4 Simple Steps to Grow a Hundred Pounds of Potatoes in a Barrel

88 by Timothy Hurst on June 1, 2010

Container gardening isn't only for savvy urban gardeners and folks with limited space to grow, it can also be for folks who want to maximize their yields in a controlled environment. Not only does growing potatoes in a barrel reduce the amount of weeding and exposure to pests and fungi, you don't even have to risk shovel-damage to the tender potatoes by digging them out of the ground when they're done, just tip the container over!

After extensive research to plan my own potatoes-in-a-barrel, I've boiled all of the recommendations down to 4 simple steps to a winning potato harvest.

1. Select and prepare a container

You'll need to pick out a container such as a 50-gallon trash barrel or one of those half whiskey barrel planters. Alternatively, you can buy used food-grade barrels or commercially-available potato planters. Just about any 2 to 3-foot tall container will work, but be sure to select a container that either already has holes in it, or is okay to cut holes in. Next you'll want to clean your container with a mild bleach solution to get out any of the nasties that have been lingering in there. If you don't want to use bleach, you can make a bleach alternative to use instead.

Good drainage is critical for the cultivation of healthy potatoes so you'll want to cut or drill a series of large drainage holes in the bottom and bottom sides of your container. Alternatively, you can cut out the bottom altogether and place it on a well-drained surface like your garden bed.

2. Choose a variety and plant potatoes

Seed potatoes can usually be found at nurseries early in the growing season, but you should only have to buy them once. If you can, “chit” or sprout your potatoes before planting them by setting them out in an egg carton, the side with the most buds facing up, and putting them in a cool light room out of direct sunlight to sprout. Putting the tubers in an open paper bag can have this same effect.

Fill in the bottom of your container with about 6 inches of loose planting mix and compost. You'll want to use a planting mix with a peat moss-like soil amendment like this product made from repurposed coconut husks, doing so will keep the soil from becoming too compacted and help it to store moisture for the roots. Next, add some seed potatoes on the layer of soil, making certain to leave plenty of space between each cube. You can use the whole potato but I like to cut the potatoes into 1 to 2-inch cubes for planting. Loosely backfill the potatoes with another 6 inches of your soil and compost mix and water to dampen soil. Keep the soil damp at all times but be careful not to overwater.

3. Add more soil

When they have about 6 to 8 inches of foliage, add another layer of your soil-compost mix covering about one-half to three-quarters of the visible stems and foliage. Repeat this process of allowing the sprouts to grow and then covering the sprouts and moistening the soil as the plants grow up toward the top of the barrel.

4. Harvest the potatoes

After about 10 weeks or until the plants flower and start to yellow, the potatoes should be ready to harvest. Carefully dig down with your hands to inspect the top-most layer. After you've confirmed your suspicions, dump the barrel out on a tarp and inspect your bounty.

Other tips to grow bushels of barrel potatoes

After the first harvest, keep a few potatoes to use as seed potatoes next year.
Bush beans are a great companion plant for potatoes.
Instead of using soil, try growing potatoes in sawdust.
Experiment with different containers, seed potatoes and watering regimes.
If the above steps aren't sufficient, do some more research. Try here.

Have any photos or useful tips for growing potatoes in a barrel? Please share!

More gardening tips

Photos: CC licensed via flickr users: Forestry Images; Crinklecrackle.com; Graibeard; Daves Cupboard; Sunfell; EnjoyGardening; vyuseem

Category: DIY, Food+Drink, Yard+Garden | Tags: container gardening, DIY, food, gardening, potatoes, tips

About the Author:

Timothy Hurst is the editor at Ecopolitology and Earth & Industry as well as the executive editor of the LiveOAK Media Network. He writes mostly about energy and environmental politics, clean tech, infrastructure and green business. When not reading, writing, or talking about environmental politics to anyone who will listen, Tim likes to ski, hike with his aging lab and get dirty in his Colorado veggie garden. Find Tim on Google+.

