Veg Grow A Lot Of Potatoes In Buckets

[Rabbit]

I was going to post this in packyderms_wife's thread on Gardening For The Grand Solar Minimum but I thought it might get lost. This concerns the possibility of potato shortages or most likely huge price increases.

I don't know how to post a YouTube video, but there is a guy in Newport, Va. with some great gardening videos, look for Hollis and Nancy. He grows potatoes in buckets and large planters. In one video he shows step one all the way through to harvest. It is impressive and I'm going to try it and thought some here might want to do it too.

I don't have enough ground to dedicate to potatoes so I'm going to use his method and plan to have buckets of potatoes stuck all over the yard.
I have really enjoyed his YouTube site.

 

[Grouchy Granny]

I was going to post this in packyderms_wife's thread on Gardening For The Grand Solar Minimum but I thought it might get lost. This concerns the possibility of potato shortages or most likely huge price increases.

I don't know how to post a YouTube video, but there is a guy in Newport, Va. with some great gardening videos, look for Hollis and Nancy. He grows potatoes in buckets and large planters. In one video he shows step one all the way through to harvest. It is impressive and I'm going to try it and thought some here might want to do it too.

I don't have enough ground to dedicate to potatoes so I'm going to use his method and plan to have buckets of potatoes stuck all over the yard.
I have really enjoyed his YouTube site.

We tried this a couple of years ago using potato bags - yield was underwhelming, but that was due to the fact they weren't getting enough water.

Still have the bags, so I think I'll give it another go this year. One additional thing I may also try is that we went to raised beds last year and I had my sprinkler system extended into the raised beds (I have 7 beds) so I can dedicate one bed to potatoes and put the bags on the flagstones next to my pond so they get watered.

 

[Publius]

Some people have luck doing it this way and some don't, I have seen some use old tires stacked two or three high to grow kennebec's and also sweet potatos and when they think its time to harvest they just pull the tires and sift the soil with their hands for the goodies.

 

[AlaskaSue]

I've always had good luck when I plant potatoes here in Alaska....apparently it's one of the crops that do well. Last year, like Publius, I tried a couple of tire towers and you wouldn't believe how many gorgeous spuds I got from the little bits I planted. Lots of soil and good weather helped. I used local seed potatoes last year but have previously really had good results from Wood Prairie in Maine. I don't eat a lot of starch these days but if necessary it's good to know how to grow

 

[Rabbit]

I've tried to grow potatoes stacked up and hilled up, in the ground, in baskets in whatever and I never got those glorious rewards that AlaskaSue has gotten or that I've seen on YouTube.

What Hollis does is puts a series on drainage holes in the bottom of a five-gallon bucket then adds a few inches of soil, puts a seed potato in and fills the bucket up to a few inches from the top. He says you only get potatoes between the seed potato and where the green breaks the surface and it doesn't matter how much you try to hill beyond that point that is all you are going to get.

He also raises the buckets off the ground so there is good drainage, no water left in the bottoms of the buckets to cause rot.

I'm going to try it this way, plus I don't have enough room in my small garden to risk failure. This way I'll have containers placed all around my yard and if it doesn't work, oh well.

 

[WanderLore]

Tried many ways. One way I haven't tried yet is dig a small trench, throw a bake of hay over it loose, water. They are supposed to grown even thru the winter. Don't eat a lot of em but other family will so good to help.

 

[Rabbit]

Tried many ways. One way I haven't tried yet is dig a small trench, throw a bake of hay over it loose, water. They are supposed to grown even thru the winter. Don't eat a lot of em but other family will so good to help.

Ah, the Ruth Stout method. I've never had enough room to do that but a friend of mine is going to try that this year too. Keep us informed.

