Even if you don't have your own garden, you can grow your own potatoes. We will show you how to achieve a successful harvest in the pot.
The potato (Solanum tuberosum) not only has many synonyms (Erdafel, Erdpear, Knulle, etc.), it is also one of the most popular tuber vegetables in Germany. According to experts, there are more than 10,000 different types of potatoes worldwide. You usually don't realize how good potatoes can taste until you've grown them yourself. The taste is not at all similar to what you know from the supermarket goods. Old and traditional varieties usually bear a little less, but are often much more aromatic.
Even if you don't have a large garden, you can grow your own potatoes. With a few tips, they can easily be cultivated in flower pots, plastic bags, discarded water butts or bathtubs. You need about 10 liters of pot volume per potato plant. You can easily grow three to four potato plants in larger containers. It is important that the plants are of the same variety or at least of potato varieties that were harvested at a similar time. For a successful harvest, we have briefly summarized the most important points for you.
- Potato plants like it sunny. Place the container with the potatoes in a sunny spot. It is important that the heat does not build up too much in summer. From a temperature of over 25 °C, the potato reduces the formation of tubers. A possible solution is to place the jar in a very sunny spot initially and move it to a slightly cooler spot in midsummer.
- Potatoes are heavy feeders and need sandy, humus-rich soil. To achieve this, you can mix topsoil with compost or potting soil and some sand. Our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil is ideal. This is peat-free and perfectly tailored to the needs of the potato.
- Depending on the variety, the plants need a soil temperature of 7 - 8 °C to thrive. If you want to harvest early, you can germinate the tubers as early as the end of February. Put the potatoes ona bright place with temperatures between 10 - 18 °C. The potatoes that have been driven forward can then be planted directly at planting time.
- The type of vessel is irrelevant. Let your imagination run wild and grab flower pots, rain barrels or special potato growing bags. It is much more important that no waterlogging forms. Make sure there are enough holes in the bottom of the jar.
- It is best to choose early ripening varieties. Firstly, these tubers are guaranteed to ripen even in rougher areas and you also avoid the annoying late blight (Phytophthora infestans), which usually only rages in mid or late summer. Recommended early varieties are: Annabelle, Charlotte Lady, Christl, Erstling, Leyla and Sieglinde.
- Make sure the soil is always slightly moist and never completely dry. Waterlogging should be avoided, but if the potato plant suffers from drought, it will respond with a low yield. Outdoor potatoes can root deeper into the soil, which also regulates moisture better and doesn't dry out as quickly. Especially in smaller flower pots, the soil can dry out quickly on hot summer days, so extra care is needed.
- Potatoes are also happy about a rich supply of nutrients. The soil should be enriched with humus in advance. In addition, it makes sense to work with a liquid fertilizer during the planting season. An organic liquid fertilizer such as our Plantura Organic Tomato & Vegetable Fertilizer is recommended for potatoes in pots. This natural fertilizer makes your potatoes more resistant to diseases and provides them with all the important nutrients.
- Finding the right harvest time requires some skill. Shortly after flowering, you can carefully reach into the ground with your hand and feel the tubers. Most varieties can be harvested when the tuber has reached the size of a hen's egg. Since early-ripening varieties cannot be stored for long, only the amount of potatoes that will be processed can be taken directly from the planter. The remaining tubers can continue to mature and get a little bigger.
Are you still unsure whether to grow potatoes in flower pots or in beds? You can get more information and tips on growing potatoes in the garden from theHelp decision.