Follow Timothy Hurst on Twitter: @ecopolitologist

Becky Striepe

Yes, please! Potatoes are on my top 10 list of favorite foods.
http://ecopolitology.org Timothy B. Hurst

And versatile!
http://www.debtmediators.com.au/blog/ Bankruptcy Ben

I’ve thought about using old car tyres instead of a barrel, then I can just kickem over when i’m ready to harvest!

http://ecopolitology.org Timothy B. Hurst

You mean like stacking them up on top of each other? That’s a great idea.
http://www.growingherbsforbeginners.com/blog Rhonda D.

Be careful with the tires, they get hotter than many roots like and can release lots of nasty chemicals in to your soil

sara p-c

yep – what rhonda said. lots of nasty chemicals and heavy metals leaching into the soil and potatoes. ew.

Uncle B

caution! Some potato varieties yiels only one setting of potatoes and stop! you need to know which variety works with this scheme – Ask your seed-house, but as a rule of thumb, most longer season types will do, short fast season types will not! Variety is of the utmost importance, fine multiple setting varieties and try them.
http://www.ereplacementparts.com Brandon

Wow, a Hundred pounds of potatoes in a barrel. That is pretty dang awesome. Listen to the caution though, and make sure you get the right kind of potatoes in there!
Spencer Collins

Thanks for a great website. Just a question about point number 3 “Plant more potatoes”;
No where in this section does it say anything about planting more potatoes. Do we plant more potatoes or just add more soil?

Thanks

Spencer

http://ecopolitology.org Timothy B. Hurst

Hi Spencer-

I guess I was a little unclear and metaphorical. Only add more dirt. The leaves and stems that you bury in soil will begin to send out roots and sprout more potatoes.

Paul

I’ve heard of this method before, but never actually seen it first hand. Thanks for sharing. One question that crossed my mind is whether, in a climate with very mild winters (Southern California) can this be started at any time, or is it season specific? I’d love to give it a try since it’s fresh on my mind, but I’d hate to have a false start simply because it’s November (nighttime lows are in the mid 50s presently).
If I had to wait until March or later I’d probably forget as I have a fairly short attention spa…oh look, a chicken!

Paul
http://www.promotiontoyou.com/ promotion

thanks for a good advice. I think this method is so useful for people who only have a small space. I plan to do a small vegetable garden on the rooftop of my building. Could this apply to any other plants like onion or tarot? cos in my country these 2 plants are more popular than potatoes.
http://sallylucywrites.wordpress.com Sally

This is great. i use a community garden because I cannot plant at home, this would solve that problem. My biggest concern are the beetles. Any more advice on keeping them at bay is welcome. Great post, thanks!
http://www.philipbrennan.net Philip Brennan

This gives me ideas for potato buckets for smaller spaces. Old plastic decorating bucket you can buy at any DIY place, a few holes drilled in and around the bottom, one or two seed spuds in the bottom in some soil, and layer up the soil as per the barrel method. Doesn’t produce as much, but for those with just a balcony in high rise apartments, still easy to do…

http://www.philipbrennan.net Philip Brennan

I have decided to do this with an old plastic dustbin and right now it has just finished flowering and is about to turn yellow. Tomorrow I will have a look and see if any tubers have formed near the top before I tip it.

If this works I will certainly be doing it on a regular basis. Even with a sizeable garden, being able to grow spuds in a compact space will leave more beds free for other things to eat…

Steve

How much sun exposure is necessary for potatoes? I live in a condo and we don’t get much except in the early morning.

Chris

Most vegetables need 8 hours or more of direct sunlight to do well.

Kimberly

I have tried this in various forms, for several years. I have yet to glean the harvest promised, so I am doing something wrong. I’ve tried shavings, rather than dirt, straw rather than shavings. Resigned to try dirt, and none have yeilded me the harvest I expected. The vines grew very well in all cases, thick, green, lush, TALL ( I grew in cleaned, plastic trash cans with drainage holes drilled. But, very few taters. I resorted to going back to a bed, 24 inches deep. All died from blight (this was last year). Got taters, but they are not what I expected. I figure between the cool, damp temps, and the heavier soil in that bed, therein laid my problems from that attempt. Next year, I am going to try the cans and a different bed. I won’t be so easily defeated! We use a LOT of taters here, in our family, so I really want to nail this one way or another!

