It's just another way of making life easy when it comes to growing potatoes in containers. I've used tyres, stacked up as the foliage grows, ordinary heavy duty plastic bags (pierced for drainage) which you roll up as you earth up, and ten litre pots. All have been more or less successful, but usually the results are down to my husbandry rather than the container style! Give 'em a try. As for varieties, I think first earlies and earlies are a good choice because main crop can go out in the open and look after themselves 'til needed later. With potatoes in containers, you can start them off earlier, move them under glass, or grow them somewhere protected against a late frost, and they'll give a crop for late June, which is a real treat. Worthy

I agree,its how you care for them,and if you have the space for containers.If you have room in the garden,I find you get a better yield, but,as Worthy says, the early varieties are best suited to pots or bags..

I agree with most of the above. I plant all of my potatoes in bags or pots. I wrote some blogs last year - 11th of July and 4th August. Also photos on my site showing some of the potatoes I planted see 22nd March and 9th, 17th and 25th May hope this helps you. Watering is most important. I DK if you have heard of 'Potato Days'. They are a great way to get a few potatoes of many varieties. I also did a blog on that a week ago. I did mean to write a blog about the end results of my potato growing in 2010 but I have been so busy I have not had time to sort out all the photographs. Also I was away a fair bit and got some of the watering wrong.

i managed to get some kestrel potatoes scotsgran! im planning to put them in pots ~ 1 in each large pot ~ does that sound right? but for now do i put them in the window sill to grow their shoots?

Thankyou, to you all for your replys, Julien

I also posted a blog about Potato days,on 3/2/2010.with a website address informing of all the dates where they were last year,so I suppose it will do the same for this year.Very good days out, as you can try a few different varieties,without having to buy a full bag..ours sold them singly.

I forgot to click on the 'add comment' button yet again. Yes I would only put one potato in each pot. Yes now is the time to start chitting (forcing the potato to start growing). If you have (preferably cardboard) egg trays they are ideal as they can sit on a windowsill. The seed potato needs light and not too much heat. You want short green sprouts from two or three eyes at one end of the potato. More sprouts will mean more but smaller potatoes.

many thanks scotsgran ~ the potatoes are sitting in a lovely yellow egg box on the window sill as we speak! the only thing is there is a radiator underneath ~ so i may have to move them to another window?

I would as you will get long straggly shoots instead of short stubby ones. I must get my seed soon. I have hardly been out since Christmas. We woke up to a wonderful white wintery scene again today but it is frost not snow thank goodness. Iam going downto baby sit in Somerset at half term and I notice there are three potato days I can attend. There is so much to look forward to at this time of year.

thanks scotsgran, i shall look for a suitable windowsill
thats a very long way to go for babysitting!

School holidays are a problem for mums as their regular babysitters are also on holiday with their own children. We do live 400+ miles from them so I welcome the opportunity to spend time with the little ones.

im sure you will have a lovely time ~ and so will the grandchildren!

My four year old grand daughter grew her own potatoes, peas, tomatoes, beans and had a go at carrots but unfortunately 2 year old g/son dug those up to see them as soon as they put up their feathery fronds. I got her 4 x 100L bags of multipurpose compost. The tomatoes were the greatest success as they were the tom thumb type and friuted forever. The peas were also prolicic and the potatoes could have been better. This year we will try the carrots again and maybe parsnips. We'll definitely be going to the potato days so she can choose proper seed this time. We used left over supermarket bought potatoes last year.

i did wonder about using supermarket potatoes but ive got the seed sort now from the GC ~ didnt expect to find kestrel as you cant even find them in all the supermarkets.

your grandson made me laugh ~ you cant help smiling ~ he will have seen you doing the weeding no doubt and thought he was helping!!!
i picked all my mums tulips when i was 2!

i hope grand daughter keeps going with her gardening and continues to enjoy it.

It is not a good idea to use left overs from the supermarket.They can harbour disease. I do not even use my own seed I tend to give that to a friend. If you can find Arran Victory they are another seed I would highly recommend. You may be able to buy 5 in a packet if you do not have any potato days near you. I will try and get him interested in his own bags this year.

i will look out for them, dont think they have potato days but i will also look for that
these potatoes are sold loose ~ you fill a pot for 1.99 ~ perhaps they would do less if i asked? its a nice little garden centre and they are friendly

They probably would. You can mention the Potato Days and they might consider doing one along with a local allotment society or a gardening group in future years. It is definitely the way to encourage new customers for them.

Although I got mine from our local Potato Day,I saw later,they were being sold in the Pound shop,Wilkinson's and Home bargains..well known varieties,approx 6 in a bag..I haven't looked this year yet,but maybe a bit early for those shops yet.

thats a good idea scotsgran ~ think they would like that ~ allotments only 2 miles away and i also know someone who has one of those.
in the autumn the GC holds a fashion show evening with bits to eat ~ in order to help finances ~ apparantly it is good fun.