Growing potatoes in containers is a popular method for gardeners with limited space, allowing for harvests on a patio or balcony. The simple, readily available five-gallon bucket offers an ideal, deep vessel for cultivating a surprising yield of fresh potatoes. This small-scale technique provides a controlled environment and simplifies the harvesting process. Understanding the steps for planting, growing, and harvesting in this confined space is the foundation for a successful potato crop.
Determining the Number of Seed Potatoes
The core question for container gardening is how many seed potatoes a five-gallon bucket can support. To achieve the best yield, a standard five-gallon bucket should contain either one large seed potato or two small to medium-sized seed potatoes. This quantity prevents overcrowding, which leads to many undersized potatoes and competition for finite resources within the container.
Before planting, prepare the tubers through “chitting,” which involves pre-sprouting the seed potatoes. Place them in a bright, cool, and frost-free location for several weeks to encourage the growth of short, sturdy sprouts from the eyes. Chitting provides the plant a head start, potentially shortening the time to harvest by a couple of weeks. If a seed potato is large, cut it into pieces about two inches in size, ensuring each piece contains at least two to three healthy sprouts. Allow the cut pieces to dry for a day or two before planting.
Preparing the 5-Gallon Bucket and Growing Medium
Proper preparation of the container is important, as potatoes are susceptible to rot if the soil remains waterlogged. To ensure adequate drainage, the bottom of the five-gallon bucket must have several holes drilled into it. Typically, six to ten holes, each about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, are needed. This allows excess water to escape immediately, preventing the tubers from sitting in standing moisture.
The growing medium should be light, loose, and well-draining, contrasting with heavy garden soil that tends to compact and hinder tuber growth. An ideal mixture combines one part high-quality potting soil with one part compost or a blend of peat moss and compost. This composition provides both aeration and the organic matter needed for nutrition, maintaining the slightly acidic conditions that potatoes prefer. Incorporating ingredients like perlite or vermiculite further enhances air circulation in the root zone.
Planting and Hilling Techniques
The planting process begins by filling the prepared bucket with approximately four to six inches of the well-draining soil mix. Place the chitted seed potatoes directly onto this initial layer, with the sprouts facing upward and spaced slightly apart. Gently add a thin layer, about two inches, of the growing medium over the potatoes to cover them completely.
The ongoing maintenance technique known as “hilling” is important for maximizing the potato yield in a bucket. Hilling involves progressively adding more soil around the stem of the growing potato plant as it gets taller. This is necessary because new potato tubers develop along the buried stem, not from the seed potato itself. The first hilling should occur once the green foliage reaches a height of about six to eight inches above the soil line. At this point, new soil is added to cover the lower third of the plant, leaving the top leaves exposed to continue photosynthesis. Repeat this process periodically until the soil level is within an inch or two of the top of the bucket, ensuring that no developing potato is ever exposed to light, which would cause it to turn green and become inedible.
Harvesting Your Bucket Potatoes
The end of the growing cycle is signaled by a change in the plant’s appearance, indicating that the tubers are finished developing. Most potato varieties are ready for harvest when the foliage begins to yellow, wither, and eventually die back completely. This natural die-off typically occurs between 60 and 120 days after planting, depending on whether the variety is an early or late-season type.
The five-gallon bucket method makes harvesting easy, eliminating the need for digging and the risk of damaging the potatoes. Once the foliage has died back, the simplest method is to tip the entire bucket over onto a tarp and sift through the loose soil to collect the potatoes. Mature potatoes for storage should be left in the soil for about a week after the foliage dies to allow their skins to set. These potatoes should then be cured in a dark, humid, and well-ventilated area for a few days to fully harden the skin before being moved to long-term storage.