Potatoes In Bag, Barrels, Sacks And Crates

Vertical cultivation of potatoes is quite common among gardeners. By planting a dozen tubers in several bags, large bags, crates, or barrels, you can eventually get the harvest in several buckets of potatoes. If you also think so but do not want to forget the incredible taste of your young potatoes, try to grow it in a bag, box or barrel – the result will certainly please you.

The advantages of growing potatoes vertically

It is this method that allows you to get the fastest harvest (of course, when choosing early maturing varieties) because mobile “seedbeds” warm up the fastest.

There is no need to pile potatoes and fight against weeds – the dream of every lazy gardener! This way of growing potatoes is also suitable for those who have a small plot. Barrels and boxes with potatoes will help to give the site an original appearance.

When growing potatoes in bags and barrels, the root system of the plant grows much longer than when planting potatoes the usual way. And since the number of roots depends on how many tubers are formed, the harvest will always be excellent.

And the most interesting thing – potatoes in buckets and large flower containers can be successfully grown not in the garden or vegetable garden, and at home – a sunny loggia or balcony will do.

In addition, potatoes in vertical beds:

• it is convenient to plant;
• can be irrigated and fertilized sparingly;
• there is no need to dig out the harvest (formed tubers are simply poured out of the containers together with the ground).

And it is also a question of recycling materials (unnecessary containers, old bags, sacks, barrels), and thus, care for the environment. At the same time, vertical seedbeds for potatoes can be very diverse. For example:

• plastic, metal, wooden barrels;
• old tires from wheels;
• fabric and synthetic bags;
• large black garbage bags, taped bags;
• large flower pots;
• old buckets.

How do you grow potatoes in barrels?

With time any barrels become unusable. You can no longer pour water, if, for example, the bottom of the barrel has lost weight. Mostly, it concerns metal containers. But plastic containers can suffer from mechanical damage.

If metal barrels are old, have an untidy appearance, then it makes sense to paint them before planting potatoes. In this case, you can show creativity and imagination by creating beautiful pictures or original ornaments on the outside of this container.

If there are few holes at the bottom of the metal barrel, make them with a nail and hammer. For this effect on the plastic barrel, you can use a drill with a drill bit or heat a nail and carefully make holes in the bottom of the barrel. If you will place the barrel horizontally to grow potatoes, then make holes for water flow on the side of the barrel, and on the other side – larger ones to plant potatoes.

The bottom of the vertically placed container is filled with a drainage layer of 15-20 cm. These may be small stones and broken bricks (for horizontal “beds,” this and subsequent layers should be less high).

On top of the drainage can be placed cut grass, chopped straw, fallen leaves, compost to a height of 30-50 cm. Then, light fertile soil with a layer of approximately 15 cm should be poured into the barrel.

Primer is well watered from the watering can. For 5 liters of water would be good to add 1 tbsp. of potassium humate. You can also spill this vertical bed of water with universal liquid mineral fertilizer.

On the surface of this layer of soil layout the tubers with eyes upwards at a distance of 15 cm from each other. From above, the potatoes are covered with the earth – 15 cm.

When the seedlings are 2 weeks old, produce the first “pelletizing”. To do this, just put the ground under the bushes. Then also act two or three more times. As a result, the potatoes will be well covered with earth, which stimulates the formation of additional roots and tubers, while the roots do not turn green.

Since the barrels are limited in size, it is important to water them in time, because the land here will quickly dry out. It is better to install such mobile seedbeds in advance where something shades them so that the soil does not overheat. At the same time, the seedlings should always be in the light.

Growing potatoes in sacks, bags, and pouches

All recommendations for planting and growing potatoes in barrels are also relevant for potatoes in bags and bags. Large glued bags, flour and sugar bags, large and dense garbage bags will do. These containers do not take up much space, they can be placed on the free area, wherever the dacha wants.

To make it easier to “dig” potatoes planted in this way, you can cut a rectangular hole at the bottom of the bag or bag. To this flap is attached Velcro, paired elements are sewn around the cut out hole. Then you can sometimes see if the harvest has finished, and if necessary, take a few large potatoes, leaving the bush to grow further.

Tires from the machine – “seedbeds” for potatoes

If it is possible to use tires from the wheels, they will also get a wonderful vertical bed for potatoes. You can install several pieces at once on top of each other, or build such a “tower of Pisa” gradually, as the potatoes grow.

First, you need to dig up the ground by the diameter of the wheel, put fertilizer or compost in the soil. Then plant the potatoes with eyes up. Now you need to put a tire around it and fill it up with light soil.

When the shoots will grow to a height of 15 cm, the top of the first tire puts the second. The ground will also be poured into it, it will be “pelleted” at the same time.

You can stop there, but it is better to use another 1-2 tires and also sprinkle the ground as the potatoes grow. The harvest will surely make you happy.

Planting potatoes in buckets, large flower pots

This way you can get your potatoes even in a city apartment. If you have two large plastic pots slightly different in size, then cut rectangular holes on the sides of the small one. Then it will be easier to collect potatoes as they mature (first extract the large tubers, and the small ones leave to grow further).

It is also possible to plant potatoes in ordinary flower pots of great capacity. Also suitable for this purpose are buckets of 10 liters. Someone can grow potatoes in this way at home, others will use this idea at the cottage. The main thing is to provide the potatoes with as much sunlight as possible.

Potatoes in wooden crates, boxes

You can make a wooden box for growing potatoes with your own hands. You need to take four bars and place them vertically. They will be at the corners of the box. From the outside, they are stuffed with planks. You can immediately provide a door at the bottom of the box so that then opening it to extract the grown tubers.

And if you have factory-made wooden boxes, for example, in which the nails were sold, you can use them or any other. The features of growing potatoes inboxes are the same as when they are planted in barrels.