Leaves From My Garden

pages from the Notebooks of ..........Helen Cronin

  • Helen’s Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Garden Photo Challenge
      • About The Challenge
      • About The Garden Photo Challenge
      • Garden Photo Challenge Weeks 1-10
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 11-20
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 21 – 30
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 31 – 40
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 41 – 52
  • Gardener
    • Design
    • DIY
    • Gardening
    • Flower Garden
    • Kitchen Garden
  • Homemaker
    • Craft Projects
    • Natural Skincare
    • Recipes
      • Pickles and Preserves – General Notes
        • Preserves
      • Teatime Treats
  • Free eBook

Kitchen Garden

How to Plant Potatoes in Sacks – a photo guide

There seems to be a growing (!) use of planting sacks for Potatoes. I did hear one neighbour grumble that it was the most expensive pound of potatoes he had had, ever!

Although my first attempt was far more successful than it should have been, I know I didn’t do things quite as I should have. But I tried again, and was successful. So here is my photo guide of How to Plant Potatoes in Sacks

What You Will Need

If you choose to buy proper sacks it will cost more for the first year’s crop but with care the sacks will last a long time. Or you can go down the thrift route and use anything that’s big enough e.g. Pot, tub, container, inside-out compost bags (they look neater black side out), anything you can lay your hands on that can hold about 3 buckets of compost.

Sack planting Potatoes

You will see from the photo that I have chitted my Potatoes. This simply means resting the seed potatoes in trays or egg cartons with the bit with the most “eyes” facing up so that they can start sprouting. Put the tray into the light, but not direct sunlight. The ‘sprouts’ should be firm, stubby, and coloured.

A problem I have come across is if you order your seed potatoes and they are supplied too early. Keeping them until you are ready to chit them can be difficult. Try to keep them cool and in the dark. Sometimes the seed potatoes just can’t wait to get going and you may find that they have sprouted. Don’t panic just ‘chit’ them as described and the shoots should firm up. They may be a bit long so handle them carefully. You don’t want to knock any of the shoots off!

How to Plant Your Potatoes

compost suitable for growing Potatoes

To keep the costs down, I have mixed some cheap Multi-purpose compost (I bought 4 x 50 litres bags at a bargain price at the local supermarket) with soil I had from rotting down some old turf. It had been stacked for over a year, so all the plant growth etc. had mixed with the soil, which, in theory, makes for good potting soil. I  used one bag of compost to fill  6 bags for this project. If you have enough home-made compost you could use that instead.

Broken crocks aid drainage

Place some broken crocks or as I have done here, roof tiles, over the drainage holes in the base of the sack. This prevents them from clogging up with the compost mix.

Potatoes in the planting sack

Add about a bucketful of your compost mix to your sacks, to give them a layer of about 4 inches/100mm in the base. Place the potatoes with the sprouts pointing skywards on the compost. I have planted three tubers to each of my sacks. I noticed that when Monty Don trialled planting in sacks, one year, he said one-per-sack or if you preferred smaller potatoes, plant two. However, many Suppliers provide you with three tubers for each sack. Once you’ve made your decision about how many to plant, cover them with some more compost so that they are just tucked up (covered over) nicely.

compost and water for potatoes

Don’t forget to water the sacks. And do keep adding compost to the sack as the shoots get to being about 4-6 inches high. Keep adding more compost as the potato plants grow until the bag is about 3/4 full. Do water the sacks regularly, but avoid getting the leaves wet as this can cause a disease called Blight. 

And finally

Write a label, plastic, wood, anything that can stay in the sack or as I did when I ran out of labels, write the variety on the sack itself with a Sharpie. You think you will remember which variety is planted in which sack but you won’t, trust me, (ahem) I know from experience!

Label Potato varities


Five little Potato sacks sitting in a row…

Potatoes growing in sacks

Whilst the home vegetable grower traditionally plants Potatoes for a Summer harvest, how about trying some for the Autumn/Winter? Maybe even new potatoes for your Christmas Dinner? By mid-Summer you can buy tubers for planting then and harvesting from October onwards. The tubers have been kept in cold storage and dormancy so chitting is not necessary. Planting in the Summer sunshine, in warm soil means they get going rapidly. Just remember to move the sacks into a sheltered spot or greenhouse before the frosty weather starts

This second planting means you could get two crops from you sacks, how’s that for value-for-money? The first lot of compost will be depleted of nutrients, so probably best to start again with fresh. 

Why not jot down on this handy worksheet all the Garden tasks you need to do? When you need to sow or plant out, what need’s pruning or when you want to turn the compost etc, etc

Get your free copy as a thank you gift for subscribing to the Newsletter

Sharing is caring!