Ker

You might have too much nitrogen in your growing medium if you are getting great foliage but not spuds. Also I hear that planting potatoes when the moon is waning (going darker, after the full moon) is better for root crops, but I don’t know. But some years I’ll try anything!

I have also heard of this method using a tube of chicken wire or fencing.

Aprilwolf8049

We used the tube of chicken wire and a straw/dirt combo. It worked, but we didn’t see a high yield. We’ll try something different next..

http://greenupgrader anne

Will this method work for sweet potatoes/yams?
Anne
Michael

In all the articles I have seen on this method this is the first time someone said “leave the top few inches showing” when you add more soil or sawdust. I have tried this method a few times and always covered all the foliage. Only the strongest came back up. Thank you for the great explaination.

http://ecopolitology.org Tim

Interesting comment, Michael. Yeah, making sure some of the foliage is still showing allows the plants to continue to photosynthesize, rather than trying to turn all of the stems and leaves into roots. Let us know if you have more luck using this method.

http://n/a Donald Laytart

You know I am going to read all I can about these kind of thing’s.The day is here where we need to grow our own food as we did as a youngester. I feel that is why I am a healthy younger person(53) I am starting a community organic garden. There is a local man who’s father-in-law had set up a great site and the soil is already for planting. Iam getting some of the neighbor’s who want organic but like me can not afford it, so we will plant our own garden, with each of us having our won little area so we can all do a little work and get a big harvet. Plus the community coming togther is very healthy for us all! The good ole days need to return in these types of setting’s! I have answered prayer with this garden site, as it is only a few blocks from my home, and I can easily over see the project. What we do not eat we can sell at the local market stand, by the side of the road. We all need to do more of this these day’s not only for the cost but the growth of our families, GOD BLESS ALL WHO TRY!!!!
http://calmagfizz.net/ Cal Mag Fizz

I Like Potato , Thank you is post
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Mr. McNutt

I tried to make some potato vodka in a barrel once.

Patricia Herrick

My son made vodka for his 7th grade Science Fair project. Got an A, but teacher confiscated the results. There was about 1l. that was still at home, left on a shelf and forgotten for about six months. When sampled it was delightfully smooth. Kids didn’t get to try it though. Oh yeah he added some rice and orange slices to the original brew.

Renee

Am so thankful to have stumbled on to this site with this great idea. Could you please share exactly what types of potato you have had the most growing success with?
Thank you -
Jenni

What about using those big plastic toy containers?? Do you think that would work? They have those on sale cheap at my local Walmart.
christin

I would like to know if tis can be done with sweet potatoes, yams and red potatoes?
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Frances Quinn

How does one save potatoes from the harvest for the next year. I have been planting in large red plastic utility baskets for three years now and am getting some very nice potatoes. Just don’t know how to over winter them for next year’s seeds.

Moi

store them in a paper bag in a cool, dry and dark area, like a shed. Don’t pack stuff tightly around them as they will be more likely to sweat and mold. Or you could put them in a tray on a layer of dry sand/sawdust then completely cover them. Again, store the tray in a shed or similar.

Will

I’m trying this method using recycled burlap coffe bags from given to me from my local coffee shop. Thanks for the info I can”t wait to see how it turns out!!
bn37

Does this same method work for sweet potatoes?
Kay Watson

This is really a great site for Survival ideas. Thanks Val for adding me to it.

