using a potato barrel

O

olivia

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I have recently 'invested ' in a potato barrel which I bought from Middleton’s after hearing about it on Derek Mooney. Wondered if anyone had any experience of using one of these?
 
I am interested in getting one of these also, but Midletons just told me that they are out of stock until April 15th. Does anywhere else stock them?

Sorry Olivia, I can't give any advice on using them, I just think they're a great idea.

C
 
Here is how to use a potato barrel - good luck!

Planting

You need 80 Litres of a good general purpose compost. Pour 6in. of compost into the bottom of the barrel and plant 5 seed potatoes (shoots or eyes uppermost), about 2in. deep. Position one potato in the centre and the other 4 in opposite corners. Do not soak the compost at this stage as this may rot the tubers. When the shoots have grown about 6in. high, add a second layer of compost around the plants, exposing just the tips. Repeat this process in layers of about 4in. until the compost and the shoots reach 1in. below the top of the barrel.

As the main stem grows towards the top of the barrel, it sends out potato-bearing side shoots all the way up, eventually producing 'new' potatoes. Potato foilage continues to grow until it is 1-2ft above the top of the barrel.

Watering and Feeding

Once the plants are well established the compost needs weekly watering and feeding with a high potash/low nitrogen soluable plant food (eg. a propriety tomato fertiliser). Do not skimp on feed and water as potatoes are greedy, especially when in a tub.

Harvesting

Eventually the plants produce tiny white or pink flowers. This is the time when potatoes should be ready to harvest. Lift the sliders in the barrel sides. The compost should be held in place by the tightly packed roots. If the potatoes are big enough, ease them out. The potatoes will keep on growing until you have harvested the whole barrel.
 
If they are still out of stock, use old tyres and add them in layers!
 
Yorky said:
Has anyone actually used one of these yet? How much do they cost?
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Go to your local DIY and buy a big plastic bin - that's all they really are. Drill some drainage holes in the bottom. I'd be wary of using old tyres tbh - potential oil/nasty residues on them.
 
Newlands garden centre have them in stock today but any container 2ft in height and over 8 inches in diameter would be suitable. Vary the amount of tubers on the size of container respectably. Seed potatoes are not always required as I have in the past used potatoes from an ordinary super market, but best results are from seed potatoes.
 
I considered buying these, but am sceptical. The Irish Times has a "sales thingy insert" every so often, and one of the featured garden items is the potato barrel. The spuds don't look that great, ie they are small.

Have you grown potatoes yourself, the normal way? Or at least seen them and dug them up yourself with a pike/pitchfork? I can't imagine a barrel being as successful.

I tried (can't recall why) growing celeriac once in a container. I have to say, as vegetables go, the foliage was pretty attractive. Vertical stems with erect leaves. Alas, underground nowt was happening bar roots. No celeriac as we know it.

I think herbs and some fruit grow well in containers, but vegetables, I don't think so.
 
Gautama said:
I think herbs and some fruit grow well in containers, but vegetables, I don't think so.
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The main reason some veg don't grow as well in containers is that they don't get enough water - give them the proper spacing, depth of soil, and plenty of water and they'll do as well as in the ground normally - e.g. things like runner beans can grow really well in (large) pots but they need loads of water.
 
Sherman said:
The main reason some veg don't grow as well in containers is that they don't get enough water - give them the proper spacing, depth of soil, and plenty of water and they'll do as well as in the ground normally - e.g. things like runner beans can grow really well in (large) pots but they need loads of water.
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This makes sense. Conversely, potato barrels don't.
 
Any idea if the barrell is better in regards to hindering the spread of blight?
 
Seems like a lot of expense to grow a few spuds,we planted 4 drills of spuds in a little corner of the back garden for the price of a bag of seed potatoes €2 i think. Dug the drills,cut the spuds in half,layed them down, covered them over and gave the ground a good watering and hey presto a few weeks later we got a months worth of lovely spuds for nothing.Apart from digging the 4 small drills maybe 20 mins work,nothing else involved.
 
Yorky said:
......
Does anyone know why the yield might have been so small? Could the compost have been to blame?


Any help would be appreciated.
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I think the lack of sunshine is the cause of your small yield.
 
coolhandluke said:
Seems like a lot of expense to grow a few spuds,we planted 4 drills of spuds in a little corner of the back garden for the price of a bag of seed potatoes €2 i think. Dug the drills,cut the spuds in half,layed them down, covered them over and gave the ground a good watering and hey presto a few weeks later we got a months worth of lovely spuds for nothing.Apart from digging the 4 small drills maybe 20 mins work,nothing else involved.
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For some it might be the only option, a potato barrell takes up a lot less space than 4 drills in a garden and given the little minding you did if you survived without getting blight this year of all years then count yourself lucky
 
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