[brownp]

Hi - I was talking to a colleague who has had a problem growing potatoes - I said you guys would know....
She has grown pots in a growing bag bought in a garden centre - the standard type you fill with soil and put seed pots in.
I think she used soil rather than compost and seed pots from garden centre. For two years, she found that they produced luxuriant foilage, but hardly any potatoes.
Could it be lack of water?

thanks
Phil

[JohnB47]

I've heard that this method often produces poor returns. I think the main problem is people putting far too many seed potatoes in each bag. The sort of volume of soil you would allocate to a seed potato grown in the ground suggests to me that you should only have one per bag, but I'm sure not many people do that.

How many were put in each bag? Were they kept watered and what were they fed? Also variety of spud?

[1st time veg grower]

I'm not totally sure what it is but I have a hunch its down to fertilizer. I grew some in those bags for the last 2 years and have had a rubbish crop - so much so I wasn't going to bother again this year. But, my mum always has great results by growing the same way - anyway Suttons mixed up her order this year and she complained meaning they sent her far too many seed potatoes to make up for it- I got the spares (and there are LOADS of them).

The only difference I did this year was add specific potato fertilizer each time I earthed up (last time I added compost and chicken pellets) and gave tomato food when I saw the flowers. I tipped out a bag on the first of June and couldn't believe the difference - the contents has given me six meals. That may not be a lot to some people's standards but last year I got enough for one - just! Time will tell if the other bags are as good or not - I've kind of done a trial, in a few bags I've only added chicken pellets to see if my hunch is correct. (Of course the good weather, quality of the seed potatoes - mine were noticibly better this year etc etc may have all played their part too...).

I use 3 seed potatoes per bag.

[Melwel77]

I've never tried this myself, but my neighbour has done for a couple of years and never had much luck - this year is his last try at it.  His first year he had 3 per bag, using bought compost, with limited success. Last year he had one set per bag, used bought compost, sadly very poor results.     

However, last year, my father-in-law put one spud per bag and he used well rotten horse muck as a soil, nothing else!  He had about 30 potatoes per bag!  So I agree with 1st time veg grower, fertility must be the key!

Good luck!

[Nikkithefoot]

Potatoes are greedy feeders. Fertility is the most important thing.

I use home made compost to grow mine in bags, and generally get a reasonable crop (1-2 meals for a family of 5 per bag) from 3 seed spuds. I only grow them in the bag to get an early harvest before the ones in the ground are ready.

The foliage is always bigger from my 'bagged' spuds than ground grown ones, and they need watering every day in order to produce a fair crop.

If I was growing in bags as my only source of spuds, I'd feed them as well to get a bigger crop.

[shokkyy]

Is the Vitax spud fertiliser quick release or slow release? I always put some in when I plant up the bags, but I never do a top up feed. If it's slow release there's no point in doing a top up feed at this point, but if it's quick release it might be.

[bigben]

I am finding 3 spuds in one of those plastic rhino tug things is giving me a pan of spuds to cook. I am using mainly home made compost because it works out so expensive if you try to use bought stuff. Feed once a week with comfrey tea or tomorite and water every couple of days.

[1st time veg grower]

Is the Vitax spud fertiliser quick release or slow release? I always put some in when I plant up the bags, but I never do a top up feed. If it's slow release there's no point in doing a top up feed at this point, but if it's quick release it might be.

Having just looked at the box I can confirm it is slow release. I can feel another part to my trial coming on...my April planted spuds haven't had any top up feed yet as flowers have just appeared - may be I'll top up some and not others, see if it makes a tangible difference.

I have SO been watching too much Beechgrove Garden.

Modified to add:

I am using mainly home made compost because it works out so expensive if you try to use bought stuff.

My parents use their own compost plus the specific potato fertilizer - it was my mum who suggested using the fertilizer - she said, 'I thought you would know'...! I didn't have enough home made compost ready this year (my pumpkins/squashes have what is there) but next year I should have enough. This year I have, like other years, used the cheapest compost I can find! (which also probably hasn't helped the fertility issues...)