The fun of trash can potatoes!
Experience the fun of trash can gardening with Janice Stillman, Editor of The Old Farmer’s 蜜桃恋人. Potatoes can take up too much room in small gardens, so planting in a large container is a great way to go! See steps to growing potatoes in a trash can.
If you’d like to grow potatoes but don’t want to devote an entire garden bed to them, try growing in containers! Trash cans are deep enough containers for potatoes so they’re the perfect solution.
When to Plant Potatoes
Tradition holds that potatoes should be planted near St. Patrick’s Day for a successful harvest.There’s some truth to the old wives鈥 tale about planting potatoes on St. Patrick’s. It’s not necessarily about the exact date of March 17, but in the fact that planting in March will result in higher yields.
How to Plant Potatoes in a Trash Can
- Order or buy 鈥渟eed potatoes鈥 which are not seeds but tiny potatoes. For beginners, we recommend starting out by growing the smaller new potatoes. The mid or late-season varieties are better choices than early-season types.
- Drill holes in the bottom of the trash can for drainage.
- Set your trash can in a place that gets 4 to 6 hours of sunlight every day.
- Fill the can with half compost and half 鈥渟oilless鈥 potting mix to the trash can. Do NOT use real soil in container growing. If you want to cut back on how much soil you add, you could put recycled water jugs in the bottom. Just make sure you have at least 2 to 3 feet of soil with a 10 to 15 gallon capacity.
- About 24 hours in advance, prepare the seed potatoes. This is called 鈥渃hitting.鈥 Plant small potatoes can be planted whole, but larger ones should be cut into smaller pieces with at least 3 鈥渆yes鈥 (or dimples) per piece. Then allow the cut edges to air dry before planting.
- Bury the seed potatoes about 4 inches under the potting mix/compost about a foot apart. We plant four seed potatoes in each 32-gallon trash can.
- Water the plants and keep the soil moist but not soggy.
- As the plants grow, you have to keep their stems covered, and have extra potting mix to cover or 鈥渕ound鈥 over the stems so they are not exposed to sunlight. (Leave leaves exposed!)
- When the potatoes are ready to harvest, you dig into the trash can and pull out a sample. Then you can simply turn over the can onto a tarp and harvest your goodies!
To learn how to plant and grow potatoes, see our free Potato Guide.
Catherine Boeckmann
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Oh... the eyes go...down? No wonder.....
This is GREAT!! I DO grow trash bucket plants on my balcony -- in 11 gallon Rubbermaids -- holes on the bottom, clean (from store, in 50 pound bags) rocks (actually mine are cheap marble pieces) and NON-treated charcoal briquets on the bottom, a good soil mix and... I have fringe trees, paw paws, blueberries, serviceberries, gingkoes (from seed!) maples (ditto!) and some comestibles all on my (large) balcony --
What purpose were the briquets on the bottom underneat the marble pieces. Just for extra drainage?
The video shows that you should plan these with the cut side down, and the eyes should be up!
When planting my potatoes; I wished I had made notes. I did forget which end goes up or down... after reading other gardening forums- I planted my potatoes in cheap laundry baskets (eliminating the need to punch holes).
I do find a large laundry basket with a smaller frame (did find one at the local dollar store); better as far as soil not seeping through.
Unfortunately, due to poor soil conditions and inability to continue adding soil as the plants grow - I am worried.
I do have some healthy looking potato plants coming out of my baskets.
(Hooray!).
But if your cheap laundry basket is small; then I guess once it is filled, will need to wait for the fruits of labor. :)
I am small family of 3 right now: whatever I get out of my garden, I am happy with.
New Gardener.
Should the drainage holes be just at the bottom or all the way around and up the sides of the can?
Hi Mary, You can drill a couple holes in the sides as well but stick to the bottom six inches or so of the barrel. Whatever you do, don't skip making the holes--drainage is necessary so your potatoes won't rot!
Do you plant more potatoes every 7 inches when you add the next soil?
No, the original plants will continue to grow taller and produce potatoes all the way down their root systems. One good sized seed potato quartered will be all you need to grow a whole trash can full of potatoes.
Have grown potatoes in large plantar for couple years. Last year had 46 potatoes in one pot. Will try the trash can this year.
do you continually get potatoes or get them all at once? does same plant cont. to produce?
