Potato Soil

Bunny200

This being my first years attempt at growing potatoes in containers I've just dug up 3.5kg of new potatoes (not bad as I got them for free!) but now I'm wondering what to do with the soil thats left over, can I use it for other things? I've gone through it and made sure theres no more spuds in there and it looks nice and crumbly and rich and seems such a waste to not use it but I'm never sure about this whole 'crop rotation' thingy so I thought I'd ask the experts. I have a number of options

1.) Save it til the growing season is over and fill up my raised beds which need doing ready for next year. I shall probably be planting salad things (tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, radish, spring onion etc).
2) Keep it for next year to grow more potatoes in?
3) Add it to the compost bin which I only started a few months ago and has lots of kitchen waste in and therefore a bit juicy with lots of flys!


Thanks a lot, I know you guys will have the answers!

carole.uk

i read on here that you shouldn't re-use the soil for other veg etc but can put on the bedding plants etc someting to do with potatoes being greedy re nutrients lol

savemoney

Put it in composter
Re use it in pots and mixed with some other compost. Perhaps add some granule feed
Top up the garden with it

I never throw compost out

Zazen999

carole.uk wrote: »

i read on here that you shouldn't re-use the soil for other veg etc but can put on the bedding plants etc someting to do with potatoes being greedy re nutrients lol

You can reuse it for other veg, so long as it isn't potatoes again.

Carrots, onions, lettuces, beetroot all would happily grow away in old potato soil.

Megansmum

I heard that you can use it on other veg patches, just not for potatoes again until after 3-4 years in case the potatoes had blight, that way by the time you use it again for potatoes enough years have passed to make sure any blight spores are dead. Use it on your raised beds for next years crops and add some compost to give it a nutrient boost.

covgirl

It amazes me that some people don't re-use soil/compost! I can't imagine how growing your own could be cost effective if you treat it as disposable!

Personally, as long as the plants weren't diseased with anything that's going to affect the next crop, I happily reuse it, and I've never had any problems. Yesterday when I emptied some of my spuds I put the compost into my strawberry planter with a little home-made compost.

TonyMMM

Having just harvested one of my potato bags, I took the compost out, added feed (blood, fish and bone) and some water retaining granules ...mixed it well together and put most of it back in the bag - which now has a pumpkin plant growing away strongly in it.

jabba4

I always grow carrots as a follow on crop after I've harvested the potatoes from their tubs. Never had a problem.

valk_scot

I use spent potting compost as a top dressing on my raised beds. I just don't use potato compost anywhere near the bed I'll grow potatoes in next year.

Bunny200

Thanks for all the advice, I'll put some in the compost bin and some on the raised beds when they are needed. I'm learning a bit more all the time!

HappyIdiotTalk

Hello, I've got 3 Poundland garden rubbish bags full of compost that I used for potatoes, and a load of grow bags that i used for tomatoes. I was going to switch the potato compost for the tomato compost next year and adding some appropriate feed to boost the nutrient levels that each crop will need.

I take it this is OK, as I dont want to have to spend a fortune on compost again.

Assuming it is, what sort of feed do potatoes want? I just used tomato feed on them this year and although the potatoes were delish, the plants on top of the soil went crazy (we're talking jack and bean stalk crazy here).

PS, I can only grow in grow bags and pots ect as I have no back garden to speak of.