In article , sahara
writes
Please help me with very specific instructions for growing potatoes in
a compost bag.
I bought for a friend two Mimi and two Charlotte from Ryton Potato day
yesterday. They are for a friend who wants to grow them in a bag of
compost and she has lots of questions. Such as.
How many should i put the bag?
How long should they be chitted for?
When should i put them in the bag?
How will i know that they are ready?
any other information would be great. Please assume that i have no
knowledge whatsoever on potato growing.
thanks,
sarah x

Your friend may have a gro-bag in mind, but she would have a better
chance of success with an 80 litre bag of multi-purpose compost stood on
end. Slit open the top end and empty about half the compost out to keep
for subsequent earthing up. About three or four plants would be enough.
Chit the tubers in darkness until they are about 3-4ins. 7-10cm. long,
then set them about 6ins. 15cm. deep and press them down. The spare top
of the bag should be folded down at that stage. Put it in its intended
growing position because it will be quite heavy when watered. Pant
timing will depend on the chitting - that has already begun though you
may not see anything for a while yet. When the first leaves begin to
show, ensure that the plants have sufficient warmth, light, air and
moisture, but not an excess of any of those. In new compost, feeding
should not be necessary. When there is sufficient stem length under the
bottom leaves, begin earthing up to the leaves with the remainder of the
compost and continue until the top of the bag is reached. The tiny
tubers growing under the surface will be edible as soon as they form,
but wait until the plants are in flower, or a little longer, then put a
finger down until you find one. If it is the size of an egg or bigger,
you can use it, then take others as you want them. Once the tops go
brown and die off, you can have the lot out and store your crop in a dry
dark place.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.