Hi all! I know some of you use them, but I have never tried before . I bought 3 tonight on amazon for growing potatoes. Ioved my home grown potatoes in RI so why not try growing them here? There is a potato here called Ratte, as in rat! I grew them in RI years ago. As it turns out, in France it is the most precious, expensive potato you can buy. They are tiny, thin skinned and sweet. They are really good. Any tips on growing potatoes in bags? Any help would be appreciated. Watering? Thanks.
I try to grow fingerling potatoes like La Ratte in grow bags every year, but unless they are on a drip in just the right spot, they dry out very quickly when it starts to get hot and dry here in May. Often 95 F plus, and virtually no rain for months. But I still try! What size are your bags? Make sure to plant with room to add soil or shredded dried leaves or something as the plants grow.
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Thanks so much, I bought three sizes. 10-30 gallons. I hope they are large enough. Thanks for the watering tip it gets to about 104 here during July the hottest month and sometimes into Aug. I will water. Since they are on a terrace it will be easy.
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Is your terrace floor getting hot during hot days? If so, I would put some cardboard or wood under the bag, so it is wider than the bag - this ways radiating heat will not go directly along the bag wall. Also reflective insulation around the bag should help with overheat. You also may want to shade them in the pick of sun days. The bigger the bag, more chances to succeed you have, planting 12 potatoes in 30g bag is better then 4 in 10g.
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Thanks Galinas! The sun does not come to my terrace until 2pm during the summer. So that is good. My terrace faces West. Right now all of my stone fruit is in blossom. Actually the Apricots have finished and are at blossom drop. The bees were fabulous this spring. I bought large saucers to place under the bags as well. I do love the small potatoes, they are so much less work. I hope the experiment goes well.
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I like grow bags because they are cheap compared to a large plastic pot and they are hard to overwater. If you water too much the water just drips out of the pot. Great as long as you are growing outside.
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with your temps MrsG i think it would have been better to grow in solid pots but if you tend to them often and mulch with reflective foil insulation on the outside i think you should be ok. i use grow bags in my portable greenhouse from 10 gal to 20 gal. and they work good in my cool weather but come mid summer i have to water 2xs a day once it gets up to 80f. i got some in tan and white which works better to control the heat to the roots than the black. good luck!.
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Watering for me is no problem. I have a faucet and hose on the terrace.
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I grow them in grow bags. It’s so easy to miss some that when in my raised beds I had potatoes popping up for two years! This way at least they are confined to the bag.
I like 30 gallon best. I only put three plants in. The potatoes I grow tend to grow a lot on new stem as I bury it. Some do not do this but for the ones that do, I fill bag maybe 1/3 or 1/2 at most, as they grow I bury the stem until the soil is right to the top. I get a lot on that buried stem! Although some do not work as well. Last year the harvest was unreal. I still have potatoes. Some really huge ones too!
Yukon Gold grew a lot on it’s buried stems, the potatoes were ginormous.
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what are those purple ones? hows the taste? im thinking of growing some red and purple to serve during the holidays as a conversation piece. 
Yes those are purple. The skin is thick. Different tasting. I like them. I’m growing for a third time. When cooked they do lose most of the color but still have some. I heard if microwaved they stay bluer. I don’t nuke potatoes so never tried it. I The ones I grow are called All Blue. The red I tried were not that good. Ok like a red skin potato, which are better in my opinion. I only tried Adirondack red.
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That is fantastic!
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My sister used to grow potatoes in a big 32 gallon garbage pail with holes in the bottom and used pure compost. Her production was incredible. As I recall, she kept the pH pretty low to discourage scab- at about 5.
Harvest was certainly simplified.
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Thanks Alan!
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I have used in-ground bags in the nursery since the mid-80’s. That’s what 150 apple grafts are going in this spring.
a couple of my garbage cans are getting ratty. holes in bottom wheels fell off, etc. going to try that with them.