Here are some fantastic DIY Potato Pots to Grow Potatoes Without Digging ideas that you can follow to grow them in a small space!
Are you a potato lover but don’t have the outdoor space or inclination to dig up a garden bed? Fear not, because DIY potato pots are here to save the day! Get ready to ditch the shovel and start growing your own potatoes with these simple DIY Potato Pots to Grow Potatoes Without Digging.
Learn how to grow Potatoes from store-brought potatoes
DIY Potato Pots to Grow Potatoes Without Digging
1. Simple Container Method
Use a large container for this idea. Plant seed potatoes in a large container, such as a grow bag or large pot, filled with soil.
As the potato plants grow, add more soil or compost to the container to keep the tubers covered. Check it out here.
2. Use a Laundry Basket
To grow potatoes in a laundry basket, choose one with plenty of drainage holes or drill holes in a traditional basket. Fill the basket with a mixture of soil and compost. Leave about 4 inches of space at the top.
Place seed potatoes on top of the soil, space them a few inches apart, and cover them with another layer of soil. Water the potatoes well, and place the basket in a sunny location.
As the potatoes grow, add more soil or compost to cover the leaves and stems, leaving about 2 inches showing at the top. Water regularly and fertilize as needed.
When the plants die back, it’s time to harvest your potatoes by dumping out the basket and gathering the tubers. Here is the DIY tutorial.
3. Use a Half Wine Barrel
Growing potatoes in a half wine barrel is a fantastic way to produce this delicious vegetable in a limited space. Start by choosing a barrel with drainage holes, then fill it with soil and compost. Plant your seed potatoes a few inches apart and provide daily sun and ample water.
When it’s time to harvest the potatoes, simply dump out the contents of the barrel and gather the tubers. This method is not only easy but also visually appealing and a great conversation starter! Check it out here.
4. A Wooden Tower
Create a tower using materials such as chicken wire or stacked tires. Place seed potatoes in the bottom layer, cover them with soil, and continue to add layers as the plants grow.
Add more soil or compost to each layer to keep the tubers covered. Learn how to do it here.
5. Use Pallets
To build a pallet potato planter, you’ll need four pallets tied together to form an open-ended box. Choose a sunny location with well-draining soil and line the box with a fabric weed barrier or several layers of newspaper to prevent weed growth.
Fill the planter with about 6-8 inches of an organic-rich soil mix and cut potatoes into pieces, ensuring each piece has at least two eyes.
Place the potato pieces about 6-8 inches apart and gently push them about two inches deep into the soil mix. Cover with another 2-3 inches of soil mix and 2-4 inches of straw.
Keep the soil moist throughout the growing season and add more layers of soil mix and straw as the potatoes grow, leaving the top of the plants exposed to sunlight.
Late-season varieties tend to produce larger yields compared to earlier, shorter varieties. Learn the complete DIY here.
6. Use Plastic Bags
To plant potatoes in a bag, fill an 8-liter potato bag with multipurpose compost, leaving an inch of space below the rim. Take a chitted potato tuber and carefully plant it in the compost, with the shoots facing upwards and 4-5 inches deep in the soil.
Cover the tuber with compost and place the bag in a frost-free, well-lit location, watering it regularly. Feed the plants with potato fertilizer every other week and water the bags when the compost becomes dry. Here is the complete process for this DIY.
Learn everything about growing potatoes indoors
7. Use a Plastic Tub
To plant seed potatoes in a container, pour one-third of the soil into the container. Then, place the seed potatoes on top of the soil, keeping them spaced about 3-4 inches away from the sides of the container and from each other. Cover the potatoes with soil, leaving about 2 inches of space from the top of the container.
As the potatoes grow and the shoots emerge through the soil, add more soil to the container, leaving the leaves out of the soil.
This process, known as “earthing up,” encourages many tubers to grow along the stems and increases the yield while preventing the tubers from turning poisonous. Add soil until it’s about 1-2 inches from the top of the container. Learn how to DIY here.
8. Growing Potatoes in Tires
For a fun and easy way to grow potatoes, choose a sunny location in your garden, yard, or even on a patio or balcony. Grab two or three old tires and stack them on each other.
Fill the stack with a mixture of damp earth and nutrient-rich compost, leaving enough space so that the stack is just over half full. Next, plant 4 or 5 seed potatoes in the stack, about 2 inches deep, with the eyes or shoots pointing up.
Cover the seed potatoes with a couple of inches of soil and make sure to water them regularly to keep the soil moist. As the plants grow, add more soil to the stack, leaving just the top few inches of the plants exposed. Here is the DIY.
9. Growing Potatoes in Straw
Growing potatoes in straw is an easy and efficient way to cultivate this popular vegetable. Here are the instructions.
10. Growing potatoes in Buckets
Growing potatoes in a single bucket is a popular method, but using two buckets instead can make the harvesting process much easier.
By using an inner bucket with a window, you can access your potatoes without having to dig out all the soil in the container to ensure you don’t miss any of the harvestable spuds. It’s a straightforward yet highly effective technique. Find details here.
11. Growing Potatoes in Burlap Bags
Growing potatoes in burlap bags is a clever solution to the space limitation issue in gardens. By using containers, even small spaces can accommodate potato cultivation.
To optimize yield, it’s advisable to keep hilling up the soil or adding straw mulch as the potatoes grow taller. This technique encourages the production of more potatoes without digging. See the tutorial here.
12. Potato in Barrels
Growing potatoes in barrels is an excellent option for those with limited garden space without digging.
To get started, you’ll need to choose the right type of barrel. Wooden barrels are the most popular choice because they are durable and can be used for various crops. However, you can also choose plastic ones. Choose a barrel with a large enough diameter to accommodate the number of potato plants you plan to grow.
Once you have your barrel, you must fill it with soil. Use a well-draining soil mixture. Add a layer of compost or manure to the soil to help add nutrients. Plant your potatoes close together, with the eyes facing upward. Keep the soil moist but not dripping wet.
Check the details in this tutorial here.
