Growing potatoes in a grow bag is perfect if you have limited space. Growing potatoes without the need for a traditional garden bed can improve space usage. With minimal investment in materials and just a bit of effort, you can enjoy the satisfaction of harvesting your own homegrown potatoes. Here we’ll cover everything you need to know before you start growing potatoes in bags.
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Choosing the right materials will jumpstart your success. While we have even seen people use plastic garbage bags, we don’t recommend it. Plastic bags will not provide adequate air circulation. Our favorite bags for growing potatoes are fabric grow bags. They are breathable and incredibly strong.
Grow bags come in a variety of sizes. You can do several small ones or go with large 50 gallon or 200 gallon bags.
The size of your potato grow bag is essential. You need to give your potatoes enough space to grow strong and healthy. A recommended size for a grow bag is a minimum of 25 gallons, which is spacious enough for tubers to develop without overcrowding. You can adjust the size depending on the number of potato plants you would like to grow. If you’d like a sizable harvest we recommend using a 50 gallon or larger.
Good drainage is vital for potatoes, especially when growing in a bag. You want to prevent waterlogging, which can lead to root rot. This is one of the benefits of the fabric grow bags because the fabric drains evenly there is no chance of water pockets causing your seed potatoes to rot before they sprout. They drain much more evenly than pots with drainage holes.
When choosing seed potato varieties for growing in a bag, consider the type and variety that works best for your needs. Early spring varieties, such as 'Swift' or 'Rocket,' are ideal for growing in bags. They have a shorter growing season and produce a smaller, more manageable harvest. For bigger storage potatoes yukon gold and russet are excellent choices.
For a more organic approach, consider selecting organic seed potatoes to ensure that your crop is free from chemicals and pesticides. You can order seed potatoes online and we often see them at our local garden centers, too. Avoid using store potatoes from your average grocery stores. These can carry disease that will only appear as the plants grow or when your are harvesting potatoes.
Before planting your seed potatoes in a bag, it's time to go through the chitting process. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of chitting. It’s a simple process and just means the practice of encouraging the potatoes' eyes to sprout before planting. This helps to speed up the growth process once they are in the bag, leading to an earlier harvest.
To chit your seed potatoes, follow these simple steps:
By selecting the best type of potato and following the chitting process, you're setting yourself up for a successful harvest of potatoes grown in a bag. This is particularly important if you are only planting a smaller amount. The more you can guarantee success, the better.
Growing potatoes in a bag is a simple and effective way to produce your own crop without the need for a traditional garden. In this section, we will cover how to prepare your bag for planting, with a focus on adding the correct medium and employing the layering technique.
To start, you will need to prepare a suitable growing medium for your potatoes. A combination of soil and compost is ideal to ensure proper drainage and provide essential nutrients for your plants. Mix even parts of garden soil and compost, aiming for a loose, well-aerated texture..
Fill your bag with the prepared soil-compost mixture up to around 4 inches (10 cm) deep. This layer will act as the base for your potato plants.
This method involves planting your potato seedlings in layers to maximize space and yield in the bag. Begin by placing your seed potatoes evenly spaced on top of the soil, with their sprout side facing upwards. We recommend using 3-4 seed potatoes for a 25 gallon bag.
Next, cover the seed potatoes with another layer of the soil-compost mixture, roughly 4 inches (10 cm) deep. As your potato plants grow through this layer, keep adding more soil around the stems, leaving the top few leaves exposed.
Continue to layer soil around the stems as they grow, until you reach the top of the bag. This layering technique helps encourage the formation of more tubers along the length of the stem, increasing your harvest. Remember to water your potatoes regularly but take care not to over-water, as overly moist conditions can lead to rot.
Potatoes need ample sunlight to grow well. Make sure to provide at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day for optimal growth. If you're growing potatoes in a bag on a patio or balcony, select a spot that receives the most sunlight throughout the day. Be cautious of placing the bag in areas with too much shade, as this can hinder growth and yield.
Pay close attention to the frost dates in your area, as potatoes are sensitive to frost. To avoid frost damage, plant potatoes about two weeks after the last expected spring frost. For fall potatoes, count backwards from your first expected frost date. Ensure that the expected maturity days for your chosen variety will occur in plenty of time for your potatoes to get big before fall cold sets in.
Choose a well-draining location for your potato bag to ensure excess water can escape. You can either place the bag directly on the ground or elevate it using a pallet or sturdy table. If you have limited outdoor space, such as a small patio or balcony, be sure to:
Growing potatoes in a bag is a convenient and space-saving method, but it's essential to protect your crop from various issues that can harm your plants. In this section, we'll discuss facing pest problems, and handling rot issues to ensure a successful harvest.
Dealing with pests is inevitable when growing any vegetables, and potatoes are no exception. The most common pest you may encounter while growing potatoes in a bag is the Colorado potato beetle. These beetles can cause severe damage to your potato leaves, affecting the overall growth of your plants. To keep these pests at bay, you can:
Remember to keep a watchful eye on your potato plants and act quickly if you notice any signs of pests.