 

[China Connection]

Hollis & Nancy's Homestead


PLAY ALL - Hollis and Nancy's Homestead Playlist
PLAY ALL





Successful Advanced methods for growing BIG Harvest and Varieties of Unusual vegetables, fruit's, foods & diys for new gardeners, master gardeners, homesteaders, farmers or anyone seeking a self sufficient, sustainable living. Hollis has passion for gardening over 56+ years (8 years old) We share with you our BIG Tips, Tricks & Secrets to INSPIRE HEALTHIER FAMILIES and have fun doing it. FREE Step by Step tutorial videos 170+ Our Vision is to inspire healthier families We believe natural foods can improve you and your families health, quality of life, heal the body and it’s the best food you’ve ever tasted. Join us on our journey on our NEW 15 acre rual homestead. Our goal is container gardening and organic gardening, permaculture, fruit trees, home cooking, chickens, quail, turkey, diys, builds, preserving, canning, fishing, hunting ect. For the past many years, we been building our Self Sustainable skills on small 1/4 acre suburban homestead. By using best of organic gardening methods and using modern products, builds, diys, and tips to make gardening fun, easy, affordable, convenient, abundant, and quick. Subscribe now to never miss a new videos. You Tube: Hollis & Nancy's Homestead Welcome to our homestead Family! FOLLOW US HERE: Facebook: Hollis & Nancy's Homestead Instagram: Hollis & Nancy's Homestead (@hollisnancyshomestead) • Instagram photos and videos Pinterest: Hollis & Nancy's Homestead (HollisNancy) on Pinterest We welcome your encouraging comments, prayers and questions. ABOUT US: Hollis has love of gardening for over 56+ years (started 8 years old) and in the past own a Commercial Landscaping Company for over 7 years. He has also been in the shipbuilding for over 40+ years and retired as a Engineering Designer. He now loves to design Advanced methods, process, tips and tricks to make gardening and homesteading a lot easier and fun. Since a child, Nancy has always loved to cook and create foods to make her family happy. In the past, Nancy has managed and cooked in an Oriental restaurant and also worked in the past as a cook in an Italian restaurant. HOW TO PARTNER WITH: Please Pray for our Homestead, SHARE and LIKE Use our Amazon links (FREE to you) US - Hollis and Nancy's Homestead's Amazon Page Canada - Hollis and Nancy's Homestead's Amazon Page United Kingdom - Hollis and Nancy's Homestead's Amazon Page We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn small fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Partner with us by donation: can use Debit or Credit Card thru PayPal Donate Thank you for partnering with us! Your partnership helps us to continue to provide great content on YouTube. We are grateful! Hollis, Nancy, and Bing Bing Have a Blessed Day


10:31NOW PLAYING


Storage Cabinet - Outdoor Kitchenette 3
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
4.8K views3 days ago




17:19NOW PLAYING


Counter with Sink - Outdoor Kitchenette 2
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
12K views1 week ago




15:35NOW PLAYING


Layout & Counter l Table - Outdoor Kitchenette 1
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
8.8K views2 weeks ago




7:06NOW PLAYING


Backyard Chicken Setup #2 Chicken Coop Building
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
12K views3 weeks ago




11:03NOW PLAYING


Backyard Chicken Setup #1 Clearing the Paddock
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
8.3K views1 month ago




9:34NOW PLAYING


Kubota RTV - X1120
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
6K views1 month ago

 

[China Connection]

Most Popular Videos
PLAY ALL







13:25NOW PLAYING


How to Grow Potatoes in a 5 Gallon Bucket (Part 1 of 2)
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
901K views2 years ago

CC



15:59NOW PLAYING


How To Grow Cucumbers Vertically on a Trellis
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
826K views3 years ago




13:58NOW PLAYING


How To Grow Potatoes In Containers (Complete Step by Step Growing Guide) Part 1 of 3
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
661K views3 years ago




18:16NOW PLAYING


How To Grow Sweet Potatoes In Containers (Part 1 of 3)
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
622K views3 years ago




31:52NOW PLAYING


How to Grow Potatoes in a 5 Gallon Bucket (Part 2 of 2)
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
460K views2 years ago




11:08NOW PLAYING


How to Grow Potatoes In Containers (Complete Step by Step Growing Guide) Part 2 of 3
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
326K views3 years ago






Favorite Playlist








229NOW PLAYING

PLAY ALL - Hollis and Nancy's Homestead Playlist
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead
Updated 3 days ago

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

29NOW PLAYING

Container & Patio Gardening l Hollis and Nancy's Homestead
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead


VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

12NOW PLAYING

How to Grow Potatoes l Hollis and Nancy's Homestead
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead


VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

9NOW PLAYING

Vertical Gardening & Trellis Gardening l Hollis and Nancy's Homestead
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead


VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

5NOW PLAYING

Seed Starting Basics l (ADVANCED) Complete Guide
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead


VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

150NOW PLAYING

How to Grow Vegetables (PROGRESSION) Growing Guides l Hollis and Nancy's Homestead
Hollis & Nancy's Homestead


VIEW FULL PLAYLIST



Popular uploads
PLAY ALL







13:25NOW PLAYING


How to Grow Potatoes in a 5 Gallon Bucket (Part 1 of 2)
901K views2 years ago

CC



15:59NOW PLAYING


How To Grow Cucumbers Vertically on a Trellis
826K views3 years ago




13:58NOW PLAYING


How To Grow Potatoes In Containers (Complete Step by Step Growing Guide) Part 1 of 3
661K views3 years ago




18:16NOW PLAYING


How To Grow Sweet Potatoes In Containers (Part 1 of 3)
622K views3 years ago

 

[Rabbit]

Thank you for posting that.

 

[greenhart]

Off the top of my head I believe just like tomatoes there are determinate and indeterminate potatoes. The determinate grows a crop and stops. The indeterminate will continue to produce as long as you add soil to the base of the plant.
ETA see Potato Varieties for Bin Growing

 

[Rabbit]

Off the top of my head I believe just like tomatoes there are determinate and indeterminate potatoes. The determinate grows a crop and stops. The indeterminate will continue to produce as long as you add soil to the base of the plant.
ETA see Potato Varieties for Bin Growing

All the years I've gardened I did not know that. Thank you.

 

[SusieSunshine]

I grew sweet potatoes last year, semi successful. I'll be planting them again this year. I have the slips routing.

 

[hammerhead]

I used grow bags for my potatoes this past season, and I found that providing shade for the sides made a huge difference. I'm in Colorado with a blazing sun, so YMMV.

 

[Rabbit]

I used grow bags for my potatoes this past season, and I found that providing shade for the sides made a huge difference. I'm in Colorado with a blazing sun, so YMMV.

Glad you said that I will heed your advice it gets really hot in Ga. too.

 

[FireDance]

One year I found that my container tomatoes do better if they’re under a tree. Just too darn hot.

 

[naturallysweet]

I'm growing potatoes in straw this year. a little more cost up front to buy the straw. But I should be able to avoid the endless weeding.

 

[BenIan]

Ah, the Ruth Stout method. I've never had enough room to do that but a friend of mine is going to try that this year too. Keep us informed.

Trying it this year...will let y'all know how it goes.

 

[hammerhead]

Glad you said that I will heed your advice it gets really hot in Ga. too.

Good luck! I harvest my potatoes with the grandkids, who get excited about each potato they find. Good times.

 

[Jackpine Savage]

We've played around with straw and hay but seemed to have more problems with slugs eating the potatoes. Something to keep an eye on.

 

[mecoastie]

I have messed with growing them in straw/mulch and containers. At best has mixed results. I went back to the tried and true dig a trench in the ground and hill around them a couple times. Works great and in my opinion is the only way to go if you are going to grow large amounts in a survival situation.

 

[Lonebull]

I was going to post this in packyderms_wife's thread on Gardening For The Grand Solar Minimum but I thought it might get lost. This concerns the possibility of potato shortages or most likely huge price increases.

I don't know how to post a YouTube video, but there is a guy in Newport, Va. with some great gardening videos, look for Hollis and Nancy. He grows potatoes in buckets and large planters. In one video he shows step one all the way through to harvest. It is impressive and I'm going to try it and thought some here might want to do it too.

I don't have enough ground to dedicate to potatoes so I'm going to use his method and plan to have buckets of potatoes stuck all over the yard.
I have really enjoyed his YouTube site.

Hollis and Nancy's Homestead

Hollis & Nancy's Homestead

Successful ADVANCED methods for growing BIG Harvest and Varieties of Unusual vegetables, fruit's, foods & diys for new gardeners, master gardeners, homestead...

www.youtube.com

 

[Cuffo]

I just planted my small amount of potatoes in large pots. I’ve done for a few years with fingerlings and just dump the the pots out on cardboard.

 

[ginnie6]

watched their videos a few weeks ago and have 5 buckets going. will post how they do.

 

[AlaskaSue]

/snip... I found that providing shade for the sides made a huge difference. I'm in Colorado with a blazing sun, so YMMV.

And here I have to find the sunniest part of my yard!

