In another discussion I mention that my father is making a potato barrel this year. There were a few people interested so I decided to open a thread on the subject.
The idea is take a 55 gallon white plastic barrel with a couple of holes drilled in the bottom, put in about 6 inches of peat moss, plant a SEED potato cut into quarters, so it will 4 pieces of potato, as the plants grow you add more peat moss until it nears the top of the barrel, then stop adding peat moss and just let the plants grow. At the end of the growing season you dump out the barrel and have a whole barrel full of potatoes.
I am going to post pictures of the barrel now, and as the plants grow and addition of peat, etc. etc. I will be adding progressive pictures to this post as well, at the bottom of the post, just scroll down to see them.
For people wanting to follow along and do the same thing you will need a plastic 55 gallon barrel, plenty of peat moss or bedding soil, and A seed potato, it doesn't have to be a seed potato, they are just better to use because they are guaranteed disease free and seem to grow better than store bought potatoes.
Call your local nurserys and ask for seed potatoes.
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Frequently asked Questions
I am getting some of the same questions, so I am posting this here to try and help. Like I have said, this is an experiment with Pops, we will try to answer any questions, but we are playing it as it goes so please bear with us.
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Q: If someone didn't actually need 55 gallons of potatoes... Do you
have any sense of how small a container would be viable?
A: You don't need a 55 gallon drum, you can use a plastic or metal
trash can, just be sure it is clean so not to introduce harmful
bacteria or fungus to the crop. You can use bleach and soap to clean
an old one, be sure to rinse well. And drill holes in the bottom for drainage.
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Q: If I can't get a seed potato can I use a regular one and how do I
cut it?
A: You can use a regular potato, the seed potatoes are guaranteed
disease free and grow quicker as far as I know. You need to cut the
eyes out leaving at least a 1 inch cube of flesh around and beneath the eye.
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Q: Do I have to use peat moss?
A: No, you can use bedding soil, which is a lot cheaper than potting
soil, ask your nursery where to get it. If you use just peat moss,
you will need to feed it regularly, Pops is going to use Miracle Grow.
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Q: I just wanted to ask if & how much you water this, especially when
the soil gets to the top.
A: Yes you will need to water this, how much will greatly depend on
how hot it gets outside, the humidity in the air, etc. There is no way
for me to say how often to water, you want to keep it damp without
drying out, so it is very important to use a substrate that is very
well draining, so when the barrel starts getting full the water will
seep all the way down through the soil.
Chef1MOM added - "Just another note, if using only soil it will compact and perhaps
choke out the new growth. Peat moss is a great addition to the soil
and cost little. This will help to aerate the soil and allow for the
water to get to the roots. Another idea is to add in perlite.
( inexpensive- you do not need a lot) This holds water and releases it
as needed, reducing the amount of watering needed. When container
gardening and specifically in plastic water evaporates much quicker as
the plastic/rubber heats up quicker than the ground does. "
3KillerBs wrote - If some people are concerned about getting water to the bottom I'll bet the old trick of drilling holes at various places
in a PVC pipe and standing that in the center would work very well for
this setup.
Chipfo - That is a good idea about the plastic pipe with holes drilled in
various places, for anyone concerned about the soil staying evenly
damp might want to try this, just be sure and put it in at the
beginning, you don't want to have to try and stab it through toward
the end, it will fill with soil plus you will ruin a bunch of
potatoes.
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Q: If the seed potato quarters are planted all the way down the bottom
(where else? duh), won't the sprouts be deprived of sunlight or is
that make it etiolate (grow leggy) so to get more stem length.
A: About the sunlight question he said it won't hurt the plants, they
may even grow up faster, like you said, to get to the sun. Pops said
that when the barrel is full, the full plants on top are the ones going to
need the most sun anyway, to grow all those potatoes!
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Q: a) I'll put 6 inches of peat moss in the bottom and plant potatoes,
but how much dirt to cover the potato pieces?
b) Do I have to do anything to the potato pieces before planting?
c) How do I feed if using only peat moss?
A: a) Pops said 6 inches is good and to put 2 inches on top of the
potato pieces. So, press the potato pieces flush with the surface and
add 2 more inches of peat moss on top.
b) No, just be sure to really water them good after planting, to get
all the peat moss wet, peat moss is really dry straight out of the bag. He
flooded his barrel the first time.
c) Pops is going to use Miracle Grow, he is going to use the low
formulation designed for watering plants with every time according to
package instructions, it uses the small scoop. He said he will use a
gallon of that each time he waters plus straight water for any
additional moisture needed.
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Q: As they grow and I put more dirt/moss in the pail - do I cover the
entire plant again & let it grow up through the dirt again or am I
just putting the dirt around it as it grows?
A: Pops said you do not cover the plants up completely, (only when
initially planting do you cover the potatoes) You will wait for them to grow up where as you can add soil/peat and still leave 4 to 6 inches of
plant above the surface, also he said you want to remove any leaves
that might be covered in the process.
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Q: I have a concern about removing the leaves before covering with more soil. Won't that increase their vulnerability to insects or encourage disease?
A: Pops said - You want to remove the leaves because if you don't, as they break down into the soil it can produce an acidic soil which is not good for the plants growth, leave the stem, just remove the leaf. It will scab over quickly, no need to worry about insects or disease, plants lose leaves naturally all the time.
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Progressive Pictures of Pops' Barrel...
The start of the barrel
Plants sprouting
Plants growing, bottom leafs trimmed and Peat moss added.
