HiramQuick has a neat way of growing potatoes. Maybe he will share it again. I would like to know if it would work for sweet potatoes also. I saw some plants at the Co-Op a couple of days ago and would like to try them.
It was exciting when they come up. This is my first real attempt at growing food lol. My black thumb hasn’t done much for indoor plants. ;)
Our squash, peas, beans, cukes, onions and zuchinnis are all coming up and growing nicely. I even tossed in some pumpkins for the kids and they popped up the last few days.
Take a 5 gallon bucket and put 3” of good, friable soil in the bottom. I use Yukon Gold seed potatoes but have also used kennebecs and red varieties as well. Kennebecs are a little large for the bucket ... they will be limited size wise. Red potatoes are perfect, especially if you like “new potatoes” ... just reach down into the bucket and harvest the youngsters without disturbing the plant.
But I digress. Seed potatoes do best if a cut piece has at least 3 eyes on it. For those that are not aware, most potatoes you buy commercially are sprayed so they do not produce buds and thus shelf life is longer. So buy certified seed potatoes. I always take my seed pot. and put them in a sunny window for about 10 days to get the buds to sprout ... then cut into pieces keeping at least three eyes per piece. Let them sit in the sun a couple days to let the cut callous over ... they are susceptible to rot if you don't Not so likely in buckets, because drainage is very good.
Oh .. I made an assumption (and we know what that means). Make sure you have plenty of drainage holes drilled in the bottom of your bucket.
So backtrack, 3” of good soil, 3 seed pot. with 3 eyes in each bucket, cover with 2” of soil and water. When the plant gets 3” tall, cover it except the top 1/2” with compost or a light airy soil mix. Potting soil with vermiculite is wonderful, cept it is tooo spendy for me, and just about all potting mixes have fertilzers (typically miracle grow) in them. That will make for a nice leafy plant, but no potatoes. So I go back to my cheap, self made compost. (gardeners black gold)
Keep letting the pot. grow 3 “ and then voer with more compost until the bucket is full. My buckets are full to the brim with compost and I have the most beautiful foliage that is already 2 ft high growing out of my buckets. I use the buckets in my sunny perennial beds to create interest of texture. Hey .. try that with tomatoes as well ... great looking foliage.
In SW OH, many plant potatoes by St. Paddy's day. Ifind it is too cold .. and seed will just rot. First of April still gives you plenty of time.
A not of caution. Buckets even filled with rich compost can dry out quickly in warm temps. We had a brief few days of 87 degrees and I soaked mine down after 3 days ... If drainage is good in your buckets, water until you just see water coming out the bottom of the bucket, over water and you will leech out all the nutrients in the soil.
I do not fertilize .. my compost seems to be ideal, but if you must, use a low nitrogen, high phosphate blend. Just stay away from high nitrogen, unless you want to develop lots of foliage and minimum potatoes.
End of Sept, dump them out in the yard. The fat boys way to capture potatoes. Short handled shovel do not fit this fat boys hand. Don't even own one anymore.
Back to new “reds” if you use compost your can harvest early by reaching down along side the plant and picking the size you want.
Again, I grow mine in buckets predominantly for the foliage interest in my landscape .. but a fat boy loves new reds, piping hot and swimming in butter and a little essence.
Hungry all of a sudden ... writing about gardening does that to me.
Hope this is useful to you.
Again I have not tied sweet potatoes .. we are tooo far north, but I imagine that they would work just as well.