The Potato Barrel

LB found a neat garden supply store that has these wonderful white plastic 50 gallon drum style barrels for only $15 each.

They are great for growing potatoes and aging compost. I love growing potatoes in a barrel.

If you want to cut right to the chase then click here to see a bullet list of the steps on growing potatoes in a barrel without all the dialogue: Summary

When I told LB about my potato barrel project, he was trying to think of something cost efficient to use. Container grown potatoes need a lot of space. I love growing vegetables in containers, and I try to be creative and find ways to use items we have on hand.

Five gallon sheetrock buckets are too small to produce any type of yield for potatoes but they are okay for peppers or determinate tomato varieties.

Metal 50 gallon drums get too hot here during the summer which is not good for the potatoes.

Black containers are also not recommended; high temperatures will occur and inhibit tuber formation.

Be careful also buying 50 gallon used drums because you NEED to know what used to be STORED in them (oil, chemicals).

I don’t want to grow food in a barrel laced with petroleum or toxic chemicals. You want to use Food Grade containers.

If the barrel has been used, you might want to clean it with a mild bleach solution first, let it soak, rinse thoroughly, and let it dry.

Here is a picture of the barrel. This barrel is not entering a beauty contest, so don’t judge too harshly.

I buy seed potatoes sometimes. But I have also used potatoes (organic) from my potato bin. Organic potatoes have no sprays or treatments applied like other store bought potatoes do which might inhibit growth.

Store your seed potatoes in the fridge until ready to plant. Take them out a few days before planting and place in a warm sunny window.

I love the taste of fresh dug potatoes. In my humble opinion, fresh dug potatoes taste LOTS better than supermarket potatoes.

Supermarket potatoes are often treated with a chemical to prevent the eyes from sprouting. So if you plan to use store bought potatoes for your seed potatoes, the organic ones are your best bet as they have not been sprayed or treated.

My homegrown fresh dug potatoes are not treated with anything except Tender Loving Care.

I will eat supermarket potatoes, chemical and all (yuck!), but I prefer our fresh dug taters.

I guess that is why I have them planted in four locations, including a Sweet Potato Patch in ground.

And I also put out a late potato crop in the fall.

But you should once in your life (put it on your bucket list), eat a fresh dug potato.

I am not fussy about keeping potato types separate, I probably should be, but I am not. I generally use what is available. If I don’t have potatoes (organic, untreated, and unsprayed) on hand, I will visit the Feed and Seed and purchase them.

I DO plant my sweet potatoes separate from my whites and reds. I don’t mix the sweet potatoes.

I will plant Red LaSoda along with Red Pontiac or Goldrush. I plant what I have on hand.

I am sure that Chuck, my county extension agent, would raise his eyebrow at my methods, but he would eat one of my baked potatoes TOO.

Red Pontiac is NOT a car. It is a variety of Potato.

I just LOVE Yukon Gold potatoes. The skin is just so soft on these, they make the best baked potato. After cooking, it is almost as if they are already buttered! They are delicious.

Other potato varieties: Red La Soda (heat tolerant and great for Southern Gardens); Red Norland is a good all purpose potato available at Holland Bulb Farms. Holland Bulb Farms also has Brown Goldrush Russets, excellent for storage, boiling and baking.  Some white potato varieties that are good for storage include Irish Cobbler and Kennebec. Russet Burbank is a good white baking potato; Sebago and Crystal are both good northern varieties. Norgold Russets and Viking potatoes are good boiled, sauteed, OR baked. Holland Bulb also offers a really good Brown Yukon Gold seed potato with a great buttery taste.

The fingerling potatoes are absolutely delicious, “Lady Finger” is one variety.

I live in the deep south, our planting time for summer harvest crops usually falls around Easter, depending on the rains. Potatoes do not fair well in hot weather; general rule of thumb is to plant at the earliest two weeks before last frost/freeze as they will take 2-3 weeks to sprout.

Different potato varieties do better than others based on the climate where you live. With our hot hot summers, I should plant early to mid-season maturing varieties.

If we have March going out like a Lion, I wait to plant. If March is going out like a Lamb, I plant earlier.

I don’t really follow the Groundhog stuff. I just sort of get a feeling if it is going to rain and wash everything away or not.