I got to pick up local seed potatoes (Purple Viking) Monday; they are limiting everyone to just 5# per person. That will do for a start; I'm hoping to trade a few for another variety. Still a way to go before I can plant but I'll try to post pics at mid-season and at harvest

 

[dioptase]

Thanks for those posting the video links on growing potatoes. I tried it once before, in grow bags, with indifferent results. I'm trying it again this year - some in a raised bed, some in grow bags or pots. Having seen the video, I'm going to go out tomorrow and fill in that trench in the raised bed, asap. (I thought you were supposed to keep piling up dirt as the green stem grew.) The raised beds are on automatic sprinkling so I don't have to worry about those. Anything I grow in a pot or grow bag, though... well let's hope I don't have to go out of town, or forget to water...

 

[Jaybird]

I have four mineral lick buckets planted now. I've never tried it this way. Thanks for the vids. The buckets are about twice the diameter of a five gallon bucket and the same height. Already have leaves breaking out after a week. Will figure out how to post photos and show. If this works i'm never hilling potatoes again! LOL! The bad part about potatoes is they are cheap to buy and taste just as good from the store as home grown. A lot of trouble for little reward. That may all end soon.

 

[dioptase]

When I got back to my raised bed, the leaves were already pushing up on the potatoes. I just piled on a few inches of dirt. It was sprinkling today so I won't be able to finish leveling up/off the dirt until sometime tomorrow. I hope I didn't shoot myself in the foot, either by not piling up the dirt immediately, or by piling on the dirt to cover up the foliage. I guess we'll see...

I have to agree that this seems like a whole lot of work for maybe not much reward, but on the other hand, I confess that with constantly reading about shortages, I'm feeling a little concerned about food. I'm not in a position to farm meat or eggs, but at least I can somewhat have a kitchen garden. (My property has a lot of issues in that regard, which can be summarized as hardscape, shade, creek/steep creekbanks, unusable (shady) hillside, rampaging tree roots, and voracious gophers, rabbits, rats, and the occasional raccoon. (Yes, we are trapping. No, I'm not thinking about any of those for meat.)) While I can't grow anything/everything that I want (and what I do grow largely has to be tented/protected from the critters), at least we can have some fresh veggies in season, and hopefully any potatoes I get can be stored for at least a while.

 

[Jaybird]

Mine are up.

 

[dioptase]

Congrats!

I just came in from piling up more planting mix, compost, and redwood mulch on top of the part of the raised bed where the potatoes are. In the process, I was using a hand hoe to get some weed seedlings, and I accidentally beheaded one of the potatoes. I didn't even see it - it was lurking just under the soil. I took the beheaded piece and just stuffed it back underground. I doubt it will act like a tomato and grow new roots, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

And after lugging around compost, planting mix, and bags of mulch, I am beat.

Not potatoes, but tonight we will be having our first salad of the season - arugula, baby bibb lettuce, red oakleaf lettuce, leaves/stalks from my sole surviving bunching onion. (Some critter got the rest. ) I threw in some Sumo citrus slices (from the grocery store - Sumo citrus is THE BEST CITRUS I have ever tasted!). DH is cooking salmon to go with it.

 

[Raggedyman]

I have messed with growing them in straw/mulch and containers. At best has mixed results. I went back to the tried and true dig a trench in the ground and hill around them a couple times. Works great and in my opinion is the only way to go if you are going to grow large amounts in a survival situation.

in an effort to get more food growing up close to the house where it wasn't as likely to be pilfered should hard times come, I also have tried the different methods - buckets - wooden boxes - bags and straw. experimented for 3 yrs to try growing them in a 10 X 10 box of wood chips . . . very best outcomes have ALWAYS been the tried and true method of trench and hill. a bit more work with much better results. unfortunately the tater patch is also a 1/4 mile from the house.

one thing I realized after watching Hollis and Nancy's videos - I probably wasn't giving my container grown taters as much water as they needed. I am going to try once more and they'll get more water this time.