Keep the ideas coming!
Crystal Ogle

I have tried it with Irish potatoes this year and it is not working. They are blooming and are just about knee high. I would like to know what varieties work best using this method. I can’t find it anywhere. Thanks Crystal
http://facebookuk pat

one year i did it in big bags not good but i covered the stems up t hat must have been a mistake i will try and do it the way suggest and i will let you know
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http://creativeshake.com/PauletteDennis Paulette Dennis

I have made a compromise between the barrel (they are not allowed in our condo development) and not growing potoatoes:

I have made a ‘potato bed’ out of 1″ x 6″ spruce, anchor points at the corners, and additional layers are ready to be put in place when the plants grow.
But I think I did something silly: I cut off the sprouts that had grown in my storage room.
Some right down to the meat and some I just cut off about 2″ from the flesh of the potato.
Some are up and looking healthy (1″), but some have not made an appearance yet – are these the ones that I lopped off?
Will they grow eventually?
Having established a different growing regime for the two planting strategies, how can I adjust the covering process – or should I bother?
Any help or advice will be appreciated.

Paulette
http://stiffneckcauses.net/ Stiff Neck Causes

Thank you is potato information.
Brian

Can you add too much soil/compost and cover up all the leaves of the potato plant?
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Tom Brueggen

I attempted this and failed miserably. Not to say that it doesn’t work, as many say that it does. But I will list my process for all to see, to learn from, and hopefully some will critique me. I would love to make it work.
I cut a 55 gallon plastic drum into three large rings. The bottom ring is actually what was the top of the barrel. I left the top on, but removed both the 2.5″ caps to provide large drain holes. I filled about 6″ with dirt, laid my spuds, and then another few inches.
They sprouted very well, and grew quickly. I added in dirt, and when I reached the top of the first ring, I put in some pegs and added the second ring, and continued the fill/grow process. The rings were not sealed together, so I suppose this added additional drainage.
Initially I had about 11 sprouts, but as the plants grew up, some fell out of the race, and by the end I think I was down to only 4. When I dug the potatoes I found absolutely nothing. Correction, I found two or three tiny potatoes (smaller than a marble), that crushed instantly (rotten) when I tried to examine them. No evidence at all of any other potatoes.

Considerations:
Temp: I am in Houston, TX. Could the soil have gotten too hot for good root developement? I started the plants in mid February, and harvested mid June. It is not the hottest time of year by any means, but I suppose the barrel could trap some heat.

Soil: I started with a base of good ol’ dirt, and then filled with leaf compost as I went. I think it was pretty rich in nitrogen. My problem may have been a simple nutrient deficiency.

Water: We are still in a terrible drought in Houston this year. I tried to stay on top of the watering cycle, but was probably not very consistent. Could dry/wet cycles hurt the potato production?

Seeds: I bought seed potatoes (embarrasing) at Lowes and planted them in a row in my garden. They grew huge and produced about 5 lbs of potatoes from 4 plants. Not bad for the effort. HOWEVER, in my barrel, I cut chits off of potatoes in my pantry that were store bought. I don’t believe hybrid potatoes are a problem, but I never checked, and I feared the issue of a dud crop the whole time they were growing.

I don’t think I missed anything, and I hope this helps others understand as well. Any insight would be much appreciated. My neighbors love what little produce I do shuffle their way, and I’d love to able to provide enough for them and myself! Please help. Thanks.

Renee

If you planted hybrid potatoes, that very well may be the issue. Especially if you bought them from a grocery store. Hybrids are frequently modified not to reproduce so the farmer must purchase seeds every year vs. saving seeds from their own crops to replant. It is becoming a significant and serious problem worldwide and Monsanto is a driving force behind this issue

The other consideration might simply be the “good’ol dirt” you used and what the nutrient value might have been lacking.

Marcy

My understanding is that a lot of grocery store potatoes are sprayed with something to discourage them from sprouting…which makes them poor candidates for planting.

Chris Byrne

I did this one year and got only one layer of spuds, and I remembered seeing somewhere that some varieties only set tubers once (no matter how high the plant grows). After a bit of internet sleuthing, I found the information at irisheyesgardenseeds.com. It appears they have since restructured their website and I can’t find the info there, but luckily I bookmarked it at diigo, and it’s cashed there: http://www.diigo.com/cached?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.irisheyesgardenseeds.com%2Fgrowers1.php

My relevant notes from there are:

“With some varieties, the underground stolons which produce potato tubers keep on forming new ones for some time. In containers the yield may be increased 200-3000 percent compared with open-field culture. This is a great way to grow a lot of potatoes in a very limited space. We recommend doing this with Yellow Finn, Indian Pit, Red Pontiac, or the fingerling types.”