Some folks swear by planting on Good Friday. No matter what. Not me. I just sort of plant when it seems right. Sometimes that works, sometimes I end up re-seeding. All a part of it.

Of course my garden area has usually been plowed with DAISY MAE MY MULE several times by planting day.

By January I am already pulling out seed catalogs and chomping at the bit to get my hands in the dirt, and MULE comforts me.

After my fall crops are harvested, I clean the garden, and use MULE to till the earth for turnip greens.

Due to our mild winters, I can leave turnip greens in my garden all winter and unless we have a really unusually harsh winter, which RARELY happens here, we pull turnip greens all winter long.

I am covering this about rain because if you plant potatoes too early, and you get really heavy rains, the seed potatoes may rot.

Your seed potatoes should be cut so you have 1-3 “eyes” on them. (I wonder why they call them eyes?)

You also want to leave enough potato flesh to nourish the plants and give them something to grow on.

My seed potatoes are usually about 1/4 to 1/2 of an average potato.

There is an “Old Wives Tale” that chunks with one eye produce BIGGER potatoes and chunks with multiple eyes produce MORE potatoes.

Since we are barrel planting, the planting method will be different than trench grown potatoes.

LB has already punched a few holes around the base perimeter of the barrel for drainage.

Without drainage, rain water will hold in the barrel and cause the potatoes to rot.

We use dirt from our garden combined with planting mix and organic compost. Potatoes are heavy feeders so you need a good nutrient rich planting mix. Start with around 5″-6″ of starter dirt in the bottom of the barrel.

When we eventually “dump out” the potatoes, we simply stockpile that growing medium until the next time, so if you do have to buy dirt, maybe you can reuse it for a fall crop or the next summer crop. It is a good idea to add more compost and rich planting mix if you re-use it as growing the potatoes will deplete nutrients and as mentioned above, potatoes are heavy feeders.

Our Lowe’s Hardware Store has some pretty good potting soil that runs about $1.50 a bag, and that could help if you don’t have access to quality dirt.

Next, I place my seed potatoes in the barrel on top of the soil. Place them in the barrel, with the Eyes Facing Up.

They are now STARING at you.

I cover with about 4″-5″ of rich soil and lightly water.

I fertilize lightly once a week with a fish emulsion/seaweed fertilizer until flowers form. Then I ease back to avoid overfeeding of the foliage.

If it rains, I don’t water. If it does not rain for a couple of days, I spray the barrel down with water. I don’t “drown” them, I just “water” them.

When the foliage reaches around 5″ tall, I add more dirt to cover about 1/2 to 3/4 of the potato plant, leaving the rest (1/4 to 1/2) exposed.

You can see leaves and light sand in my growing medium. We live in a very wooded area, so I often have leaves in my stockpile.

That is ok.

I continue this process as the plants continue to grow.

Continue this foliage and growing medium addition process until the barrel is almost full. I leave about 4″-5″ at the top free.

At this point, stop adding dirt. When the potato foliage turns yellow and dies, you can leave the potatoes in the barrel if you wish, some say a few weeks is ok. If you are having a wet spell, you might need to dig them to keep the foliage from re-sprouting.

You can dig immature potatoes for consumption, but for good sturdy storage potatoes, let the full process take its course.

If you do choose to “dig” in the barrel for some potatoes, dig CAREFULLY. You want to try to start from the outside edge and come in “up under” the potato so you don’t stab and scratch them. Best to dig on a dry day, and always dry for a couple of days before storing/or stacking (see notes on “curing”).

Some use their hands; some use a potato hoe; some use a fork.

Of course, as soon as our barrel is CAREFULLY toppled over (LB helps me with this), I’ve already snagged about 9 potatoes. 3 for supper, 3 for the next supper, and 3 for lunch. Yum Yum.

I am drooling about the prospect of a freshly dug, soft baked potato, lightly buttered and salted, sprinkled with finely grated Mexican Cheese Blend. Fresh ground cracked Black Pepper on top. Maybe some crumbled cooked bacon? I sometimes add chili on top, too.

I love a big pot of southern cooked green beans, with small tiny potatoes cooked in with the beans. I will put that in the recipe section. I am getting SO HUNGRY!

LB said his Dad used to store their potatoes under the house. LB’s Dad was a big time gardener, he raised pigs too.

