The easiest way to grow potatoes

I grow potatoes every year and have honestly never started them this early before! However, I have a bag of potatoes that have sprouted so severely that I decided they are just asking to be planted. So, I'm planting them now...even though it's only April. 

I'm also planting these potatoes in feed bags because that is the easiest way to plant potatoes that I have ever tried! I love this method for several reasons mostly because I don't have to dig to harvest the potatoes. Also, there's practically no weeding. Plus:

You can plant potatoes anywhere!

That's right! When you're using bags to plant potatoes you can put the bags on your porch, patio, next to the garage or anywhere else even if you don't have a garden space. 

Plus its another way to reuse all those feed bags I have accumulated. You can buy reusable grow bags if you don't already have bags you can use. Or ask a friend with livestock to save you a few bags...we go through a ton! However, I have never planted grocery store potatoes before so this project may require just a bit of luck...

First of all I should mention that I store my potatoes in an old fashioned Potato and Onion bin. If you don't have one of these you need to read here why I love mine and why you need one! 

Yes, the potatoes did sprout and the onions sometimes do too, but nothing ever rots in that thing! This is one of those old fashioned items that I just don't understand why people quit using.

Growing potatoes the easy way

Back to the potatoes...I apparently had ignored them for so long that some of the sprouts were over a foot long! I actually had to cut the mesh bag to get them out without breaking the sprouts off. I had both white and redskin potatoes in the bin, so I planted them both.

Preparing potatoes for planting

After I got the potatoes out of the bag I cut them into chunks and let them dry out for about 3 days. Cut so that there is 1 eye or sprout on each chunk of potato. This way you'll get more plants from that each potato. The pieces should be about 2" square. 

If you have a potato with lots of eyes and the pieces would be too small to cut them all separate, it's ok to occasionally leave 2 on a chunk...especially if one of them is a tiny little thing. Try to give each big sprout it's own potato chunk if possible. 

Spread them out on a hard surface away from direct light to dry. I put them on a baking sheet in my laundry room where it's slightly cooler than room temp. Letting them sit out allows the surface to dry out so the potatoes won't rot when you plant them. The cut areas will dry out and darken when they're ready.

How to plant potatoes in bags

I grabbed some empty feed bags and after cutting a few holes in the bottoms of each bag for drainage, I filled them with about 6" of soil and compost mix and put them in a full sun area of the garden. I placed a few potatoes sprout side up in each bag. 

Normally I put another 2" of soil and compost mixture on top of them, but some of these sprouts were so long they needed a bit more than that!

Roll the bag down so it's only a few inches taller then the dirt and then water them. You want the the soil moist but not wet. As the potato plants grow you'll want to add a few more inches of dirt every few weeks unrolling the bag a little more each time. 

This mimics the traditional hill method of potato growing. Keep going till the bag is almost full, adding more compost as the plants grow and unrolling the bag each time.

When the leaves start to die off you're about ready to harvest. Stop watering and wait about 2 weeks for the leaves to dry out completely. At this point I usually cut a long slit in the bottom of each bag to let moisture out in case it rains. 

To harvest potatoes simply tip the bag over and split it open with a knife. You'll have to root around in the dirt a little to get all the potatoes, but it's much easier than digging them out of the ground with a shovel!

The first year I did this I was surprised to find a lot of worms in the bag and the soil was super dark. Apparently a few worms had made it into the bag when I added the soil and they were just having a good old time reproducing and making worm poop soil! 

Oh, and if you have  chickens, they love helping when you harvest potatoes...so many worms!

I have read that you shouldn't plant grocery store potatoes as there is a risk of introducing diseases to your garden. That's just another reason why I like this method as it keeps the plants contained and not in contact with the rest of the garden. 

I never have grown grocery store potatoes before though...so, wish me luck? 

2020 update: I have used this method every year for the last few years and have used grocery store potatoes each year. My mom is notorious for letting her potatoes sprout so I have plenty every year! lol 

I've not had any problems and have not seen any differences from the bags planted with grocery store potatoes and seed potatoes from the garden center. Work with what you have!

Related reading: Want more information on gardening? Check out this collection of articles on organic gardening.

~L

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