containers…..

“Traditionally potatoes are planted on Good Friday…according to folklore the ‘devil is looking the other way’ then, so ensuring good growing! Or it could be that has been a day when workers usually had a day off, so had the time to spend it planting.

Equipment needed

• Container / bag
• Some drainage materials * see below
• Compost
• 3 potatoes
• Gloves (optional)
• Trowel

The container needs to be

• At least 30cm deep
• Minimum 30cm diameter
• Strong
• Drainage holes in the bottom

Some examples could be (*remember drainage holes*)

• Large plastic pot (something like a waste paper basket)
• Strong plastic sack, eg a bag that had compost in it. Ordinary bin liner no good, not strong enough
• Large bucket
• Deep wooden box / crate; needs a liner, plastic bin bag with holes would be ok

Where to put it?

Outside in a sunny, sheltered spot is best. Should get minimum 4 hours sunlight if possible

What to fill it with?

• Multipurpose potting compost – either purchased or home made.
• Fertile garden soil, mixed with garden compost, well-rotted manure, or an organic fertiliser such as chicken manure pellets.

The potatoes

It’s normally considered best practice to use potatoes sold especially for growing, not the ones used for cooking. This is because of the small risk of the potatoes carrying disease. They may still be available from online gardening suppliers but you may not be able to obtain so-called ‘seed’ potatoes, as all the regular gardeners will have already scooped them up.

However, in these emergency times, using any potatoes would work! The best size to use is about the same as a hen’s egg.

Some people suggest using ‘early’ varieties, as they are quicker to grow and do not produce such bulky foliage. Others use ‘maincrop’ varieties successfully. Again, if you can’t get early varieties, use whatever you have and see what happens

Timing

March / April is the perfect time to start. You can carry on planting up to the middle /end of July and still get something to harvest this season.

Planting

The number of potato tubers you can plant will depend on the size of the container. Try five in a dustbin-sized container, three in an old compost bag, one in a 30 cm diameter container.

1. Put a layer of ‘crocks’ (broken pots or crockery) in the base of the pot to ensure good drainage. Use chunky bits of polystyrene packaging if you don’t have a supply of broken pots or coarse gravel. If you don’t have anything suitable, leave out this step – the potatoes will still grow.
2. Add 4-10cm of your chosen compost (depending on the depth of the container). Place the tubers on this, equally spaced around the container. Cover with 10-20cm of the same compost. Keep topping up and covering the potato shoots as they grow. Don’t worry about covering the leaves, this actually encourages them to grow more. Continue this ‘earthing up’ process until the compost is just below the rim of the container. It’s important to leave a small gap so you can add water without it spilling over the edge

Watering

Both over and under watering are possible pitfalls. A consistent water supply is best, especially when the plants are flowering and tubers are forming.  The amount will vary according to how large your container is and much it rains. The larger the container, the less often you need to water.

A rough guide for a medium size container is

  Harvesting

Potatoes are usually ready to harvest after about 12-14 weeks depending on what the weather’s like. If you plant potatoes in March they will normally be ready to harvest in July / August. Later plantings will be ready in September/October.

If the leaves start dying back this is a sign that they are ready to eat, and is completely normal! Most of the potatoes should be about the size of a hen’s egg when ready.

You can harvest a few at a time by just pushing your hand into the compost and feeling for the largest ones, or tip the whole lot out and harvest all at once.

Using

Potatoes grown this way are best used fresh rather than stored. They are just like new potatoes – delicious in a salad with some home grown chives and parsley with a yoghurt dressing! Or try them boiled or steamed then serve with fresh mint and a little butter.

Further info

https://giveitagrow.gardenorganic.org.uk/sites/giveitagrow.gardenorganic.org.uk/files/GrowingPotatoesInContainers.pdf