My mom has a very beautiful container garden. CSU Horticulture Agents and Specialists Blog, Capric Acid: A Promising Next-Generation Herbicide for Organic Specialty Crop Production, Columnar and Fastigiate Trees for CO Landscapes, Management-intensive Grazing (MiG) on Irrigated Pasture, Pulse Crops and their Key Role as Staple Foods in Healthful Eating Patterns, Integrated Hive Management for Colorado Beekeepers, Management-intensive Grazing (MiG) and Soil Health, Band 2 inches away from the plant, water after fertilizing. Almost any vegetable can be grown successfully in a container, and potatoes are no exception. Gardeners should add an additional two inches of soil around the top of the plant when they start to emerge from the soil. Decreased watering can also help the tubers mature and develop the skin. For growing potatoes in containers, natural fertilizers are sufficient. Harvest new potatoes within 30 days. Cover them with 4 inches of soil. For growing potatoes, containers created specifically for potatoes work wonderfully and are quite inexpensive compared to plastic or ceramic. One advantage of growing potatoes in containers is that the container can be moved into a frost free position if a late frost threatens. Potatoes are naturally fat free and a good source of vitamin C. Colorado State University has released 22 new potatoes since 1975. This reduces the risk of seed piece rot. This means maintaining soil moisture, checking regularly for unhealthy plants, and growing disease resistant varieties. Potatoes thrive in ground or in containers, so they're a fun edible to grow for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. This also prevents tuber and potato root damage. These potatoes are newly harvested. Weed control is especially important while the potato plants are less than a foot tall and fast growing weeds can outcompete the young potatoes. I've been growing potatoes in bins in our backyard for five years now. As the plants begin to turn yellow and mature in the later summer, gardeners can water less to encourage tuber development and prevent potatoes from rotting. Growing potatoes in containers is a great option for anyone who has limited space to garden, is concerned about what is in their soil or is looking for an easier way to harvest potatoes. She teaches aikido, is an experienced back-country skier and backpacker and is active in her community. Use lightweight soil, layer the potatoes and keep the soil consistently moist. Learn more about us or about our partners. By creating an account you agree to the Hunker, Colorado State University Extension: The Magnificent Potato, University of California Cooperative Extension: The Nightshade Plant Family, Colorado Potato: Colorado Senate Bill 10-072, Irish Eyes Garden Seeds: Growing Potatoes, Missouri Botanical Gardens: Solanum tuberosum, Smithsonian: How the Potato Changed the World. Garden centers, reputable, garden catalogs, or your local CSU Extension Agent are all sources of certified seed. It’s so easy to harvest potatoes grown in containers. Rotating crops also helps interrupt the disease cycle and prevents nutrient depletion. Growing potatoes in containers is a great option for anyone who has limited space to garden, is concerned about what is in their soil or is looking for an easier way to harvest potatoes. Most weeds thrive on disturbance to the soil and can even grow from fragmented root pieces, so it is best to pull them out by as much of the root as possible instead of cultivating them into the soil with a hoe or rake. Potatoes are ideal for container gardens. The growing season for potatoes in straws in containers can last for 90 to 120 days. Dig a trench 6 to 8 inches deep, and plant the seed potatoes or pieces 18 inches apart, in rows 2 feet apart. Gardeners may observe beneficial ladybugs on their potato plants. Potatoes can withstand light frost, though it will kill emerging leaves. When sprouts appear on part of the potato, turn it over to encourage even growth. You can grow them in pretty much any container you can find; as long as it’s larger than a potato plant and has drainage holes, it should work. Growing potatoes is a lot different than growing other root crops like carrots or beets, where you pull up one veggie per plant. Read ahead! Potatoes grow best in sandy loam soil, but gardeners can manage a wide variety of soil types. Pests and Diseases . See more ideas about growing potatoes, vegetable garden, growing vegetables. Sprouts should emerge in about two weeks; when they are 8 inches high, hill the plants by raking up soil from the sides of the bed to add another 4 inches of soil around each sprout. Most root vegetables do well in Colorado’s high altitude climate, (except for sweet potatoes and rutabagas — they like warmer, southern climates). However, potatoes planted too far apart can become misshapen or develop hollow heart. Pick a spot in your garden where the plants will be exposed to sunlight but not baking in the heat. Those potatoes that I don’t eat by April will probably end up back in the garden to start next year’s crop, with their shoots already growing. Not only is this an easy process, it is also one of the most rewarding. To avoid the spread of disease, these plants should be put in the garbage, not a compost pile. The Spruce / Marie Iannotti. A rain gauge placed at ground level near the potato plants will indicate how many inches of water the plants receive. Make sure that the area is frost free so that the potatoes can grow well. The biggest advantage of growing potatoes in the container is that you will find its tubers in one place. Green potatoes should be discarded and not eaten. The procedure and tips for growing them are the same. If you see more of them, you can apply some organic pesticides preferably at dawn or dusk to prevent hurting beneficial insects. Preparing seed potatoes. Potatoes, especially those of the early-maturing varieties take between 80 to 100 days to mature. Potatoes come in several colors, shapes, and sizes. Get our Newsletter Subscribe. Spacing can be adjusted based on the type of potato that is planted. For people with very small gardens or just a patio or porch, growing potatoes in containers can … Following is a typical fertilization strategy: It is important to rotate crop families about every three years to maintain healthy soil. Traditionally potatoes are bought in January and February to allow enough time for them to ‘chit’ (sprout). Log in to comment on this story! The leaves will grow back and the plant will continue to grow, though repeated freezing depletes reserves in the seed tubers. They have a few pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, which can decimate your crop almost overnight, so you will need to keep an eye out and inspect your plants every few days. However, both fresh manure and grass clippings can have weed seeds or too much salt. CSU A-Z Search Log in. They prefer summer temperatures of roughly 70 °F (21 °C), but can handle slightly hotter temps, as long as they’re not exposed to direct sunlight for more than 6-8 hours a day. Wherever you live, Extension’s job is to determine what issues, concerns and needs are unique to each community, and offer sound and effective solutions. Containers holding potatoes will dry out more quickly than the soil in your garden. Employment | The soil temperature should be at least 55F during the day and 45F at night. Because most home gardeners plant potatoes on a small scale, it is not cost effective to purchase and apply pesticides. You can also apply organic liquid fertilizer once a month. Gardeners can expect about two pounds of potatoes per plant, but this depends on the variety, weather, and pest, weed, and disease pressure. If you like to use what you already have on hand, try planting potatoes in a cardboard box. Whether you are growing in raised beds, containers, or in the ground, spacing is another important factor. Roasted, boiled, mashed or in a salad – no matter how you serve yours, they will always taste better dug out of your own garden. You can replant potatoes you grew the previous year, but after one or two growing seasons, the potatoes will no longer produce well. Potatoes grow best in a soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.0. While not all of the more than 5,000 varieties preserved in Peru are available in Colorado, hundreds of varieties, from early to mid- to late season types, grow well in Colorado. Sacks and boxes are another option. Those with smaller size profiles, such as fingerling potatoes, can be planted closer together, about eight inches apart. Let’s get started. If the potato plants are still green close to this time, the vines can be cut to about six inches tall one to two weeks before the desired harvest date. A great way of making use of seed potatoes that would otherwise go to waste, growing potatoes in containers allows everyone to enjoy the lush foliage and great taste of home grown tubers from your potato plants. Cut larger seed potatoes into pieces of about the same size, as long as each piece has at least one or two "eyes" or sprouts. In the San Luis Valley, parts of the Western Slope and other areas of Colorado with an elevation below 7,000 feet, plant potatoes in late April to early May. Don’t be intimidated: growing potatoes is totally worth the effort and gives you so many more options than just the baked Idaho. Follow our potato growing guide to plant Tui Certified Seed Potatoes in garden beds or containers, and you'll be harvesting a bumper crop of homegrown potatoes this season. Non-Discrimination Statement | Cover them with straw. Colorado is the fifth to sixth largest producer of potatoes in the United States, with the San Luis Valley in southeastern Colorado producing 90 percent of Colorado's commercial potato crop. Some of us even plant through June, particularly in containers or potato towers. We are starting our potatoes and we decided to grow some in containers this year. Potatoes come in hundreds of varieties, so look forward to different shapes, flavors and slightly differing lengths of growing … For potatoes grown traditionally in rows, a spacing of around 12 inches (for smaller first earlies) to 15 inches (for maincrop) is optimal. It's simple, relatively cheap, readily available and will last for several years. Growing potatoes in containers is a great idea if a home gardener is short on space. Photo by Trina Zavislan. How to plant potatoes • With a hoe or round-point shovel, dig a trench nearly 5 inches wide and eight inches deep, giving the bottom a taper three inches wide. But it's not the only solution to growing potatoes in containers. For people with very small gardens or just a patio or porch, growing potatoes in containers can be interesting and productive. This year she experimented with growing potatoes in laundry baskets. Potatoes prefer a fertile, well-drained sandy-loam soil with a pH of 4.8 to 5.4 for optimal growth. Seed potato producers grow seed potato from the sprouts that emerge from potatoes. The sprouts or eyes should be planted facing up. Weeds should be identified and removed frequently, as they can act as hosts of potato disease and compete for water and nutrients. Potatoes are tubers and herbaceous perennials, hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 to 11. For potatoes grown traditionally in rows, a spacing of around 12 inches (for smaller first earlies) to 15 inches (for maincrop) is optimal. The potato, or Solanum tuberosum, is in the plant family Solanaceae. Gardeners should determine the appropriate frequency and duration of watering based on the weather, soil type, and water needs of other plants in their garden. These sprouts are rooted and cultivated to produce the seed tuber. Sandy, loamy soil with a pH of 4.8 to 5.5 is ideal, though some varieties will push through clay soils and most will tolerate a more alkaline pH level. This is called hilling and ensures that the developing tubers are covered by soil and not exposed to sunlight. Log in to comment on this story! Gardeners should identify a spot in their garden with well-drained soil and no low spots where standing watering can pool to plant their garden. Colorado produces annually about ten million bushels of potatoes. If potatoes are grown every year, they should be grown in different areas of the garden each year. Apply to CSU | However, any container with drainage will do as spuds will grow in anything – one of my best harvests came from a plant growing in a pile of old straw. Like no dig gardening , it is also far less labor intensive than other methods. To grow a sweet potato in a container, the roots need plenty of space to spread out. So, it’s always a surprise to dig them up and see your end result. Choose a location where the potato plants will receive at least six hours of sunlight each day. Potatoes with this disease are still edible, but gardeners may choose to plant a variety more resistant to scab if it is a problem in their garden. Because they can be grown indoors in various containers, even harsh weather doesn’t preclude the growing of potatoes just about everywhere.. As a commercial product, potatoes are both widely available and internationally produced. 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