With LB’s folks, gardening was a necessity, not a hobby. That is how the family got fed. It used to be that way for a lot of folks. With today’s economy, many people garden and grow their on fruits, herbs, and vegetables. We even make our own wine.

Ideal storage conditions for potatoes are dark and cold and in a well ventilated area. NOT freezing. The area should be slightly HUMID, not DAMP.  Do not pile potatoes more than about 12″ deep, and do NOT wash before placing in storage. Allow potatoes to DRY thoroughly in a single layer before stacking for storage. See notes about “curing” below.

I have an area set aside in our warehouse for this purpose, and we also have LB’s shop building that works well too.

I have TONS of ways to cook potatoes other than frying them, although we like them that way too.

We eat potatoes frequently, so we don’t end up storing them very long.

You could put the Potato Barrel project on your bucket list, and just wait and think about doing it.

Of you can go right now and get you a barrel and prepare to grow your own.

It is fun, they taste great, and you’ll feel proud.

For highest yields and best storage, potatoes should not be dug until two weeks after vines have naturally died down. This allows the skins to set and reduces skin peeling, bruising and storage rot. Some people leave them stored in the barrel even longer.

Probably the suspense will be killing you, so you most likely won’t wait past two weeks (if you wait that long).

If you live in a climate with hot summers, you will most likely want to harvest yours promptly so they don’t sit in the barrel in excessively hot temperatures.

When harvesting at temperatures above 80 degrees F, potatoes should be picked up immediately and put in a cool dark place. Potatoes exposed to sun and high temperatures will turn green and/or rot faster.

Storing Potatoes – Fresh dug potatoes should be spread out in a single layer and dried first. DO NOT wash potatoes until you are ready to cook them. For longer term storage, you then need to cure the potatoes. This requires a dark storage location 65 degrees F with an 85% humidity level for 10 days (porch, basement, cellar). Then move to a 40-45 degrees F dark area with higher than average humidity. They will generally store for 2-3 months if they are cured first. Not everyone has such a cool and dark storage location available, so they’ll need to consume their potatoes faster.

If your potatoes are running out of shelf life, you can cook and mash them and place in plastic freezer containers and freeze up to a year. Do not attempt to freeze fresh potatoes whole. The warmer the storage location of the fresh potatoes, the shorter their shelf life. Cooler storage is best.

Seed Potatoes – Save some of the harvest to use as next year’s seed potatoes.

Thanks for visiting! (See Below for a Summarized Instruction List)
Summary

Potato Barrel Instructions Summarized

• Prepare container. I use 50 gallon white plastic barrel, cleaned with mild bleach solution and allowed to dry.
• Drill holes in the lower sides and bottom of barrel for drainage.
• Place 6-8″ of planting mix in barrel. Do not use hard clay or compacted soil. I use a mixture of planting mix and organic compost made from vegetables, egg shells, fruits, anything that is non-meat non-fish that can be composed goes in my compost bin instead of the trash. I put watermelon rinds, cantaloupe rinds, orange peels, etc. in the bin. Meat and fish will attract mice, rats, and other animals. NOTE: I compost in a separate bin! I don’t add the compost in with planting mix until it is fully composted.
• Add seed potatoes. You can plant them whole, but I cut into chunks. You need at least one eye per seed potato chunk. The more eyes a piece has, the more potatoes it will produce but they’ll be small potatoes. Fewer eyes means fewer potatoes produced but they’ll generally be larger. Leave space between the seed pieces to allow room to develop and grow.
• Cover with another 6″ of planting mix.
• Water to sufficiently dampen the soil. Keep them watered regularly, but not soaking or potatoes will rot.
• Fertilize lightly once weekly with a fish emulsion/seaweed fertilizer until flowers form. Then ease back or you’ll stimulate overgrowth of foliage instead of potatoes.
• When plant foliage grows to about 5″, add more planting mix leaving 1/4 to 1/2 of the plant above soil level (meaning cover 1/2 to 3/4 of the foliage).
• As the plants grow, continue to add planting mix leaving portions of the foliage and new sprouts exposed to the sun.
• As growing season ends, plants will begin to yellow.
• Gently ease dirt away to check the top most area of the barrel for potatoes.
• Easiest harvesting is done by dumping barrel onto the ground onto a piece of poly or plastic lawn or leaf bag.