If you’ve got a smaller garden (or don’t have room for one!), food growing can seem daunting and inaccessible. However, there are plenty of foods that can grow in bags, like potatoes. If you’ve got a spot that gets a lot of sun (yes, even a patio or balcony will do), you can grow up to 15 pounds of fresh, delicious potatoes to enjoy — without a real garden!
Weve got a few tips to show you how easy growing potatoes in a bag can be.
Growing your own potatoes is extremely rewarding. Freshly harvested spuds taste delicious, provide nutritious food for your family, and can save you money at the grocery store. However, potatoes require quite a bit of space in a traditional garden bed. That’s why planting potatoes in burlap sacks is such a great option for small space gardeners.
Burlap sacks allow you to grow a sizable crop of potatoes while taking up minimal ground space The vertical nature of the sacks is perfect for potatoes since you can continue adding soil and “hilling up” the plants as they grow taller This article provides a complete guide to planting potatoes in burlap sacks, from choosing seed potatoes to harvesting a bountiful crop of homegrown spuds.
Why Grow Potatoes in Burlap Sacks?
There are several advantages to using burlap sacks rather than planting potatoes directly in the ground
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Saves space – Potatoes can take over a traditional garden bed. Burlap sacks allow you to grow vertically.
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Portability – Burlap sacks can be moved around to place in optimal sunlight
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Good drainage – The woven material provides excellent drainage.
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Air circulation – Air flows through the porous sacks preventing moisture buildup.
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Easy hilling – Just unroll more of the sack and add soil as plants grow taller.
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Weed prevention – No weeding required as sacks isolate the potatoes.
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Harvesting ease – Simply unrolling the sack makes for easy potato retrieval.
For urban gardeners and anyone with limited space, burlap sacks are a simple solution for growing potatoes successfully.
Choosing Seed Potatoes
It all starts with choosing healthy seed potatoes – these will be the parent tubers that grow into plants producing more potatoes. Look for certified disease-free seed potatoes from garden centers or seed catalogs. Organic potatoes from the grocery store will also work well.
Select medium-sized potatoes, about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Large potatoes can be cut into smaller pieces as long as each piece has at least one “eye”. The eyes are the small buds on the potato that will sprout into plants.
Allow cut seed potatoes to sit at room temperature for 2-3 days until the cut surfaces callous over. This prevents rot once planted. Store whole seed potatoes in a cool, dark place until ready to plant.
Preparing the Burlap Sack
Burlap sacks typically measure around 2 feet wide by 4 feet tall. They can often be found for free from coffee roasters if you ask nicely! You can also purchase new and unused sacks.
Before planting, unroll and fold down the edges of the sack to make walls about 6 inches high. This contains the initial soil layer. Tuck in the bottom corners to help hold the sack’s shape.
Planting the Seed Potatoes
Fill your burlap sack about 3/4 full with quality potting soil mixed thoroughly with compost. Planting in loose, nutrient-rich soil gives the spuds the best start.
Space the seed potatoes 4-6 inches apart on top of the soil, eyes facing up. Gently press the potatoes 2 inches down into the soil. Cover with another inch or two of potting mix or compost.
Water well until the soil is moist but not saturated. Place your planted sack in a sunny spot.
Caring for Potato Plants
In about 3 weeks, potato sprouts will emerge. When the plants reach around 8 inches tall, it’s time to hill them up.
Unroll a few more inches of the sack to expose more height. Cover each plant stem with more soil mix, leaving about 4-6 inches of the plant still exposed.
Hill up your potatoes again when the plants grow another 8 inches or so. Keep the soil moist but not drenched. A little compost or fertilizer added during hilling gives plants a boost.
Harvesting Potatoes
After the potato plants bloom, the tubers beneath the soil will start bulking up. Allow the foliage to die back and turn brown before harvesting.
Carefully unroll the sides of the sack and remove the potatoes with your hands. Cure freshly dug potatoes in a dark, dry place for 1-2 weeks until skins toughen.
Store cured potatoes in a cool, humid place like a basement or root cellar. Freshly harvested potatoes will last for months this way.
