Growing Potatoes In Pots

Unlike most gardeners I grow my potatoes in the winter. I learnt very quickly that trying to grow them summer is pointless as they just got burnt to a crisp, so there really is no point even trying.

This year, I'm growing my potatoes in pots. No digging trenches, no worries about damaging the tubers when it comes time to harvest and no chance of leaving any in the ground, which I always do no matter I hard I try not to.

I had set aside some potatoes in the greenhouse to chit, but they never sprouted so they
went into the compost bin. Instead, I planted four Kestrel, six Kipfler
( one I haven't tried before) and 7 Red Delight, that had sprouted under the kitchen sink. 

I put about 10 centimetres of compost in the bottom of the pot, added some pelletised manure, put the potatoes in and covered them with more compost.

Top to bottom: Red Delight, Kipfler and Kestrel

It took about three weeks before I saw any signs of growth, but eventually, the Red Delight (the bigger plants in the photo below) started to push their way up through the compost.

The Kipflers, on the other hand, took so long that I was starting to think that they had rotted due to all the rain we have had, but when I had a scratch around in the compost I found some tiny shoots just starting to appear.

The photo below was taken yesterday, you can see how much they have grown in the last week.

As they grow I will add more compost until it is about 5 - 6 centimetres from the top of the pot and then it will just be a matter of waiting until they are ready to be harvested. 

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