WooHoo! Taters!

LaFee 9/6/2010, 9:29 am

Stuck my hand down into the potato bags today, and was thrilled to find it lumpy!

Emptied out the contents of my three bags, and was thrilled to find about 4 pounds of gorgeous Charlotte potatoes (they're an ivory creamer) lurking. That'll be at least a few meals for us.

Not much, but this entire gardening project this year was a trial -- I didn't plant a huge garden, because I didn't want to get my hopes up (or create more work than I really wanted to handle). I've never been known to have a green thumb, so this is another entry in the "I love SFG" column.

The bags are awesome, by the way -- no slugs (they don't like the texture of the bags), and harvesting is a breeze -- just up-end the bags into a wheelbarrow a little at a time...the potatoes lay right there waiting for you to pick them up.

ander217 9/6/2010, 9:46 am

Congratulations! There is nothing like the flavor of homegrown new potatoes. rock on

Megan 9/6/2010, 10:33 am

Wow, congrats!!! How big are your potato bags and what did you use for them. Do you have pictures?

LaFee 9/6/2010, 2:36 pm

I used contractor bags -- a heavy duty fabric (like a tarp) that's used to haul rocks, bricks, and other rubble away from construction sites -- they're a little bigger than a 5-gallon bucket.

I started with about 4" of soil in the bottom of the bags (I rolled them down to make them easier to work with), put in my seeders, then covered them with another 4" of soil (or thereabouts).

As they got to be about 6" high, I tried to keep them buried to about 2-3" of foliage sticking up...and frankly couldn't keep up with them -- I swear they were growing while I watched.

Pinched off all the blooms, then waited for the foliage to die and dry out. Some of it was still trying to stay green, but looking pretty worn out, so I decided to just dig them all. Didn't have to weed them, and other than a couple of nibbles on a few leaves, they were pest and disease-free (knocks on wood).

Easy stuff, and a sure-fire return appearance next year.

chocolatepop 9/6/2010, 2:45 pm

SWEET!!! So fun right? I just made some fries today with taters i picked last week. thought the kid was gonna die when she saw purple fries!

so...whatcha cookin? What a Face

Megan 9/6/2010, 2:48 pm

Love it! I don't think garbage bags would fly in my front yard, though Sad

And there's not enough sun in the back yard to grow anything much. I think I'm stuck with my high rises. I may try the garbage bag trick INSIDE the high-rises, though... that may solve my potato-cooties problem, at that!

LaFee 9/6/2010, 2:52 pm

No, no, they're not garbage bags. They're a plastic woven fabric, and mine are snow white...and they don't look bad at all (especially from the curb, where you wouldn't be able to tell what they are) Do a Google Image search for "potato grow bags" and you'll get a good idea of what they look like in other colors (didn't see any white ones, but against the white trim of our house, they were just fine)

I'm going to just steam them then toss them with a little butter and fleur de sel. Fresh potatoes don't need much

Megan 9/6/2010, 3:02 pm

Ah. The contractor bags I know look just like black plastic garbage bags, but the plastic is much thicker so assorted things do not punch through the sides. Your description makes much more sense. (Plus, I was wondering about drainage!) Wish I could find some of the type you are referring to!

LaFee 9/6/2010, 6:03 pm

Sometimes they're called rubble bags (and yes, the woven material is porous...I tried that with the hose before I ever put the soil in them!)

I know Home Depot and Lowe's carry them...so the rest probably do, too.

Megan 9/6/2010, 8:55 pm

I think I know what you mean, now. Will have to try to remember to look for next year. Thanks!

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