[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

Afternoon all,

I picked up a bag of cheap pink fir apple at the local garden centre, and it said they could be planted in May.

Do you think I could put them in 20 litre pots, and get a decent crop of salad potatoes?

I'm going to buy about 10-15 20 litre pots from £land.

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

Or maybe those little black potatoe sacks?

[bravemurphy]

I would say either one will do as long as the blight doesn't get them.

They will need to be carefully watered tho.

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

Evening all,

Has anyone ever used poly pots?

And what size do you think you would need for potatoes?

I think the bigger ones are either 17 or 36 litres.

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

Good point, apparently alot of show potatoes are grown this way.

[sunshineband]

Just remember that PFA grows very tall foliage, so don't let it drag on the ground because slugs will demolish it, and it will cease to function

[davejg]

I used 17l for earlies they were big enough, I'd goa bit bigger for maincrop though

[shoozie]

We use 40 lt bags - 4 or 5 per bag.  To be honest, if you've got any spare empty compost bags, they'll do instead of buying anything new at this stage.

[shokkyy]

I've used 17 litre polypots for earlies this year too. Bit bigger for second earlies, but for firsts I think 17 litre is fine. I think I remember JBA potatoes selling this size for growing spuds in too.

[fatcat1955]

Get the rubble sack's from pounland. 8 for £1.00    much cheaper and do exactly the same job. Just remember to put some drainage hole's in them.

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

And you get a good harvest?

And the added bonus of no tuber damage, from eelworm and such like?

[mumofstig]

there's the cost of the compost to consider 

[shokkyy]

Yes, I usually grow spuds in bags because I don't have the space to grow a decent crop of them otherwise, nor to rotate them properly, and spuds are one crop that really need to be rotated. I only grow first and second earlies and generally find I get a very decent crop this way. The spuds are always beautifully clean too, with no nibbles or bites or scab in them. And yes, the downside is you do use an awful lot of compost to do it. The compost isn't wasted though, after pulling up the spuds I use the spent compost to top up my raised beds because I've never got enough garden compost for that. And if you saw the thicket of weeds that comes up in every bed I put garden compost on, you'd be wanting to top them up with spent GP compost too.

[bigben]

there's the cost of the compost to consider 

Good advice Mum - I use my own compost bin stuff with just a little bit of bought compost to bulk it up. Otherwise it becomes very expensive. I grow around 10 40l trugs full of spuds. I dont bother with main crop anymore just first earlies.

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

Thankfully, I have a huge compost heap, thanks to a few neighbouring lotty friends that help me clear my site last autumn.

Just hope theirs no annual weed seeds in there!