I've read something like this at one time. I was going to try it using 5 gallon buckets. Will be interesting to try along with another method. One of the things I remember reading said to put a layer of rocks on the bottome of the bucket incase the water is slow leaking out, the taters don't sit in water long.

I have only a little experience with growing potatoes in containers, but I'd say, go for it!

I garden somewhat normally most of the time but just have to try a few experiments every year. This spring I had some sprouted potatoes and an empty pot...Hmmm, what to do?

The sprouts were cut off with a bit of potato and left for a few days to dry and heal (or whatever potato growers call that process) The pot was filled 1/3 full with old potting mix/soil and the sprouted pieces were put in and barely covered. As they grow up, soil and leaves were added leaving only the top few inches of potato growth showing. I'd heard this encouraged the potato to continue to form potatoes all along the stem and wondered if it really worked. The additions continued until the soil was an inch from the top of the pot. Then the plant was left to finish growing. I had to water frequently as the small pot dried out easily. The pot was about 12 inches across and 12 inches deep...much smaller than a 5 gallon bucket. I probably should have fertilized as the plants did not have the typical deep green of healthy pototo plants....but I don't think I did. I also was not alway on top of the watering. So I didn't know what to expect when the tops died without flowering.

Did I killl them or were they just done growing anyway?

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(Those sticks in the pots were to help the plants stay upright on my windy deck...they aren't pototo growth :))

Well, only one way to find out if the experiment was a success. Time to dig those 'taters up....er dump those 'taters out.

Hurrah! They DID grow!

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And the 1 foot by 1 foot pot worked okay after all.

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If mine did this well with old produce department potatoes, poor potting mix/soil, a small pot, and mediocre care, I'd guess most people could end up with a reasonable harvest. If you have some pots or bags give it a try.

Hot Diggity Dog!!!!!!!!!! Those are some mighty fine looking taters!! Gives me LOTS of hope for my "in the works" potato project going on right now!! And I think I have one of those exact pots - got it from Lowe's I think!! I am feeling the need to put a fingerling potato or 2 in that pot!! THANKS for the pics and the inspiration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been growing potatoes in a 2' wide commercial planter for years, and they work out well. I follow the basic plan that NatureGirl describes. the original potatoes were plain old whites from the local store, and I get a range of sizes like in the picture. Dead leaves just mean that your tater is done!

--Rr

Oh, wow. That is a very impressive crop. Gives me hope.

Mine never flowered, either, although a couple plants produced buds. I thought maybe that's why I didn't have a great harvest. But that's apparently not the answer.

I'll try the buckets and bags next year. I suppose I should use container mix, though, instead of garden soil. I wonder what would happen if I planted them in compost?

Just remember, my pot is only 12 inches across. I was thrilled with the harvest, but the photo may make them look larger than they were, especially if you are thinking with a "large pot" persepective. Several were good sized, like purchased potatoes, but none were huge, and several were quite small. At least there were "several" :)

The compost might be good for growing. I'd stay with something that drains well and doesn't compact. Most everything I added was very loose and soft. Some was garden soil mixed with leaves, other was second time use container mix with partly done compost. My garden has heavy clay and pototoes do NOT do well there.

I'm experimenting with potatoes in an old shopping trolley (lined with hessian & with bagged gardening soil + manure + straw), but I think I screwed up by not leaving my starter potatoes to sprout enough before I threw them in. No sign of potato plants from those yet...

At the same time though I dug a good-sized potato plant that had sprouted in my compost and threw it into the trolley, and it's growing very happily. My problem of course is that it's hard to 'hill up' the compost potato while I'm still waiting to see if my other potatoes will sprout through the straw. Didn't think that through very well, but oh well. If I get any sort of harvest out of the compost potato I'll call the experiment a success & do a bit more research for next year!

Those look like russets, which are super-productive (thanks, Luther!); about double most of my other varieties. They are also my least favorite for eating.

IME, potato has perhaps the greatest potential for variation in yield of any crop. The world record for a single plant is over 300 lbs. Compare that with the cases of plants that produce little or nothing growing a few feet away from plants that have more normal yield - a common occurrence in droughty conditions, I find. If you have the luxury of keeping the plants constantly moist - or live in a place with a constantly moist growing season (ireland sound familiar?) - you can't really miss.

If there is any advantage to containers I think it's only in containing the moisture.