3 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet


Leave a Comment

« The Kitchen Garden
Water, water everywhere … but not a drop to spare »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Hello! Welcome to Leaves From My Garden

Cameo of Helen Cronin

My name is Helen Cronin

I am here to share my love of gardening with you, and to help you create, grow and nurture your garden. To encourage you to turn your ordinary space into a beautiful place, and to enjoy everything your garden and gardening can give you.

Sign up for the LFMG Newsletter and get your free copy of the eBook today!

Buy your Garden Design book – click on the image to read more

Categories

Recommended Resources

Follow me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Leaves From My Garden on Instagram

View through my kitchen window ... the Acer palmat View through my kitchen window ... the Acer palmatum in all its glory
🍁
🍂
🍁
#acerpalmatum #autumncolours🍂🍁 #autumninmygarden
I would love to back at Iford Manor- such a beauti I would love to back at Iford Manor- such a beautiful place. But today I'll be battling Wisteria, bindweed and an overgrown lawn at home
.
.
.
#ifordmanor #gardensilove #myhappyspace #ilovemygarden #idontlikebindweed #prunewisteria #mowthelawn
Purple cone flower being enjoyed by a visitor🦋 Purple cone flower being enjoyed by a visitor🦋
.
.
.Edited 
#butterfliesinmygarden #smalltortoiseshellbutterfly #cottagegarden #cottagegardenflowers #dorsetgarden #ilovebutterflies
Just a little storm brewing over the Blackmore Val Just a little storm brewing over the Blackmore Vale😏.
.
.
.
#stormyweather #summerstorms #dorsetlife #blackmoorvale #nearmyvillage #countryliving
Load More… Follow on Instagram

  • Home
  • About Leaves From My Garden
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2022 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2022 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Privacy settings

Privacy Settings

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit.

NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.

Instagram

Instagram receives information via the Instagram component that the data subject has visited our website provided that the data subject is logged in at Instagram at the time of the call to our website. This occurs regardless of whether the person clicks on the Instagram button or not. If such a transmission of information to Instagram is not desirable for the data subject, then he or she can prevent this by logging off from their Instagram account before a call-up to our website is made.

Amazon

On this website, the controller has integrated Amazon components as a participant in the Amazon partner program. The Amazon components were created by Amazon with the aim to mediate customers through advertisements on various websites of the Amazon group, in particular Amazon.co.uk, Local.Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, BuyVIP.com, Amazon.fr, Amazon.it and Amazon.es in return for the payment of a commission. By using the Amazon components, the controller may generate advertising revenue.

MailerLite

During the registration for the newsletter, we also store the IP address of the computer system assigned by the Internet service provider (ISP) – Mailerlite – and used by the data subject at the time of the registration, as well as the date and time of the registration. The collection of this data is necessary in order to understand the (possible) misuse of the e-mail address of a data subject at a later date, and it therefore serves the aim of the legal protection of the controller.

The personal data collected as part of a registration for the newsletter will only be used to send our newsletter. In addition, subscribers to the newsletter may be informed by e-mail, as long as this is necessary for the operation of the newsletter service or a registration in question, as this could be the case in the event of modifications to the newsletter offer, or in the event of a change in technical circumstances. There will be no transfer of personal data collected by the newsletter service to third parties. The subscription to our newsletter may be terminated by the data subject at any time. The consent to the storage of personal data, which the data subject has given for shipping the newsletter, may be revoked at any time. For the purpose of revocation of consent, a corresponding link is found in each newsletter. It is also possible to unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time directly on the website of the controller, or to communicate this to the controller in a different way.

Pinterest

Pinterest receives information via the Pinterest component that the data subject has visited our website, provided that the data subject is logged in at Pinterest at the time of the call-up to our website. This occurs regardless of whether the person clicks on the Pinterest component or not. If such a transmission of information to Pinterest is not desirable for the data subject, then he or she may prevent this by logging off from their Pinterest account before a call-up to our website is made.

Facebook

Facebook always receives, through the Facebook component, information about a visit to our website by the data subject, whenever the data subject is logged in at the same time on Facebook during the time of the call-up to our website. This occurs regardless of whether the data subject clicks on the Facebook component or not. If such a transmission of information to Facebook is not desirable for the data subject, then he or she may prevent this by logging off from their Facebook account before a call-up to our website is made.

Google Analytics

The purpose of the Google Analytics component is to analyze the traffic on our website. Google uses the collected data and information, inter alia, to evaluate the use of our website and to provide online reports, which show the activities on our websites, and to provide other services concerning the use of our Internet site for us.

Powered by Cookie Information