Taters in Buckets..

[lupinfarm]

I have some of those big home depot mixing buckets, the white ones with the orange home depot name on the side that they have in the paint section. I think they're 5 gallons, but I couldn't say for sure.

I know people have planted their taters in buckets, and I'd like to do that this year to save some space in the garden since I'm doing raised beds (finally!). Would these buckets be big enough? Suggestions for best kind of potato to plant this way (that is available for purchase in Ontario, Canada)? Soil type to use? I'll probably get some bagged soil for this purpose, and I have some manure on hand. Last year I just planted straight into the ground with my taters without augmenting the soil at all and got pretty good results.

 

[vfem]

Here are my potatoes in buckets:

I'm using potato seeds I cut from potatoes from the store. Just white potatoes since I used them for roasting and potato salads during the summer. I do storage potatoes (russet) for my second planting so I can save those for the winter.

I put straw at the bottom of the bucket, then dirt with the potatoes, then another layer of straw, when the potatoes pop up, I start adding more layers of dirt and straw. Last year was a test run and I did 1 bucket. I was happy to say 2 potato seeds in 1 bucket gave me about 5-6 lbs of potatoes.

As I'm not trying to do a huge amount of potatoes, and I rather used my raised beds for other things, this worked out really well for my layout. And I even had room for 3 buckets this year.

*Don't forget to drill holes for drainage!!!

 

[lupinfarm]

Awesome vfem! I, too, don't want to waste space in my raised beds since I'm going to be having only 12 raised beds and a small variety of vegetables (mostly things like lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, beans, peas, and raspberries). I can run the buckets down one side of my garden, so I could probably fit in 10 or 15 buckets of potatoes...

Russets for storing? I can get those as seed potatoes here, I don't know when I'm going to Costco so I don't know if I'd have enough time to sprout my own potatoes. We bought Costco taters a while ago and I left them in the under the stairs cabinet in our kitchen and they all sprouted lots of eyes! Shame it was like February... lol

 

[Rusty]

Hey! This is a nifty idea! We have heavy clay and even sweet potatoes didn't make it for me. Hmmm. One thing I've got is lots of empty 5 gal buckets (we just repainted the barn!) and this would be a great use for them. Can I use something besides straw? No source of that here, at least not that I am aware of. Can I use shavings? Hay?

Great, great idea! Thanks!

Rusty

:tools

 

[vfem]

Hey! This is a nifty idea! We have heavy clay and even sweet potatoes didn't make it for me. Hmmm. One thing I've got is lots of empty 5 gal buckets (we just repainted the barn!) and this would be a great use for them. Can I use something besides straw? No source of that here, at least not that I am aware of. Can I use shavings? Hay?

Great, great idea! Thanks!

Rusty

:tools

You can go without any straw at all. I just use it to help with drainage... which I don't know is even an issue. Its just something I started doing!? If in question... just leave it out.

LupinFarm, I just look for fresh potatoes with eyes... NO SPROUT, then cut them so there is at least 1 eye on each piece I cut. Then I let them sit on the counter and scab for about 2-3 days before I plant them. That's it! No time to wait at all.

 

[Gonzo & The Peeps]

I'm gonna try it! I've pretty much limed my yard due to the chicken poo smell, so buckets it is! :tools ....I saw a bee yesterday! :bee

 

[bills]

If you use the home depot buckets just make sure you have drilled some drain holes in them!

I use the black 5 gallon garden nursery containers, and simply added garden dirt as the green leaves grew upwards. I was quite impressed with this method, and will do it again this year.

I too simply used some grocery store spuds that had eyes sprouting on them.

I don't think I would use wood shavings Rusty. Straight loamy garden soil is fine.

 

[lupinfarm]

ohmygosh, bills you've reminded I have a BUNCH of those huge pots from planting fruit trees for the last couple years

 

[PotterWatch]

I just bought some organic potatoes, both fingerling and regular. I got some red, purple, and white. I am going to plant some here at my house in buckets since it looks so easy, and the rest are going to be planted directly in the ground at my plot at the local community garden.

 

[Rusty]

I don't think I would use wood shavings Rusty. Straight loamy garden soil is fine.

There in lies the problem. I do not have loamy garden soil. I am currently filling beds with my manure pile because the "soil" here is nonexistent. It is clay with a pH of 4.2 to 4.5. A 1' hole filled with water takes a couple of days to drain. I've tried gardening in it and adding compost but it just eats the compost without ever improving. It's taken me the better part of 5 years to establish ordinary bermudagrass pasture.

LOL last year I spent a couple of hundred and bought "top soil". It was still all clay. This year I am going for the raised beds. Hopefully after the beds have heated up and cooled back down, what remains will be fit to grow in. That's my plan anyhow.

I would use stuff from the manure pile for potatoes but I always thought spuds don't like manure.

Rusty

:rainbow-sun