 

[Stanb999]

None of the methods for growing bucket potatoes works better than simply putting them in the ground. It seems like a cool Idea... It's not. Your limiting your yield potential. A 10 x 20 area of well prepared soil can easily yield 200 pounds. I can't understand why folks work so hard for one of the easiest crops to grow. In this video you can see they get about 15 pounds of spuds... A 5 gallon pail. which is about what you would get if they were in the soil and used the same sq ft of area

View: https://youtu.be/mvk6o_fchc0?t=410

 

[Stanb999]

Off the top of my head I believe just like tomatoes there are determinate and indeterminate potatoes. The determinate grows a crop and stops. The indeterminate will continue to produce as long as you add soil to the base of the plant.
ETA see Potato Varieties for Bin Growing

Potatoes are not indeterminate. Potatoes follow a very definitive growth path. The potatoes sprout, they form feeder roots, they form tubers, then the plant stem thickens, then they flower, then they swell the tuber. The top dies back, the tuber hardens. Every potato is the same. 99% of the issue with potatoes is folks plant them too early when the soil is still too cold for good development. This has a massive effect on yield because the tubers are about the first thing to form and the cold limits it. Want great potatoes? Plant them 2 weeks later than tomatoes in your area.

Want to avoid all the work of hilling? Use rain thru row cover. Simple and easy.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1rn7PIXLnI

 

[ginnie6]

I will try and get a pic of mine today. They are growing like crazy! I'd love to have a 10x20 patch to grow them in but my garden space is full and the only places I have left are over the septic field and at the bottom of the garden which is a mixture of Carolina red clay and gravel. Try tilling that mixture! Why there's gravel there who knows. Been that way since we bought the place 20 years ago. We've spent twenty years building up the top part of the garden. If this works though I may try building a bed down there and bringing dirt in to grow them next year.

 

[Stanb999]

I will try and get a pic of mine today. They are growing like crazy! I'd love to have a 10x20 patch to grow them in but my garden space is full and the only places I have left are over the septic field and at the bottom of the garden which is a mixture of Carolina red clay and gravel. Try tilling that mixture! Why there's gravel there who knows. Been that way since we bought the place 20 years ago. We've spent twenty years building up the top part of the garden. If this works though I may try building a bed down there and bringing dirt in to grow them next year.

If you can't till, put compost on top. We get loads of Mushroom soil delivered. 14 yards for 300 bucks. It's enough to put 6" on a 12 x 40 area and never till again.

 

[ginnie6]

If you can't till, put compost on top. We get loads of Mushroom soil delivered. 14 yards for 300 bucks. It's enough to put 6" on a 12 x 40 area and never till again.

I've been thinking about having a load brought in. Just need to figure who to get it from. I've never done potatoes before so this has been a good way for me to get acquainted with them.

 

[greenhart]

Potatoes are not indeterminate. Potatoes follow a very definitive growth path. The potatoes sprout, they form feeder roots, they form tubers, then the plant stem thickens, then they flower, then they swell the tuber. The top dies back, the tuber hardens. Every potato is the same. 99% of the issue with potatoes is folks plant them too early when the soil is still too cold for good development. This has a massive effect on yield because the tubers are about the first thing to form and the cold limits it. Want great potatoes? Plant them 2 weeks later than tomatoes in your area.

Want to avoid all the work of hilling? Use rain thru row cover. Simple and easy.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1rn7PIXLnI

Page 31 https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/potatoextension/news/potatoes-101-v_2

 

[Stanb999]

Page 31 https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/potatoextension/news/potatoes-101-v_2

Sure, they will grow additional potatoes while the rest rot in the ground. Sweet.

In practise. You get a single harvest from potatoes.

 

[Martinhouse]

I doubt I was more than four years old when my parents planted their first garden. I am now 76, and in all my gardening years since, I have NEVER seen potato tubers grow off of the green stalk part of a potato plant! They form only on the roots that grow from the seed potato, and which grow either down or out into the soil. Hilling with soil doesn't make potatoes form along that hilled stem!

I find it disturbing that beginning gardeners are being told something like this, as it could cause them to end up with far less very necessary food than they should have gotten.

 

[summerthyme]

Carol... you're mistaken, but unless you've dug up a growing plant, it's easy to do. Potatoes DO form on rhizomes which grow from the plant "stem" *above* the seed potato.

Hilling is mostly to make sure that the tubers which form are protected from the sun as they grow and expand... the otherwise end up above the soil surface, and then turn green and poisonous. It doesn't actually increase the yield, and you can simply pile old hay or straw around the plants for similar results.

Summerthyme