Tips for Success with Burlap Sacks
Here are some handy tips to ensure a successful potato harvest from your burlap sacks:
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Choose early season potato varieties ideally suited for containers.
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Use at least 15-gallon capacity sacks for a good yield.
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Amend soil with compost, kelp meal, or organic fertilizer before planting.
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Shelter sacks on extremely wet days to prevent rotting.
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Check soil moisture daily and water when top few inches become dry.
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Remove any flowers to direct more energy towards tuber production.
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Harvest potatoes gently to avoid bruising and skin breaks.
Enjoy Your Burlap Sack Spuds!
Now that you know how easy and space-saving it is to grow potatoes in burlap sacks, what are you waiting for? Get your hands on some seed potatoes and burlap sacks to start your own homegrown harvest this season!
In addition to the superior flavor, you’ll enjoy watching the potato plants grow up the sacks. It’s fun for gardeners of all ages, but especially children who can actively participate in caring for their own plants.
Be sure to come back and share your experiences growing potatoes in burlap sacks! We’d love to hear about your successes, favorite varieties, or any other tips you discover along the way. Happy gardening!
Step 2: Bag it Up
Get a fabric bag. You can use an ordinary burlap sack or a “grow bag,” a sturdy, woven container sold by many garden centers or online garden suppliers. Choose one that holds about 50 quarts of soil.
Step 1: Pick your Potatoes
New potatoes grow from the “eyes” of mature potatoes, so in order to start a fresh crop, youll need seed potatoes, which are chunks of mature potatoes with at least one eye that has sprouted. You can cut up potatoes from the grocery store that have sprouted but you’re likely to have more variety of choices if you get the seed potatoes from a garden center or online. Fingerling potatoes—the colorful and flavorful oblong types—work especially well in bags.
Planting Potatoes in Burlap Sacks
FAQ
How long will potatoes last in a burlap sack?
Potatoes should last 6 months in a burlap sack. That’s because burlap is a breathable fabric, which allows the potatoes to stay fresh. The most important thing to ensure that your potatoes won’t spoil is to store them in a dry, dark, cool area such as a pantry.
How do you grow potatoes in Hessian sacks?
How to grow potatoes in a bag. Roll the sides of the potato bag down so it’s just under a third of its usual height. Add 10cm peat-free compost to the bottom of the bag and place three to five chitted potatoes on the surface. Cover with another 8-10cm of compost and water well.
How many potatoes can I plant in one bag?
We suggest planting 3 tubers per growing bag (too many plants in one bag will compete with each other and decrease yields).
How do you grow potatoes from burlap?
You can make a bag out of burlap, or even grow potatoes in a cardboard box. The container or bag lets the plant spread out its roots, and you can add layers of soil as it grows. The reason for layering is the same as hilling. Potato tubers send out roots at the eyes, which branch out in the soil.
Can you grow potatoes in a burlap sack?
Community gardener Ron Finley has developed an easy way to grow potatoes in a burlap sack that requires little more than the sack and some soil. Planting potatoes is the perfect DIY project for amateur gardeners working within the confines of a small space.
Are burlap bags good for potatoes?
Although I highly recommend the potato grow bags, burlap bags are nice and cheap and can be ‘rolled up’ as the plants grow. They also come in different sizes, the small ones being better for new potatoes, if you want to grow main season potatoes, use the larger ones.
Should you grow potatoes in a grow sack or bag?
There are many advantages to growing your own potatoes in a grow sack or bag. A potato grow bag takes up less space, doesn’t depend on good soil in your backyard, and makes those spuds easier to harvest. Best of all, it’s easy: all you need is a sunny corner, a grow bag, compost, and seed potatoes.
How do you grow potatoes in a bag?
To grow potatoes in a grow bag or burlap sack, first add approximately 4-5 inches of loose soil. Potatoes can grow in a variety of soils, including rich, sandy, or even straw. Fill the sack with soil and plant your seed potatoes. If you choose to fertilize the soil, do so now.
Can burlap sacks be used for gardening?
Burlap sacks for gardening! How to Grow Potatoes in Burlap Bags. Burlap sacks can be used for container gardening & burlap is cheap.