Springtime means gardening and what’s a garden without potatoes? If you love fresh potatoes from the garden but don’t care for all the digging involved, I’ve got your answer…let’s take a look at “Make Your Own Potato Grow Bag”!
Potatoes are a staple at our house! We absolutely love potatoes and all of the wonderful ways they can be prepared! Potatoes are also very nutritious, containing vitamins B6, C, potassium and fiber!
Maybe you’ve grown potatoes in the past but got frustrated with all the digging, especially at harvest time. Introducing, the Potato Grow Bag!
Growing potatoes in bags is so easy! Grow bags are also awesome for those folks with limited/or no land (but have balconies or patios)! Grow bags are also easy on the back and great for those without the strength to shovel into deep dirt.
So, let’s get started!
You Will Need:
- Seed potatoes – These are not the potatoes you find at the grocery, rather, you’ll need to order seed potatoes or find them at your farm and garden store. I found mine at Rural King.
- A Large Bag – Feed bags are great for this and it re-purposes all of those grain and dog food bags we have laying around! If you prefer, you could use commercial grow bags and save them for next season!
- Well-composted soil (potting soil won’t work here)
Once you have your seed potatoes, cut them into pieces, making sure that each piece has at least one eye.
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I’ll be using a 50# dog food bag. I prefer not to buy anything if I can avoid it. Unless you’re using a commercial grow bag, be sure to cut some 2-3″ slits in the bottom of the bag for drainage.
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To begin, put a shovel or two of good, compost-rich soil in your bag. Then, simply lay your seed potato pieces on top of the soil.
For this size bag, I’m using 5-6 pieces.
Then, cover your seed potato pieces with another shovel or two of soil again. Water well and wait…..
In a couple weeks, you’ll begin to see the potatoes sprouting up above the soil.
Now is the time to cover those sprouts with soil again.
Why?
Because every time we cover the plant with soil, it sends out new roots! New roots means more potatoes!
Again, in another week or so, you’ll see sprouts once again.
Cover them with soil!
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How Deep Should You Plant Your Potatoes?
Keep with this process until your grow bag is 3/4 full. You want the plant to have plenty of room to send off new roots in order to create more potatoes!
At this point, we let the plant finish up the job.
When Do You Harvest Potatoes in a Bag?
Most potatoes take 10 weeks to grow.
Once you see the potato plant giving off blooms, it’s time to harvest your potatoes!
Side note: I leave mine in until the plant begins to wilt, another week or so. This helps them to store longer in the winter.
How to Harvest Potatoes in a Bag?
If you are using a commercial grow bag and want to use it again next year, you’ll want to dump the bag out onto newspaper or the ground and pick out your potatoes.
However, when I grow in feed bags, I love to just split the bag down the center and let the soil and potatoes fall right out!
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Storing Potatoes for Winter
Before storing potatoes for any length of time, be sure to “cure” them.
Curing is done by letting the potatoes sit in a 45-60 degree environment with 85-90% humidity for 2 weeks.
At this point, potatoes can be stored for up to 8 months, depending upon where and how you store them.
Placing the potatoes in a cardboard box, mesh bag or basket in a very cool (45-50 degrees F), dark, dry and well-ventilated room will give your potatoes the best chance of long storage time!
