Potatoes are very easy to grow in what is called a Potato Pot. You can find out how to grow potatoes in pots in the video with instructions.
Anyone who thinks of typical German cuisine will probably immediately think of a nutritious tuber. Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), also known as potatoes, actually come from South America, but have long been native to the whole world. No wonder - after all, from mashed potatoes to casseroles and salads to fries, almost everything can be conjured up from the rounded tubers. But the potato not only has a lot to offer in culinary terms, it is also easy to cultivate in the garden. But what if you don't have a garden? No problem: we'll show you how to grow potatoes in tubs on the patio or balcony and provide instructions for potato pots.
The right place for potatoes in pots
Potatoes prefer a warm, sunny spot that is protected from the weather if possible. Although they tolerate bad weather well and dry out quickly, some potato diseases can be delayed or even prevented with a rain cover. A spot against a south-facing wall and possibly an overhanging roof is ideal for growing potatoes in pots. The east or west side of a balcony is also suitable. Potatoes can also thrive in an apartment if they are placed near a sunny window and get enough warmth and light there.
Potato varieties for growing in tubs
You don't need a specific variety to plant potatoes in pots. As long as the planter is large enough, all types of potatoes can actually be cultivated in it. However, if you want to grow different varieties together, you should make sure that the varieties have a similar ripening time so that you can harvest all the tubers at the same time. A special eye-catcher are of course purple or red potato varieties.
When do you plant potatoes in pots?
Potatoes are planted at the same time as potatoes in the bed. The best planting time is between early April and mid-May. It should be at least 10 °C outside, preferably 15 °C and at night no less than 5 °C, and it should definitely not freeze any more.
Which soil is suitable for potatoes in a bucket?
Potatoes are heavy feeders, so they need nutrient-rich and at the same time permeable plant substrates. Tomato or vegetable soil usually already has a higher nutrient content and is therefore ideal for filling a future potato planter.
Planting potatoes" in pots: How to do it correctly
The future planter for potatoes should hold at least 10, preferably 20 liters of soil. In addition to standard pots, planters, buckets or even barrels, a so-called potato pot is suitable for a particularly simple harvest. How you can easily make such a potato pot is explained step by step here.
- First, the right home for the potato is prepared. To do this, use a simple plastic plant pot with a capacity of 10 to 20 liters and walls that are as thin as possible.
- Cut out three shop windows of the same size on the sides with a carpet knife or something similar. Do not only make sure that you don't cut your fingers, but also that the bridge between the individual windows is not too thin. Otherwise there is a risk that the pot is no longer stable enough or even tears. Now take a second bucket (without a window) and put the first one in.
- Now you can plant the potatoes: It is best to use potatoes that have already been planted or that are green and are no longer used in the kitchen. If you don't have any potatoes at home, you can use seed potatoes from the garden center.
- Fill the prepared pot about a quarter full with soil (mixed with some sand and compost if you like) and place the tubers in about the middle of each window. Cover the tubers with at least 10 cm of soil and fill the pot almost to the top.
- Now it's time to wait and take care of the potatoes from time to time. The soil should always be slightly moist, but it is also important to approach ittake care to avoid waterlogging. Over the next few months, the potato will grow until it is finally ready for harvest, depending on the maturity of the variety.
Care in the pot
If the filled soil collapses after repeated watering, you can refill some soil later. It is only possible to pile up the potatoes in the pot to a limited extent - if the pot is always well filled with soil, this is usually sufficient. Most of the time, however, the plants do not grow as strongly in limited containers as in the bed. Water your plants regularly so that the soil never dries out completely, waterlogging must not occur. A mulch layer of straw or grass clippings significantly reduces evaporation not only in the bed, but also in the pot. Potatoes are heavy feeders and should therefore be well supplied with nutrients throughout the season. Balanced fertilization rewards the potato plant with he althy growth and higher yields. Since fertilizing with solid granules in pots is difficult, we recommend using an organic liquid fertiliser, such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable fertiliser. You can find out more information about caring for potatoes in our special article.
Harvest potatoes in the pot
The first potatoes are ready to harvest after about three to four months, with early potatoes as early as July when the leaves are still green - with later varieties as soon as the leaves die off. Now the plants are freed from the pot or other planter and the potatoes are harvested by hand. See our special article for more details on harvesting potatoes. Harvesting is simplified in the Potato Pot by the handcrafted pot construction. Instead of digging up the whole plant, simply lift out the inner pot. The potatoes can be harvested without much effort through the cut-out windows. Putting the plant back in the pot will allow it to recover and you can harvest the remaining undersized tubers at a later date.
Growing potatoes in a sack: an alternative to the pot?
Potatoes can also be cultivated in plastic bags or big packs. These hold larger amounts of soil and are often rectangular and thus shaped to save space. thePotato plant can spread well in it. The planting bags are only suitable to a limited extent for growing potatoes on the balcony or in the apartment. The problem here is that the sacks are often too tight, so that excess water cannot drain away, resulting in waterlogging. If the bags are made of more permeable materials such as jute, the water is not held well and spills over the balcony or terrace. Water supply is therefore the most important point to consider when growing potatoes in a bag. Potatoes in the pot can be grafted with close relatives from the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and thus you can also harvest fruits above ground. We will introduce you to the unique Tomoffel and give you tips on how to copy it.