Barbara

I have pictures of how I am growing potatoes this year – how do I share them?

http://ecopolitology.org Timothy Hurst

Hi Barbara- You can share them on our facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/greenupgrader

http://www.freebiesanddeals.com FreebiesandDeals

This is fantastic. As things are getting tighter more and more people are turning towards growing their own – how many crops can you get in a growing year and when is the best time to start? This is explained really well.
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Ceci Pohio

Yes this is a great way to grow potatoes. It is a method we have used in New Zealand for many years using old tyres. I have never done it myself but I like the idea of a nicer looking container with the bottom cut out (easier access for harvesting).
http://Google Ravi

Fantastic effort and very encouraging tip for beginners. What should be average the required ambient temperature during day hours and night hours to obtain optimum result. Our temp. is around 28 to 32 in the western part of the country at 100 ft elevation above sea level. If few variety are named here, it would be useful to try out with success. Thank you.
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http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000187112044 TwoHearts Kalanu Raven

Great idea and article Tim! thank you.
Karendia

quick question…you just put in ONE layer of seed potatoes at the bottom, right? You’re not adding them as you fill in more soil?

Dottie

re-read step 3..I think you will understand better.

darlene

I am anxious to try the potatoes
darlene

This sounds like a geat idea. Looking forward to getting started.
Herbalyoda1

Use straw, not soil as vines grow
Chris Byrne

I added this comment as a reply to another poster below, but I am reposting it here as it is of interest to all that are attempting this:

I did this one year and got only one layer of spuds, and I remembered seeing somewhere that some varieties only set tubers once (no matter how high the plant grows). After a bit of internet sleuthing, I found the information at irisheyesgardenseeds.com. It appears they have since restructured their website and I can’t find the info there, but luckily I bookmarked it at diigo, and it’s cashed there: http://www.diigo.com/cached?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.irisheyesgardenseeds.com%2Fgrowers1.phpMy relevant notes from there are: ”With some varieties, the underground stolons which produce potato tubers keep on forming new ones for some time. In containers the yield may be increased 200-3000 percent compared with open-field culture. This is a great way to grow a lot of potatoes in a very limited space. We recommend doing this with Yellow Finn, Indian Pit, Red Pontiac, or the fingerling types.

“It seems Early Season varieties are not suited for this method.

http://www.facebook.com/tim.byrne.144 Tim Byrne

Looks like the document is gone as it can not be found when I click the link

Jebeneby

Hello,
I found this link helpful in locating varieties of potato that have not been altered to have a low yield. There are a handful of suggested varieties for container gardening for high yield. This site has a catalog of over 280 varieties. Happy potato-ing!
http://www.kenoshapotato.com/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000070549477 Krista Yearwood

This year I am growing mine in a clawfoot bathtub that I got free. The bottom layer in the tub is wheat straw, then compost, then dirt. The seed potatos went in next, followed by more dirt and compost, and finally a layer of straw. When the green part was about 6-8 inches above the soil, I added more soil until just an inch of leaf peeked out, then covered that loosely with more straw. I repeated that process until the layers had reached the big round drain hole at the end of the tub, then let the leaves go. I made sure the tub sat at a slight tilt so the drain hole on the bottom was at the lowest point to allow for good drainage. So far everything looks really good!
John

Dear Timothy
Could you advise what is happening to our potato plants. They were growing really well and now we seem to have some kind of blight? attacking them.

Tbhurst

Hmm. Is your barrel draining properly? Be sure to put drainage holes in the side too, sometimes drainage holes on the bottom can get obstructed by the surface they are sitting on. Also, be sure not to over-water and make sure any additional soil or soil conditioner you add is loose and not compacted.

Anyone else have any thoughts?