Just after I left that message I poked my nose into my potato trolley and found sprouts coming out of ALL the tubers I planted- gardening likes to teach me not to speak too soon I guess :)

Here is a link that might be useful: My potatoes in a hessian-lined trolley

I purchased a potato bag from Gardener's Supply Company last year. I planted Red Bliss spuds in it, and had great success. Well, I had some success, but I knew it wouldve been great had I been home to water rather than on my honeymoon, and my town didnt impose a $1,000 watering ban fine after a mill burned down. I did get about 6 or 7 baseball sized potatoes out of it, so I know the thing works. My growing medium was 1/2 top soil, and 1/2 lobster compost. Mixed it together in a 5 gallon bucket, placed a 2" layer at the bottom of the bag, put the spuds in, and covered it w. another 2". Watered, and waited. Of course, fill in the bag gradually as the plants grow, leaving only the leaves exposed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardener's Potato Bag

When planting in pots, is it okay do you think to use just regular potting soil instead of adding anything else to it? I've got a huge bag of Miracle-Gro organic potting soil that could easily fill up my pot, but I'm unsure if I should mix it with anything else? Keep in mind that my choices of mixing are pretty much limited to regular dirt from my yard.

Also, would the pots need to be outside when the plant is still sprouting under the soil? Like should I start putting it outside as soon as it's planted or would keeping it indoors until it starts coming out of the dirt work?

Potatoes need a pH of around 5.5-6.0, and regular potting soil I think may be too alkaline for them. Maybe potting soil w. some garden sulfur mixed in?

Well, after reading your post, I called Miracle-Gro and asked them what the pH level was. They said between 5.5 and 7.0, so I'm guessing that the pH level should be suitable enough. However, I've still gotta mix it with some dirt or something because, according to them, it's too dense, so I can't just use it in pots.

You could mix dried leaves or straw in with some potting soil and add it as the pototoes grow. Just leave the top 6 inches or so above the covering. The leaves or straw will keep the growing mix very soft and allow the potatoes to grow well.

Thanks, naturegirl. I planted them today. I put down a layer of rocks in the pot, then some eggshells and coffee grounds. After that, I put in a mixture of potting soil and leaves. Then I put the potatoes tubers around an inch or so down. Hopefully it'll work.

One thing that I'm still wondering though is if I need to put them in sunlight when they're still in the soil and not yet a plant plant. Maybe someone has that answer.

I'm planning to plant potatoes this upcoming Spring for the first time and have a question.

I'll set them out in a raised bed and once they sprout, I'm planning to use five-gallon buckets with a hole cut in the bottom for their culture. The plants can grow through the hole in the bottom, and the bucket will contain the developing potatoes above the soil line. Leaf-mulch will be easy to add as they grow.

In thinking about it, I've been more concerned about the depth of the bucket than its 15" diameter. The buckets are about 15" tall, too. Will this provide enough room for the developing potatoes? I read someplace that potato plants can grow 2-5 feet tall from the roots! Is that true? Should I get a taller container? Naturegirl's container sure wasn't that tall, and she got taters!

Anyway, just wondering.

Elliot, you can have the container in the sun or out of the sun when the potatoes are still underground. If they grow above ground before you put them in the sun, the sprouts will be whitish, not green, just like the ones that start growing on the pototoes I store in a dark kitchen cupboard too long :) I'd guess the white sprouts could be damaged if you suddenly put them into bright sunlight. Just put the whole thing out in the sun right from the start. If for some reason you can't, provide shade for the sprouts the first few days if the sun is bright. With tomatoes and other transplants, I sometimes set lawn chairs in the garden to provide shade or stick an old umbrella nearby for some shading.

Anney, you can continue piling up soil, straw, or whatever for quite aways and pototoes will continue to form along the stem. I'm not sure just how many feet tall you can go. If you don't keep piling up soil the plants form potatoes just fine...maybe not so many....but maybe the ones they form are larger and ready sooner. Sometimes school gardens grow potatoes surrounded by old tires. They continue to stack and fill as the potatoes grow. To harvest the crop, the students knock the tire towers over, no digging needed. Kids love it! Most of the ones I've seen have ended up 3 tires tall.

I don't think there is only one way to grow pototoes. Just have fun with them. Of course, if mine don't grow well, I can still go and buy food to eat. If gardening/farming is more for subsistance you may need to be more conventional.

Seems like a lot of work and effort. Taters are pretty easy to grow - about as difficult as radishes. Generally, I just get a bucket of dirt or cinders (cinders are crushed lava rock - we got a LOT of that around here) push a few potato pieces in the top and set it out somewhere so it will get sun and rain. Old five gallon plastic buckets with holes in the bottom work well. The potato vines will grow and then they will die back, when they die back, kick over the bucket and pick the spuds out. Push all the dirt back in and do it again.