Okay, so my experiment this month is growing potatoes out of laundry baskets. I started with organic seed starting potatoes and I cut the potatoes in sections that had at least 2 eyes per section. I then planted them in 2 inches of soil, eyes facing up, cut side down. I covered them up with about another inch of soil. In about 8 days they started to grow and look like plants. As they continue to grow, I keep adding soil to the basket. This is called the “hilling” method. Eventually this basket will be full of soil and the plants will be growing out of the holes and out of the top of this basket. At the end of the summer, the plants will die (notice the picture right below) and then I dump the soil out of the laundry basket and my organic potatoes will be ready. You should be able to get 8-10 pounds of potatoes out of this one basket. Stay tuned to see how this experiment works!
Okay, my experiment is coming to an end. It is now the beginning of October and I have just started harvesting my potatoes. Wow, who knew growing potatoes were so easy! I watered my potatoes about twice a week. I will be growing potatoes in my garden from now on. There is no comparison to store bought. They are absolutely delicious! It really was super easy to grow these potatoes! Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!
How much sun do potato plants need to grow? This would be perfect for my back patio if they don’t need a bunch of sunlight. God bless!
Hey Michelle,
I am pretty sure you need full sun. Mine gets about 6 hours a day…they are almost ready to harvest! Can’t wait! Give it a try, it really is super easy.
So do you add more potatoes starts every time you add dirt? For the hilling method?
What kind of yield did you get from a small basket?
I easily got 5 pounds but if I filled it to the top, I could have gotten 8-10 pounds
You could use a medium size trash can too, but you have to drill some holes in the bottom for proper drainage.
Halle, you have the greenest thumbs! 🙂
Omgosh Halle, if I had known you were growing potatoes before I would have solictied your advice. We planted both potatoes and sweet potatoes about 2 weeks ago, cut up, eyes up, in about 4 inches of soil. Haven’t seen anthing as of yet. Do you think we are still okay? How long do they take to maturity?
Hey Debbie, I planted mine in July and they were ready in October. Sounds like you did a great job. Sometimes it takes several weeks for the plants to form. Then you will be doing the hilling method?
Will I need to since I planted them in the ground?
Here is a very informative video on growing sweet potatoes http://youtu.be/nzSGR0IQ3Qg
I think you still will need to hill your regular potatoes
Thanks Halle!
You know if you covered your potato greens with straw as they emerge from the top of the soil that you would yield more potatoes from your basket?
Straw, really? Do you place some dirt in the bottom first then just straw after that, please and thank you!