Growing potatoes in a bag?

17 years ago

I heard somewhere one time that one can cut a slit in a bag of potting soil and grow a potato plant right in the bag. Does this method really work? If so, would it work for onions as well? I really want to experiment with growing some potatoes and onions but I haven't yet built my raised bed at my new house and by the time I get it done, it will be too late for potatoes and onions. What kind of soil and what size of bags do you use. If this is not a good method, are there any other good, inexpensive ways to grow potatoes and onions in containers? I am not expecting an enormous yield here. Thanks in advance for any information.

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Comments (9)

helptxgal
17 years ago
This for sure unusual idea. I guess you punch holes in bottom for to drain or water make potato rot. Why not regular pot same as for flower? I would not buy costly poting mix since these vegtables ordinary grow in feilds.
Why do bed have to be raised? In my country we grow taro in just ground, not raised. Belief me you dont have to worry about enormous yield if you plant in plastic sacks.
reallivefarie
17 years ago
I have never done this, but I have read about it may times.

If you take a large trash can (with drainage holes drilled in) and fill it with 10-12 inches of soil. Then you plant your seed potatoes eye up (I think it was eye up....) I cant remember how many you can plant, but I seam to remember that they can be pretty close together. Then as the plant grows a bit you fill up the trash can up to the first set of leaves (the more roots they have the more potatoes they produce). You continue to do this until the dirt is above the trash can line in a mound. Make sure that the mound is lower around the edge of the trash can so that you can water. Then when ever you want to harvest the potatoes just dig down a bit and you have potatoes. Or you can dump everything out onto a tarp and get them all at once. There is another way to do it with wire caging and straw, but it seams much more complicated than filling up a trash can.

Onions can be easily be grown in containers, it can be a small operation with one onion per small plastic pot or much larger. My grandfather grows all sorts of stuff in plastic feed troughs with holes drilled in, meant for horses and cattle purchased at the local hardware store. I would imagine that one or two feed troughs for give you plenty of onions. As an added bonus they are raised almost to waist height so you donÂt have to bend down hardly at all. I use old black heavy duty nursery pots for my plants. They arenÂt pretty but they were free and work great.

I wouldnÂt personally grow potatoes in a bag, because you would have no way to Âmound upÂ the soil, therefore increasing your yield . I have herd of people doing this with tomatoes pretty successfully so I guess you could use it for onions, but I think it would be easer and more successfully donÂt in containers.

Either way good luck and congratulations on the new house.
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OK, you caught my attention on this one. I actually thought I would plant one per bag, 20 bags - I usually plant - 20 in-ground plants and it is enough for us for all summer long - we just finished our last potatoes 2 days ago. So do you think planting like 3-4 potatoes in a large bag is more productive than plant one in a smaller one? In the ground, I plant them 1 foot apart, but they have about 3 feet - my bed width - in other direction, and I pick some potatoes right at the edge of the bed... The problem is, I am not sure I can find 3 feet wide space for the large bags. If I have it, it would be already a bed, ha-ha). So in your opinion, what size of the bag and number of potatoes in it will give results closer to in-ground production keeping in mind size limitation of max 2 feet in width per bag?
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ashcrest
17 years ago
The best way seems to be the "Potatoes in a Barrel" method,the mininum container size is a half of a barrel.

The narrower the barrel the better.

The sack goes inside the barrel and is lowered slowly into the barrel as the plant grows. You need the barrel to keep the sack from "flopin' over"

See the attached link, for one method.

Glen

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing potatoes in a barrel
maryt_gardener
17 years ago
Just in case you are still interested in growing in bags. I had this link bookmarked on my pc and it might interest you. This guy grows all his veggies in grocery bags pretty much. Not very pretty, but seems it works.
check it out: http://www.poojyum.com/pics/veggie?&page=1
RowanSGrowin
17 years ago
My Daughter and I (and her kindergarten class) will be doing potatoes in a smartpot this year. I never tried it but looked very easy to do and perfect for our urban setting.

i have put a link for the actual company that makes the smart pot. but if you look at gardeners supply company they have that they tested the smart pot and got a great yield--13 pound harvest from a 15 gallon pot:

http://www.gardeners.com/Potato-Bag/default/36-629.prd

Here is a link that might be useful: smart pot website
RowanSGrowin
17 years ago
I keep trying to resend another post with the correct smart pot website but it won't let me. so here's my last try

Here is a link that might be useful: smart pot corrected website info
lilacs_of_may
16 years ago
I got the Smart Pot, and I planted three potatoes into it last Sunday. They said up to four, but I decided to just go with three. The rest of my seed potatoes will go into a raised bed.
containergardening
15 years ago
Here is another link to the Smart Pot website that talks more about container growing potatoes

Here is a link that might be useful: Container Gardening
bill_weese
13 years ago
A friend grows potatoes in a bag, she uses the woven
bags like feed come in, she cuts a few slits near the bottom to help let out excess water, she rolls the bags edges
down (kinda like upside down cuffs on pants) and puts in the soil and plants the potato, as it grows she unrolls the bag and adds more soil (which is the same as Hilling)

gets tons of potatoes. and the bags are re-used.