Growing potatoes in a bag is ideal when you have poor garden soil or no proper ground for planting.
Enjoying freshly grown potatoes at home without requiring a regular garden bed is a simple and space-saving method.
In this article, I will guide you through five easy steps to grow potatoes in a bag.
Growing Potatoes in a Bag
Step 1: Getting Necessary Materials
These items listed here are used while planting potatoes:
– Seed Potatoes: Purchase certified seed potatoes from a garden center to ensure they are disease-free as well as pest-free.
– Bags: Use specialised potato growing bags, typically made from heavy-duty, breathable fabric, or opt for any large, sturdy bag like a burlap sack or a plastic bag with drainage holes.
Examples include grow bags, sacks of fertilizers or grain.
– Soil: Use loamy soil to plant these potatoes and add a good drainage in the sack to prevent water retention. Add compost or fertilizers to provide additional nutrients and will help your potatoes thrive.
– Shovel: Used to fill loamy sand into the sack or grow bag.
– Watering Can or Hose: Consistent moisture is key, so make sure you have a way to keep your potatoes well-watered.
Step 2: Preparing The Potato Seeds
Seed potatoes need to be prepared before planting to ensure optimal growth:
Before planting, the seed potatoes must be allowed to sprout, a process known as “chitting.” For approximately one to two weeks, place your seed potatoes in a cool, well-lit area. Little green shoots called chits will emerge from them.
▪︎ Chopping: If your seed potatoes are big, you can chop them into smaller pieces, but make sure every piece has a sprout or two eyes. To avoid rot when planted, let the chopped pieces air dry for a day or two.
Step 3: Planting the Potatoes
Once your seed potatoes are ready, it’s time to plant them:
Plant the potato seeds in 4–6 inches of soil to start. Ensure that there is equal space between them to prevent contact. Add another 4-6 inches of earth to cover the potatoes to keep them safe. Apply a little water to the soil surrounding the potatoes to help them settle.
Step 4: Proper Care of Your Potatoes
Healthy potato plants require proper care, which includes;
• Watering: Potatoes require regular watering, particularly throughout the tuber-forming stage. To keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy, water the grow bag regularly.
• Hilling: To keep the stems covered as the potato plants grow, you’ll need to fill the bag with extra soil. It’s known as hilling.
When the plants are about 6 inches tall, add extra soil to cover the lower half of the stems. Repeat this step every few weeks until the dirt is approximately an inch below the top of the bag.
• Fertilisation: Fertilise your potatoes with a balanced fertiliser every few weeks. For information on the proper amount and application technique, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Step 5: Picking Your Own Potatoes
Now is the perfect moment to harvest your potatoes after several months of growth:
▪︎ Blooming and Returning to Dye: After flowering, potato plants will start to lose their foliage. This lets you know when the potatoes are ready to be harvested.
▪︎ Early Potato Harvesting: About ten weeks after planting, you can pick potatoes if you want smaller, fresh potatoes. To locate the tiny tubers, carefully excavate the ground.
▪︎ Harvesting Fully Grown Potatoes: Wait until the foliage has entirely withered back for larger, more mature potatoes. Usually, this takes fourteen to sixteen weeks. To gather your potatoes, dump the contents of the grow bag onto a tarp or other sizable surface and sort through the dirt.
Tips to Having a Successful Harvest
– Location: Place your grow bag under direct sunlight, where it gets 6-8 hours of sunlight every day.
– Rotation: Avoid planting potatoes in the same soil every time to prevent disease build-up.
– Pest Management: Use organic pest control methods when infested by aphids and potato beetles.
Conclusion
Even if you don’t have much room in your compound to plant, growing potatoes in a bag is a satisfying and convenient way to enjoy fresh produce. All you need to do to ensure a plentiful potato crop is to follow these five simple steps.
Read also: Community Garden Vs. Urban Agriculture: Similarities And Differences.
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