Growing potatoes in a hessian bag

Burlesque_Babe

utter gardening novice/dullard so please forgive this possibly simple question

I've seen a few adverts for growing potatoes in what look like hessian bags with handles. (like these) I have 5 or 6 small ones from work similar to the small supermarket ones which are doing nothing except take up space under the bed and I guess I can use them ? :huh:

What do I need to do to grow my own potatoes in them? Certain type of potatoes? Or just any? Also, do I just buy compost and put it in the bag and water and hope for the best?! Do I feed them with anything?

savemoney

I got 3 this week I just found this in DM

Most seed poattoes will do, Wilkos sell small bags. I got mine online and have them on awindows sill in a window in a old garage

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1263401/Which-celebrity-gardener-bag-win-5-000-charity-prize.html

Gardeners' World Toby Buckland explains how to succeed

Tips for success: Toby Buckland

Easter weekend is the traditional time to plant seed potatoes, which are specially grown to be free of disease.
There are hundreds of varieties, divided into 'earlies' that crop in summer and 'maincrops' for storing, roasting and baking through winter.

Early potatoes can be harvested in June and crop well in large barrels or grow-sacks --anything that's at least 16in deep.
Before planting, set out your seed potatoes on a cool windowsill indoors to trigger them into sprouting.
This process - called chitting - is not strictly necessary but can give them a head start.
Plant when the sprouts are about an inch long. Place a 6in layer of multi-purpose compost in the bottom of your container and bury five tubers, sprout end up, just below the surface.
As the plants grow, keep them well watered, feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser and keep topping up the compost until it is just below the rim of the container. Burying the stems like this triggers the production of more potatoes.
Spuds originated in South America and like it hot, so put containers in the sunniest place you can find.
They are also hungry plants, so blend into the compost a handful of chicken manure pellets or well-rotted farmyard manure (both of which you can buy from garden centres).
Keen growers also spray the leaves with dilute liquid seaweed fertiliser, which improves the flavour.
Where many gardeners go wrong is with the watering - in containers or grow-sacks it's easy to let the compost become dry at the base, so water every few days when the potatoes start to grow until you see a puddle coming out of the base.
They'll be ready for picking when flowers appear on the foliage in summer.

Burlesque_Babe

so do I need particular types of potatoes? I was thinking of just using a couple of small ones in the bag I have from the supermarket? I also need fertiliser and some pellets/manure?

savemoney

I have grown potato peelings in large posts before and got a few good spuds

This was in peat based compost sometimes I make my own home made stuff and mix it

I just make sure they are well watered and also feed them with growmore granules and they been fine

elantan

savemoney is that the singer from depeche mode in your pic?

savemoney

Yes Dave Gahan

Been a big fan since early 80's

elantan

saw them live the other month .... great live ...have you seen them ...sorry bb for taking over

savemoney

Yes saw them in Manchester on 18th and 3 years before that same place, seen them about 6-7 times now, every year they get better heard they were brilliant in London in Feb

savemoney

OP I got Wilkos growmore quite cheap there to feed potatoes, I feed most of my plants with granuals accept hanging baskets with liquid feed

Burlesque_Babe

no problem elantan - nice to see you around hun, haven't seen much of you.

Wow - potato peelings? I've literally just peeled some sprouty potatoes to make the roasties for dinner tonight!

Also a Depeche Mode fan - got Personal Jesu as my ringtone (I wanted Blasphemous Rumours but can't find it!)

Right, so, the basic list (again, apologies for being such an amateur - I can cook it all but not grow it!)

Hessian bag
Bag of compost (just normal stuff?)
Some kind of fertiliser
and.......some kind of pellets? Or is that the same as the fertiliser?

I don't fancy trying B+Q tomorrow but I have a small Asda which has basic plant growing type stuff. Is there anything I should avoid (ie something which is perhaps plant food but not for growing vegetables)

A._Badger

Burlesque_Babe wrote: »

no problem elantan - nice to see you around hun, haven't seen much of you.

Wow - potato peelings? I've literally just peeled some sprouty potatoes to make the roasties for dinner tonight!

Also a Depeche Mode fan - got Personal Jesu as my ringtone (I wanted Blasphemous Rumours but can't find it!)

Right, so, the basic list (again, apologies for being such an amateur - I can cook it all but not grow it!)

Hessian bag
Bag of compost (just normal stuff?)
Some kind of fertiliser
and.......some kind of pellets? Or is that the same as the fertiliser?

I don't fancy trying B+Q tomorrow but I have a small Asda which has basic plant growing type stuff. Is there anything I should avoid (ie something which is perhaps plant food but not for growing vegetables)

Buy a multipurpose compost (B&Q will do fine). Try not to get a real hessian sack (its made of jute and will rot) get a woven plastic one - hessian is for storing potatoes not growing them. Most of the ones in the garden centres sold for growing vegetables in are, in fact, plastic (usually woven polypropylene).

For a fertiliser, forget farmyard manure (I've no idea why the BBB chap recommended that, it's quite low in nutrient value) and instead buy yourself a packet of something like Phostrogen, or any other high Potash fertiliser powder, which you can mix up and apply when you water.

If you don't think you'll remember to feed when you water, or suspect it will be too much effort (it can be a chore when they need watering every day) then buy some slow release fertiliser granules (Osmocote, or the Westland equivalent) and mix those into the compost at the rate indicated on the packet for your size of container.

Good luck!