If you already have a barrel at your home, you can repurpose it to use for your potatoes. You can also purchase barrels specifically for potato growing at most home supply stores. Alternatively, you can use a half-size, 26 US gal (98 L) barrel.
You can buy them at most home supply stores, or contact a local whiskey distillery to inquire about using their old barrels. Whiskey barrels add a decorative, rustic touch to your potato plants.
It is important your barrel is completely clean to avoid contaminating your potatoes with fungi or harsh chemicals.
Additionally, if you are using a plastic barrel, you can use a sharp blade or screwdriver to stab holes into the bottom. Do this only if you do not have a drill.
You can use more or fewer cinder blocks, depending on the size of your barrel.
You can select seed potatoes in a variety of types, such as Yukon, Ida Rose, and French Fingerling, for example. Make sure to use seed potatoes, not potato seeds. Potato seeds will produce plants with different characteristics than the parent plant so you may not get the desired results. [7] X Research source
Alternatively, you can use a shallow box with an open-top instead of egg cartons.
If you want to slow down the growth of your potatoes, place them in a colder spot away from the sun.
Full seed potatoes will grow smaller potatoes, though you will have a greater potato yield. Chunks of seed potatoes will grow large potatoes, but you will have a smaller yield.
Your frost date is the average date of when to expect your last frost for the season. To find your frost date, search online using your zip code. You can use sites like the Farmers’ Almanac, for example.
Use about the same amount of potting soil and compost. You can also use fertilizer in place of compost. Your mixture does not have to be completely perfect. Using both potting soil and compost helps your potatoes grow healthy and strong.
If you want to increase your potato yield, use another barrel to grow more potatoes.
This can be a rough estimate. A little more dirt won’t hurt!
Excess water can lead to mold and disease growing with your potatoes. To test how damp your soil is, insert 1 finger into the top of your soil and check for moisture. The soil in the bottom of the barrel will hold more moisture than the rest of the soil in the barrel.
This is important because your potatoes grow best went completely underground.
While this is not required, it will provide rich nutrients to help your potatoes grow and you may end up with a better harvest. Adding compost to your potatoes will help to provide moisture and nutrients.
You can also add fertilizer until the soil level is at the top.
This will likely be at the end of August or in September if you started your potatoes in early spring. Be sure to wash your potatoes thoroughly!
