How to Grow Potatoes in a Bag

Potatoes are one of the easiest vegetables you can grow. They’re low maintenance which means you can plant them in the ground, in a raised bed, a pot, a bag, a bucket – it doesn’t matter! Beyond being easy to grow, they are high in calories which means they’re a great addition to your garden.

Varieties

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Potatoes aren’t grown from seed like other plants, but are actually just potatoes planted for more potatoes! There are two ways to buy potatoes to be planted. The first is to buy seed potatoes and the second is to plant potatoes from the store or farmers market. In my opinion, the main reason you would want to buy seed potatoes is if you’re looking for a specific variety to grow. However, I find seed potatoes to be way more expensive than planting store bought varieties. If you choose to buy from the grocery store or a farmers market, opt for organic varieties. Often times, conventionally grown potatoes are sprayed with an anti-sprouting chemical so choosing organic will give you a better chance of your potatoes sprouting.

In terms of the potatoes themselves, there are three types based on how they grow and mature – early, mid and late season potatoes. The only difference between the potato types is how long their days to maturity is. Early season potatoes mature quickly (ie early in the season) in 75 to 90 days, while late season potatoes can take up to 135 days. If you choose to buy potatoes from your farmers market, you don’t need to worry about which variety they are because they were already grown in your area. However, if you choose to purchase potato seeds, make sure that the variety fits within the amount of growing days you have available to you.

Is there a best potato variety to grow in bags?

No, You can grow any potato variety you want in a bag, bucket or pot! Oftentimes, potatoes grown in bags will grow smaller than in the ground, so if you choose a variety that is larger you might only get smaller versions of them.

Sun & Soil Requirements

Potatoes grow best in full sun. Potatoes prefer well draining, sandy soil to ensure that the tubers don’t rot if the soil doesn’t dry out fast enough.

Why Plant Potatoes in Bags

I prefer to grow potatoes in bags for many reasons. The first is that they are easy to plant, maintain and harvest. The second is that they don’t disrupt your garden soil. Planting potatoes in your raised beds means that when you harvest them, you’ll have to dig up that whole area of your garden, turning over the soil which is not beneficial for the bacteria and other living beings in the soil. I also don’t like the idea of having to plant them in one garden alone so as not to have to dig up other garden vegetables when they’re ready to harvest, since I’m a big advocate for intercropping.

The other benefits to growing in bags is that you can grow potatoes on your apartment or condo balcony, you can move them around as the sun moves to give them full sun, and you don’t even need a garden to grow them. You can even grow them inside if you have a grow light. How wild is that?

The Best Bags to Grow Potatoes In

You don’t need to grow potatoes in raised beds or in the ground, you can grow potatoes in buckets, pots, burlap bags or any other container as long as it’s large enough. My grow bags are 10 gallons, and are tall and thin. The best part about this is that it allows me to “hill” inside the bag, adding more soil as the plants grow to help avoid any sunlight reaching the potatoes.

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How to Plant Potatoes

Potatoes like cool weather, so planting your potatoes in April will allow them time to grow before the summer temperatures get too hot. Plus, it gives the potatoes enough time to grow and mature before your first frost.

There are two ways you can plant your potatoes. You can either plant them whole, or you can cut them up, ensuring every piece has an ‘eye’ on it because this is where it will sprout from. I have only ever planted my potatoes whole, so I can’t confirm if one produces more potatoes than another but am hoping to experiment with them this season! To plant your potatoes, fill around 1/4 of your bag or container with soil. Then plant your potatoes and cover them with soil. Water the soil well, once. Don’t water them until you start seeing growth coming out of the soil. Once you see growth, you can water them again. If the soil is fully dry and you still see no growth, water them again. The main goal is to ensure the soil does not stay wet consistently because it can rot your potatoes.

Caring for Your Potato Plants

When the plants grow to 4-6″ you’ll want to add soil on the plants until they’re almost completely covered. Continue to cover your plants with soil until the pot is completely full. From there, your plants can grow to their full size. Alternatively, you can fill your grow bag with straw or mulch. The main goal is to ensure the potatoes and roots don’t see sunlight because that’s what leads to green potatoes.

Continue your garden learning:

• How to Invite Ladybugs into Your Garden
• How to Grow Cabbage from Seed to Harvest
• Your Most Asked Raised Garden Questions ANSWERED
• 6 Tricks to Grow Massive Onions in Cold Climates
• Want a Huge Pepper Harvest? 6 Tips for Cold Climates

Watering Your Potatoes

Water your potatoes regularly, and allow the soil to dry between waterings. If you’re growing in plant bags like the photos above, your pots will dry out faster. These pots are useful so that the soil doesn’t get too wet if it rains often. If you grow in an area that often sees hot, dry summers you’ll need to water more often, or grow in a container that retains moisture for longer.

Harvesting Your Potatoes

In the photos above, I planted one single potato in a bag and this is how many potatoes I harvested after. This plant was a fun experiment that I was trying out.

Your potatoes will be ready to harvest in 70-135 days. Your plant will flower and then the leaves will start to brown or yellow as they die back. When your leaves start to yellow you can cut the leaves down to the soil. You can either harvest them at this time for delicious, fresh potatoes or if you want to store your potatoes, wait approximately 2 weeks before you harvest them to let the skin thicken.

Harvesting potatoes from bags or buckets is simple, especially if you have a wheelbarrow. If you have a wheelbarrow you can take the container and dump it and sort through the soil, collecting all of the potatoes. If you’re growing on a balcony or aren’t able to dump the bags, you can fiddle around in the bag looking for potatoes and pulling them out one by one. Potatoes are one of the most fun crops to harvest.

Ways to Enjoy Potatoes

Potatoes have got to be one of the most versatile foods out there. There are so many ways you can cook them and they are packed full of calories which makes them one of the most valuable crops to grow to keep your family fed. Here are some fun and exciting ways to cook your homegrown potatoes! Fried breakfast potatoes, curry potatoes for dosa, french fries, poutine, mashed potatoes, potato pancakes and baked potatoes!

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Common Pests & Problems

If you’re growing potatoes in the ground you might have issues with voles or other animals, but when you grow in bags or containers you have less pest pressure. The main pest for potatoes is the potato beetle. It’s a small beetle with orangey-yellow and black stripes on it and it will lay clusters of yellow eggs on the underside of potato leaves. Your first signs of this pest will likely be eaten or damaged leaves, and once you flip the leaf over you’ll find the larvae of the beetle on the plant. To manage these pests, regularly monitor the underside of leaves and remove any eggs or larvae as you find them.

Another common problem for potatoes is blight. If you grow tomatoes you’ll be familiar with blight and how it affects your plants. If you notice any dark spots on your leaves or stems of your potato plants, you likely have blight. Unfortunately it can affect the potatoes as well, so at the first signs of blight, cut down your plants and harvest your potatoes.

Saving Potato Seeds

The best part about potatoes is that they grow from potatoes! Which means, if you store your potatoes properly, you can use your homegrown potatoes again next season. You’ll want to ensure you let your potatoes grow a thicker skin in the season to help allow them to last all winter long in time to plant in spring. However, potatoes love to sprout so you might end up with sprouted potatoes before it’s time to plant. If this happens, just head to your local farmers market in late winter to grab some potatoes to grow this spring.