(L) dirt bin, (R) potato sack |
So, you can grow potatoes in a sack, did you know that? I didn't until sometime last fall when I was disgusted at my lack of potato production and was looking for an alternative way to grow potatoes. Normally potatoes will grow in clay soil, but we had such a wet start that they almost all rotted in the ground. Out of 40 "seeds" I harvested about a dozen potatoes. Yes, only three plants lived and those little potatoes were pretty pathetic. But I threw them in the cupboard anyhow.
And do you know what happened? They sprouted in my cupboard. So, I decided maybe February wasn't a bad time to try out this potato sack method. I even had a handy-dandy empty cat food bag to test it out on.
Materials:
A large bag (trash bag, cat food bag, whatever. Make sure it's big, my cat food bag is the 20lb kind)
Drip tray or bag
Seed potatoes
Potting soil
Step 1: Prep your potatoes - just like you would for planting in the ground.
Step 2: Put a 2" layer of damp potting soil in your bag. If it is plastic, cut some slits for drainage and put a tray or another, uncut, plastic bag underneath.
Step 3: Put in your sprouted potatoes, sprouts facing up.
Step 4: Cover with 1" of damp potting soil (I mix the water directly into the soil in my dirt bin)
Step 5: Put them in a sunny location.
Step 6: Let them grow and water as needed. Just like outdoor potatoes, when they reach 8" or so cover with more soil and/or straw to within 2" of the top.
I'll keep you posted on how well my February potatoes grow. I figure it's no real loss, if they die I can reuse or compost the soil, and it's not like they were very usable sprouting in the cupboard.
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