Rot is another problem that can arise when growing potatoes. To prevent rot in your potato crops, follow these steps:
Follow these tips and keep a vigilant eye on your potato plants. Protect your crop from pests and rot, ensuring a healthy and bountiful harvest.
As your potato plants start to display signs of readiness, it's essential to pay attention to some key indicators. Usually, it takes around 70 to 120 days for the potatoes to be ready for harvest, depending on the variety. A good indication is when the potato plants' foliage begins to yellow and eventually die back, indicating that the potatoes have reached maturity.
When you've determined that your potatoes are ready, the actual harvesting couldn't be easier. Follow these simple steps:
After you've successfully grown your potatoes in a bag, it's time to store them safely. To keep your potatoes fresh for an extended period, follow these simple storage tips:
Greening occurs when potatoes are exposed to sunlight. Chlorophyll production gives them a green color, accompanied by an increase in the toxin solanine. To reduce greening and maintain potato quality, follow these steps:
By following these storage guidelines, your bag-grown potatoes will stay fresh, healthy, and ready for your next meal. Enjoy your home-grown spuds!
When growing potatoes in a bag, we recommend a minimum of a 25 gallon bag. If you want more potatoes you could certainly grow in 50 gallon or 200 gallon grow bags.
The time it takes for potatoes to grow in a bag depends on the variety you choose. Generally, early-season varieties take about 70-90 days to mature, while mid- and late-season varieties take 90-120 days to reach maturity. Keep an eye on the plant's foliage; when it turns yellow and begins to die back, your potatoes are ready for harvest.
To grow potatoes successfully in bags, you should use a well-draining soil mix that's high in organic matter. Look for a soil mix that is optimized for nutrients, moisture retention, and adequate drainage.
Ensure your grow bag is at least 12-14 inches deep to allow room for your potato plant's roots and tubers to develop. When you fill the bag with soil mix, leave about 4-6 inches of space below the bag's top rim to allow for additional soil when "hilling" the plants as they grow. Hilling helps encourage tuber development further up the plant.
The amount of potatoes produced from a single plant in a bag can vary depending on the variety and growing conditions. On average, you can expect to harvest anywhere from 3 to 8 potatoes per plant. To increase your yields, make sure to provide your plants with adequate sunlight, water, and nutrients throughout their growth.
Keeping your potatoes well-watered is essential for healthy growth. Water your potato plants until the soil is moist, but not soaking wet. In general, you should water your plants every 2-3 days during hot or dry periods and every 5-7 days during cooler weather.
Pay attention to the soil moisture and adjust your watering schedule accordingly to prevent overwatering or underwatering. Make sure your grow bag has proper drainage to allow excess water to escape, so the roots and tubers don't become waterlogged.
Resources:
External links to more information.
https://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/potatoes/potato_storage.pdf
https://extension.unh.edu/blog//03/what-best-way-grow-potatoes-containers
https://extension.psu.edu/colorado-potato-beetle
First early or ‘new’ potatoes are the earliest to crop, in June and July. They don't store for long so are best eaten fresh.
Second earlies (also called ‘new’ potatoes) take a few more weeks to mature and are harvested in July and August. These also don't store for long, so are best eaten fresh.
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Maincrop potatoes take the longest to mature and are harvested from August to October. They are suitable for baking, roasting and mashing, and can be stored for a few months.
Potatoes are easy to grow – one seed potato will produce many potatoes to harvest. Prepare the soil by digging and removing weeds, and then dig straight trenches 12cm deep and 60cm apart. In spring, plant seed potatoes 30cm apart and cover them with soil to fill the trench. When the shoots reach 20cm tall, use a rake, hoe or spade to mound soil up around the bases of the shoots, covering the stems half way. This is called earthing up. You can also grow first early and second early potatoes in a large bag on a patio or balcony, regularly covering the bottoms of stems with more compost as they grow.
More expert advice on growing potatoes:
First early potatoes can be planted from mid-March, while second earlies should be planted a couple of weeks later. Maincrop potatoes are usually planted in late April or early May and need to stay in the ground longer to produce a good crop. However, planting times vary across the country – planting in northerly areas should be delayed by a couple of weeks, depending on temperatures and risk of frost.
If you have a greenhouse it's possible to plant a second batch of potatoes in late summer, which will yield a crop for Christmas Day.
Before planting, many people 'chit' their early potatoes. This involves letting the potatoes grow short, strong, stubby shoots, which will allow them to start growing more quickly after planting. Place seed potatoes in trays or egg cartons with the end that has the most eyes uppermost. Stand in a cool, light spot until short shoots have formed, or when it's time to plant them out.
You can grow your own potatoes by planting out 'seed potatoes', which are small tubers rather than actual seeds. You can buy seed potatoes from late winter. Don't be tempted to use old potatoes from the veg rack as they won't produce reliable crops.
Home-grown potatoes do well in all types of soil, but the richer the better, so dig in plenty of well-rotted organic matter such as garden compost. An open, sunny site is best.
While maincrop potatoes grow well in the ground, early or salad potatoes will also do well in large pots and bags. Polypropylene potato growing bags are designed especially for this purpose and are handy if you're short of space. However, you can also plant potatoes in an old compost bag, with similar results.
