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kawaiineko_gardener

potato growing bags

NOTE:I don't know too much about them, as I've never used them before. This is why I'm asking opinions about them.

I've found these in gardening catalogs and found them online too.

I'm wondering if anybody has used them and if they're any good or are they just a gimmick? What are the pros and cons of them?

Would these potato grow bags be suitable for container gardening?

Comments (5)

  • TheMasterGardener1
    12 years ago

    I have grown peppers in 3 gal grow bags no prob but I used fish fert and my soil had alot of perlite to help with drainage. The down fall of grow bags is that they tend to fall over, also you cant reuse them but they are only like 20 cents. I would use them again but I have alot of containers.

  • TwoMonths
    12 years ago

    I made my own using the shade cloth....sewed up with wire, lol. I put a plastic wire around it to keep it standing at first. I rolled down the top like you would a sock. I put in some gardening dirt, put the 3-4 potato eyes down and covered with a bit of dirt, put in 3 more and then more dirt (maybe 3 inches) As they are growing I roll up the bag and add more dirt to cover stems up to top leaves. I have done that many times....I am probably a good 8 inches from top of bag and then I will stop. When they flower they are growing fruit all up and down the vines. When the vines die, I can harvest them. I made one bag that way, I used another 2 for my tomatos which are doing well. I planted more potatos the same way in a dog food bag. They are growing just as well. I just added a couple of small slits about 1 inch up from bottom. It drains just fine. I planted two nursery black pots. One is doing well and the other rotted. I think I will not plant the eyes from now on. I will plant the taters on end and the eyes will all sprout without the rot problem.
    I planted 2 raised beds I made with stacked dresser drawers and they are doing well. Will be interesting to see which taters do the best.

  • mainemary
    12 years ago

    Last summer I used sprouted Yukon Golds and a purple potato variety. Both produced a good crop of new potatoes for me in the bag. I mixed a potting soil with vermiculite with my own compost.

  • kawaiineko_gardener
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Two months, I'm a little confused by how you explained it and the method you use.

    Based upon how you described it, it's sounds like you 'layer' the seed potatoes. That is you put 3-4 sprouted seed potatoes
    and then cover with 3" of soil, and then you keep repeating this process until the container is filled with soil.

    I know that most vegetables prefer a slightly acidic soil. However I was told potatoes don't like acidic soil at all.
    The soil mixture I use is combination of fine pine bark mulch, dolomite lime, spaghnum peat moss, sand (NOT SANDY SOIL, just sand) and a time released dry fertilizer.

    Should I just omit the lime, or reduce the amount? The 'recipe' for a 30 gallon batch calls for 2 cups of lime.

    Also are potatoes considered a cool weather crop, a warm weather crop, or do they not care either way?

  • candogal
    12 years ago

    You might want to read this recent article in Organic Gardening magazine. It certainly sold me. They compare various methods of growing potatoes, one of which is grow bags.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Seven Ways to Grow Potatoes