How to Grow Potatoes in a Barrel: Benefits and Reviews

Growing potatoes in barrels is a long-standing method that has undergone some modernization over time and is now popular among vegetable growers. How did people come to grow potatoes in containers? Rumor has it that someone once dropped a tuber in a compost pit. By regularly adding compost to the pit, the farmer harvested a surprisingly good crop of high-quality potatoes in the fall. From there, experiments began.Potatoes in a barrel are a great way to get a good harvest for those gardeners who are short on space. Some grow tubers in wooden containers for the sake of experimentation, while others find this method more convenient. After all, if you prepare the soil properly and provide care throughout the season, you'll get a very good harvest.

Let's take a closer look at all the advantages and possible disadvantages of the experimental method of growing potatoes in a barrel.

The benefits of growing potatoes in a barrel

Growing potatoes in a barrel is a method favored by many vegetable growers. This technique is especially popular among those gardeners who lack space for planting potatoes.

Let's consider the advantages of planting potatoes in a barrel:

• The bushes can be placed in any convenient place: the potato “plantation” is easy to move, therefore, you can save space in the garden;
• there is no need to hill up the plant and free it from weeds, moreover, in a barrel the bush is less susceptible to diseases and attacks by insect pests;
• in a wooden barrel the tubers practically do not rot;
• in order to hydrate the plant it requires a little water;
• due to the fact that it is much warmer in the barrel than in open ground, potatoes ripen faster;
• Despite all the above mentioned advantages, potato yields do not decrease.

In addition to the advantages, growing potatoes in a barrel also has its disadvantages:

• a large number of wooden barrels or boxes are required;
• Only high-quality soil should be used.

Planting potatoes in a container

Before planting seeds in a wooden barrel, it's important to consider the soil quality. Potatoes require a lot of nutrients, so you need to use prepared soil. Ideally, it should consist of several components:

• compost;
• ordinary garden soil.

It's best to prepare the mixture in advance, in the fall. The soil should be thoroughly weeded and treated with chemicals to prevent potential potato diseases and kill pests. If weeds or insects get inside the barrel, they will be much more difficult to control.

Place the barrel where you plan to grow potatoes. Add a small amount of the prepared mixture (compost and soil) to the bottom of the container. Now, arrange the seed tubers around the barrel's diameter, spacing them at least 15 cm apart.

Cover the potatoes with another 10 cm of soil. Once the first sprouts have broken through the soil by a few centimeters, cover them again with a mixture of soil and compost. Repeat this process until the sprouts reach a height of one meter. If you don't add soil, the plant's root system will develop poorly, resulting in a poor harvest.

Little tricks

Planting potatoes in a barrel is a bit more complicated than planting them in open ground. But if done correctly and a few nuances are taken into account, you can expect a bountiful harvest.

1. A hose or small pipe should be installed in the barrel, with a closed end but holes along its entire length. The hose can be filled with water and liquid fertilizer to nourish the soil throughout the potato growing season.
2. You can add ammonium urea, ash, potassium, or double superphosphate to the soil. If the soil is sandy, magnesium and sulfate are essential. These mixtures are readily available at a specialty store.
3. You must not allow the soil in the barrel to dry out, so it will be more convenient to install a drip irrigation system.

Potato fertilizer in a barrel

Fertilizing potatoes grown in a wooden barrel is not much different from regular fertilizer for open-ground garden beds.

The following can be used as fertilizer:

• manure (cow or horse);
• complex mineral fertilizers;
• a mixture of manure and peat;
• infusion of green manure.

Early potato varieties only need to be fed once, but late varieties need to be fed at least twice.

Reviews

Growing potatoes in wooden barrels is primarily used in southern Russia. Other regions prefer to plant potatoes in open ground, but some have even experimented.

Gennady, 48 years old, Krasnodar:

"Since my plot has virtually no space for growing potatoes, I decided to try a new method. I saw it on a popular TV show. The only downside is that you need a lot of barrels. You can't harvest much from one or two containers, and it won't be enough to feed your family through the winter. I ordered another ten linden barrels. I plan to continue the experiment next season."

Valentina, 56 years old, Moscow region:

"I came to planting potatoes in barrels on a friend's advice. Firstly, I'm always interested in new things. Secondly, it's incredibly convenient! Insects don't eat the tubers, and the plants are disease-free. And digging them up is a joy. The main thing is to prepare the right soil. I add plenty of fertilizer and compost."

Maria, 61 years old, Voronezh:

"The barrel-planting method is more suitable for those who don't have any land for a garden. A single barrel can hold six or even five potato plants. It's not practical for a large family. You'd have to find a lot of containers, and my plot allows for growing potatoes in a bed, so I wasn't interested in this experiment."