Growing Potatoes

This past summer, we grew potatoes in a garbage can! Above is a pic of the potatoes we grew! Growing potatoes is a really easy and fun food to grow! You do have to be careful of the soil..you don't want to reuse the soil with other foods that are in the potato family for 3 years.

Essentially, I drilled holes in the bottom of garbage cans for drainage..in the bottom and about 12 inches above. I lined the bottom with pea gravel, then put some potting mix and compost and planted the seed potatoes..about 5 per can. I put tin foil on the insides of the cans to reflect light into the bottom of the can. As the potato stems grew, I coverd them with soil and contined to cover them all summer long until it was as high as the top of the can. You can harvest them after they flower and when the stems and leaves die. You harvest them by tipping over the cans. I've only done it once and most of the potatoes were on the bottom. I'm not sure if I had to keep covering them all summer if most of the potatoes were on the bottom? I need to learn more about this for next year..

I used the following links as a guide for how to do it!

In a garbage can:

http://www.gardeningblog.net/2008/06/23/grow-potatoes-in-a-trash-can/

http://www.ehow.com/how_2222722_grow-potatoes-garbage-can.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art

http://hgfn.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/growing-potatoes-in-a-garbage-bag/

http://www.bumblebeeblog.com/2007/08/21/garbage-can-potatoes-082107/

In a wooden-built structure: This way looks really neat!!

http://tipnut.com/grow-potatoes/