Christmas Potatoes In Containers

[Spike]

My aim is to have new potatoes for our Christmas dinner. I have ordered the seed potatoes but can I grow them in containers? If they are successful grown this way then what size containers do I need to use? I have a couple of spare dustbins but are these too large? Also what compost should I buy?

[Spike]

Sorry, I have another question.

Reading the post about second cropping potatoes it says to plant the seed potatoes immediately and start harvesting in October. How do I time it so that my potatoes will be ready at Christmas?

[mostlybegrowing]

Hi, I have been growing potatoes in large buckets and large plastic plant pots for 2 years now. Dustbins are perfect, the bigger the container the more room the potatoes have to grow, just put some drainage holes in the side or in the bottom. I use any multipurpose compost to grow them in.

As for potatoes for Christmas, your potatoes will be ready for harvest in October but you can keep them in the dustbins under the soil for harvesting at christmas.

Heres a link which might help you.
http://fothergills.co.uk/en/content/...-potatoes.aspx

Regards
Tracey

[Cookie]

Tracey as I am short of room what size containers do you use to grow your potatoes in?

Is there a good variety for container growing or will any variety of potato do well in containers?

[Simon Newman]

Hi Cookie,

The size of the pot needed depends on how many potatoes you want to grow per pot as well as the variety. Dustbins are ideal for planting 5-6 potatoes in!

[shirlthegirl43]

I plant one tuber to a 10litre black flower bucket (bought from Morrisons) with holes drilled in the bottom. I use multi-purpose compost with a handful of chicken manure pellets.

[AdamF]

Originally Posted by shirlthegirl43

I plant one tuber to a 10litre black flower bucket (bought from Morrisons) with holes drilled in the bottom. I use multi-purpose compost with a handful of chicken manure pellets.

I bought some of them from Morrisons earlier this year for my early potatoes. They were very strong and were pretty cheap to I think

[shirlthegirl43]

Originally Posted by Adam Fletcher

I bought some of them from Morrisons earlier this year for my early potatoes. They were very strong and were pretty cheap to I think

Sold as '8 for 99p' but I have had as many as 16 in a bundle - guess it depends how fed up the person preparing them is They are brill for carrots, dwarf beans and all sorts of stuff. I have a plum tree in one, a golden gage in another and courgettes, squash, sweetcorn growing in them as well as shrubs (I can move them around to decide where they will be planted)

[mostlybegrowing]

Hi cookie,
I bought these a few years ago, giant potato buckets, it doesn't say the litre size, just 40cm diameter.
http://www.suttons.co.uk/pd_569809_G...to_Buckets.htm

Funnily enough I bought another plastic planter (definately bigger than 40cm diameter) as big as I could find from the poundstore for £1.99 and got the biggest harvest out of it this year, so just get the biggest pot you can. I put 4 tubers in each pot. This year I have gone for carlingford variety which is a popular one.

[Amanda.luther]

cookie

I grew earlies in Ikea bags, you dont have to put holes in and just top them off as they come through. You can get about 6 potatoes in one sac.

Amanda

[Cookie]

Originally Posted by shirlthegirl43

I plant one tuber to a 10litre black flower bucket (bought from Morrisons) with holes drilled in the bottom. I use multi-purpose compost with a handful of chicken manure pellets.

I like this option of one seed potato per container. I'm slightly concerned about how much compost I will need if I use a dustbin to plant in. Also I have seen small bags of unusual varieties of potatoes in the garden centres. This would be a good way to try them. Is it best just to grow earlies this way?

I'm sorry. I know this is a christmas potato thread and I'm asking questions about planting next year.