potato bag help needed

[cornerstone]

If planting say 4 in 40 Litres of compost in the bags has anyone ever had any experience of how much you get from that in weight ?

Thanks

[Decaff]

Not sure how big my potato bag is but will try to check for you, I planted four potatoes in and only one side of the bag grew! No flowers on them yet as opposed to the ones planted in a bed, looks like I planted hundreds in there and they are starting to flower. I will hopefully get something from the bag?!

Do they have to flower before being ready or does lack of flowers mean nothing underneath? I have no idea but should find out soon

[grenfell]

A few years ago I tried to make a written list of potatoe yields while growing several varieties . The answer to the original question is thus not really possible to give without knowing what type of potatoes you have planted. I haven't searched to see if I still have that list but from memory I can recall for instance that "homeguard" which is an early gave a low weight of smaller potatoes.

[cornerstone]

Not sure how big my potato bag is but will try to check for you, I planted four potatoes in and only one side of the bag grew! No flowers on them yet as opposed to the ones planted in a bed, looks like I planted hundreds in there and they are starting to flower. I will hopefully get something from the bag?!

Do they have to flower before being ready or does lack of flowers mean nothing underneath? I have no idea but should find out soon

i have grown them a few years ago but in a like raised bed area and i planted 12 in an area of about 2 and a half feet long and about 6 feet wide and about 2 feet deep i got about 30lb from 15 so i plan on 5 tubers in the bag, one in the middle and 4 around the edges, did you let them cit first ? that is did you put them in an eggbox and let them sprout a good bit before planting ? i also find plant them when they are ready in small pots, let them grow and get geen so you know they are alive and growing and then transfer them, that will avoid the disappointing one side grow.

after the flowers have gone, not before as they are not yet ready, then when the flowers have gone leave them and let the stalks go yellow and wilt, they look dead and dont worry they are not dead they are now ready, then put them in crates of wood with layers of straw and they will keep a few months in a cool dark shed.

[cornerstone]

A few years ago I tried to make a written list of potatoe yields while growing several varieties . The answer to the original question is thus not really possible to give without knowing what type of potatoes you have planted. I haven't searched to see if I still have that list but from memory I can recall for instance that "homeguard" which is an early gave a low weight of smaller potatoes.

second earlies i am going to plant, only first and second earlies are the ones the maincrop are just not really worth it i think.

[featherstick]

What do you mean by "compost"? Garden-centre peat-based compost will not grow decent potatoes. It usually has enough nutrients for 4-6 weeks of leafy growth, but will then run out of food for the plants. You will need to make a mix of compost (for water retention), earth/topsoil (for micro-nutrients and micro-fauna) and kitchen compost or manure (for long-term nutrients). And you'll still need to feed with a high-potash feed at least once and water frequently. Spuds are hungry and thirsty.

For reference, I am growing my spuds in manured raised beds with mulch, and I will soon start feeding with comfrey tea to help potato development.

[cornerstone]

What do you mean by "compost"? Garden-centre peat-based compost will not grow decent potatoes. It usually has enough nutrients for 4-6 weeks of leafy growth, but will then run out of food for the plants. You will need to make a mix of compost (for water retention), earth/topsoil (for micro-nutrients and micro-fauna) and kitchen compost or manure (for long-term nutrients). And you'll still need to feed with a high-potash feed at least once and water frequently. Spuds are hungry and thirsty.

For reference, I am growing my spuds in manured raised beds with mulch, and I will soon start feeding with comfrey tea to help potato development.

veg garden soil or tomato bags do a good job, the organic potato food

[Decaff]

Not sure how big my potato bag is but will try to check for you, I planted four potatoes in and only one side of the bag grew! No flowers on them yet as opposed to the ones planted in a bed, looks like I planted hundreds in there and they are starting to flower. I will hopefully get something from the bag?!

Do they have to flower before being ready or does lack of flowers mean nothing underneath? I have no idea but should find out soon

i have grown them a few years ago but in a like raised bed area and i planted 12 in an area of about 2 and a half feet long and about 6 feet wide and about 2 feet deep i got about 30lb from 15 so i plan on 5 tubers in the bag, one in the middle and 4 around the edges, did you let them cit first ? that is did you put them in an eggbox and let them sprout a good bit before planting ? i also find plant them when they are ready in small pots, let them grow and get geen so you know they are alive and growing and then transfer them, that will avoid the disappointing one side grow.

after the flowers have gone, not before as they are not yet ready, then when the flowers have gone leave them and let the stalks go yellow and wilt, they look dead and dont worry they are not dead they are now ready, then put them in crates of wood with layers of straw and they will keep a few months in a cool dark shed.

I did let them chit, I put them straight into the bed and the bag on the same day, same potatoes. I put potato feed in the bottom to give them a good start and have fed and watered them throughout them growing. I hope to get some sacks to store them in when dug up. The main crop are just starting to show also!

Thank you for replying about when they are ready.

[cornerstone]

what i mean is when they are chitted if you plant each one in a small pot then when it grows green put it were you want it, transfer it out of the pot that way you are sure it will grow,

[Decaff]

what i mean is when they are chitted if you plant each one in a small pot then when it grows green put it were you want it, transfer it out of the pot that way you are sure it will grow,

I didn't know that you could do that I will do this next year as I plan on having a whole bed of potatoes instead of just half.