Here, Monty explains how to grow potatoes in a bag:
When growing potatoes in the ground, plant earlies and salad types 10-15cm deep and 30cm apart, with 60cm between rows. Maincrop potatoes require more space to produce a decent crop. Plant them 40cm apart, with 75cm between rows. Plant potatoes with the shoots (or 'eyes') facing upwards.
Watch our No Fuss video guide to planting potatoes, with Alan Titchmarsh:
Growing potatoes in a raised bed? Monty shows you how:
Water potatoes during warm, dry spells but avoid wetting the foliage unnecessarily, and keep the soil free of weeds. As the potato plants grow, use a spade or hoe to cover the shoots with soil to encourage the development of more tubers from the buried stems. This is called ‘earthing up’. Leave the top few centimetres poking out the top. As plants continue to grow you will need to earth them up again.
Watch Monty explain how to earth up potatoes growing in a bag:
Slugs can be a problem, especially if growing potatoes under black plastic.
Potato blight is a fungal disease which turns foliage yellow with dark patches and causes the tubers to rot. Grow a blight-resistant potato variety to avoid the problem. You can also cut the potato plants down at the first sign of infection, as the fungus will not have reached the tubers by that stage. Then harvest the tubers as soon as you can.
Never grow potatoes in the same soil year after year as this could lead to a build up of pests and diseases. These include potato eelworm, which causes stunted growth and poor cropping.
First early potatoes are harvested in June and July, when the potatoes are about the size of a large hen’s egg (gently rummage around in the soil to check). Cut the potato plants (also known as haulms) to the ground, then gently prise the plants out of the ground with a fork. First early potatoes don't store well, so dig them up in batches, as and when you want to eat them.
Second earlies are harvested in July and early August. Harvest in the same way as first earlies. Again, these potatoes don't store well, so dig them up in batches, as and when you want to eat them.
Maincrop potatoes are harvested from August to October, when the leaves on the plants have turned yellow and died down. Choose a dry day to dig up your crop so that they store better, ideally in the morning. Cut the plants to the ground and dig up your potatoes, discarding any that are bruised or have been attacked by pests. Leave them on the soil surface for a few hours in the sun to dry out properly, then brush off any soil before bagging them up.
Watch Monty Don's video guide to harvesting new potatoes:
To harvest potatoes grown in pots, simply tip out the contents and enjoy the rich – and easy – pickings.
Here Monty explains how to harvest potatoes grown in a bag:
Wash and scrub potatoes before frying, boiling, baking, mashing, roasting or sautéeing – this has to be the most versatile vegetable!
Health note: never eat potatoes raw. Green potatoes contain a chemical called solanine, which they develop when exposed to light. It can cause severe stomach upsets.
Looking for inspiration on how to use your crop? Our friends at olive have curated a delicious collection of potato recipes, including their best-ever roast potatoes.
Home-grown maincrop potatoes will store well for many months in a cool but frost-free place. Only store perfect tubers, removing any showing signs of damage, and don’t wash them before storage. All light must be excluded to avoid potatoes turning green and poisonous. Hessian or thick brown-paper sacks are available for the job. Check crops in store regularly, removing any rotten ones.
Watch Kevin Smith explain how to prevent stored potatoes from rotting, in our Quick Tips video:
Early potatoes:
Salad potatoes:
Maincrop potatoes:
You could also try growing your own sweet potatoes, which although they are not really potatoes at all, are an excellent crop to grow in a more ornamental garden or a conservatory. Buy from Crocus, Thompson & Morgan and Suttons
Help! My potato leaves have brown spots
Brown spots on potato leaves could be caused by a number of things, including magnesium deficiency, early blight (caused by Alternaria fungi) or potato blight (also known as late blight), Phytopthera infestens. Magnesium deficiency can be more common on light and sandy soils, and is remedied with a foliar feed of Epsom salts. Early blight isn't a big problem in the UK and is more common in North America. Both early and late blight can devastate potato crops – remove all foliage immediately and harvest the potatoes quickly to stop the disease reaching the tubers.
Help! My seed potatoes are sprouting and have gone soft
Sprouting seed potatoes is perfectly normal, and is actually encouraged – the act of potato chitting is done to encourage sprouts to develop, which is thought to increase potato yields. Slightly soft seed potatoes are usually nothing to worry about but really soft tubers may be mouldy. Check your seed potatoes thoroughly before planting and discard any with sunken or white patches, as these are rotting and could infect your other potatoes.
What can I plant immediately after harvesting potatoes?
If you want to make the most of soil vacated by harvesting potatoes, you can plant a number of crops in their place, including carrots, leeks and brassicas. If you're practising good crop rotation then brassicas usually follow potatoes. If you don't have plants ready to plant out, see what young plants are available from the garden centre – many have broccoli, cabbage, kale and swede plants ready to plant straight away.
Is it possible to save potatoes for seed next year?
It is possible to save potatoes for seed the following year, but you run the risk of transmitting disease. Seed potatoes are grown in a cool, controlled environment, so are certified disease-free. If you want to save your own potatoes for seed, keep them in a cool, dark spot. In late winter they should develop shoots and you can plant them as you would normal seed potatoes, from late March.
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