[digalotty]

all in bags on my patio, 6 bags all different veriatys 3 spuds in each bag and all 6 bags on 1sq metre of my  :)yard

[Iain@JBA]

all in bags on my patio, 6 bags all different veriatys 3 spuds in each bag and all 6 bags on 1sq metre of my  :)yard

That should work out quite nice and give you some variation.

[shokkyy]

Thanks everyone for all the great advice, this is really helpful to a newbie.

We had range of sizes, from largish like you mentioned to freebie Morrison pots and with one tuber in, these gave amazing yields -- 4.5 kg from 3 pots 

Blimey, that's impressive    What would be the diameter/height of a small pot to take just one tuber?

And thanks, Iain, that's just the sort of rule of thumb info I need. Trouble is, my brain doesn't work in litres. The containers on general sale are 18" high and 14" diameter, but they don't say how many litres that is - can you tell me, so I've got some idea on dimensions? And do the containers need to be made of something breathable or is plastic ok?

Digalotty - I had no idea Homebase sold things like that, I'll give that a look.

DD - I hadn't worked out the profile yet, but I'm in Swindon, Wilts.

[digalotty]

if you go your local supermarket and ask them for the buckets they use for the flowers they usualy give you about 20 for free or just a £1 you can put 1 spud in each.

[Iain@JBA]

Shokkyy I would say those containers would hold 40litres of compost.
I don't think it matters if you use buckets or the green potato planters but you must make sure you have adequate drainage in what ever you use.
One tip is that biggest is not always best when growing in containers.
You have more cost with compost and fertilizer to fill a big container.
From a 5 pack of spuds and 5 17litre containers I quite easily could harvest 10kg of earlies. Spuds cost me £1.50,containers 20p each, compost £4 and a box of fertilizer was £3.39. I still have loads of fertilizer left, the containers will be re-used and I will use the compost again as I have had it bagged up outside in all this cold weather just ready to go.

[shokkyy]

Thanks for that info, Iain, that's very helpful. I do actually have a bunch of plastic tubs that I've been trying to think of a use for, as I keep getting another one every time I buy supplement for my horse. They're about 8" high and wide. I thought they'd be too small for spuds but maybe I'll try a few with one spud each. I'm trying to be as organic as possible with the veggies I grow, so would it be ok to just use blood, fish and bone as a fertilizer or would that not be enough in a container?

[Bluedave]

My brother used a big black plastic bin (about 120 litres or more I think) and cut holes for drainage. I'll ask him what variety/how many he used if you like.

[Snap Dragon]

I've given up on spuds on my Lottie until I get the drainage improved... so I received a set of four potato bags with 5 spuds for each bag last year.

They grew really well but I was very disappointed with the results... I suspect I may have under watered them and they probably got a bit neglected whislt we were away for 2 weeks hols. The bags took way more compost than the instructions recommended which could work out very expensive for the amount of spuds you get!

I am going to persevere with just 2 bags this year... some salad spuds and maybe some Roosters.

Just out of interest... does anyone give spuds in bags a feed at all?

[sunshineband]

I did feed the ones in the morrison pots --  pelleted chicken manure 

[digalotty]

will a tomato feed work?  as they are the the same family.

dd help please

[mumofstig]

I've given up on spuds on my Lottie until I get the drainage improved... so I received a set of four potato bags with 5 spuds for each bag last year.

They grew really well but I was very disappointed with the results... I suspect I may have under watered them and they probably got a bit neglected whislt we were away for 2 weeks hols. The bags took way more compost than the instructions recommended which could work out very expensive for the amount of spuds you get!

I am going to persevere with just 2 bags this year... some salad spuds and maybe some Roosters.

Just out of interest... does anyone give spuds in bags a feed at all?

I'm not growing in bags again. As you say the compost costs too much for the harvest you get. I think mine were probably the most expensive potatoes I've ever eaten and they weren't even very nice (Hunter)

[DD.]

will a tomato feed work?  as they are the the same family.

dd help please

I'm not a spud-in-a-barrel person, but you may be right.

Have a look at this:

http://www.gardeningdata.co.uk/vegetables/potatoes/potatoes_in_barrel.php

[digalotty]

thanks dd the answer will be yes then

[Cavolo Nero]

Im going to try Blue Danube from Thompson and Morgan. Apparently they have good blight resistance - and those purple skins look amazing.

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/potatoes1/product/zww5370/1.html

The other guys on my allotment site have told me they suffer terribly with blight so some Sarpo mira might be good also.

[shokkyy]

When I was hunting round for info, I did find one interesting site that seemed to be saying barrels are no good for spuds cos they don't allow them to get enough light - http://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/pot54.html. He's recommending 2 or 3 gallon buckets (how many different ways can you describe the size of a container ). If you go to the other pages on growing in pots, he gives a good breakdown of his results growing in pots for a long list of different varieties.