Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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While you can harvest a good potato crop from just about any wide, deep

container, this one is perfect for budget-savvy gardeners.

Because the edible portion of a potato plant are the underground

tubers that form along the base of the stem, the more stem surface you

have beneath the soil’s surface, the more potatoes the plant produces.

This potato bin uses a series of layers to continually bury the plant as

it grows, leading to the production of many large, potassium-packed

tubers. When done properly, the 3 to 5 pounds of seed potatoes planted in

each bin yield 30 to 50 pounds of mature tubers.

POTATO

BIN

MATERIALS NEEDED

A roll of 3 to 4-ft. tall

metal chicken wire or

cattle fencing

Newspaper

3 to 5 pounds of seed

potatoes

Enough 50/50 blend of

compost and potting

soil to fill the bin,

or any mixture of

compost, potting soil,

shredded leaves,

year-old composted

manure, or any other

organic matter

Straw

TOOLS NEEDED

Wire cutters

Knife

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STEP 1 If the seed potatoes are larger than a golf ball,

use a sharp, clean knife to cut them into 1-in. chunks,

making sure each piece has at least one “eye.” Let any

cut seed potato pieces rest on the kitchen counter for

a day to callus over before building your potato bin.

Do not plant grocery-store potatoes, as they’re often

treated with an anti-sprouting chemical that prevents

them from growing. Purchase your seed potatoes from

a reputable local nursery or online source.

STEP 2 Use a pair of wire cutters to cut a piece of the

metal fencing. You can make the bin any size you’d like.

For a bin with a 5-ft. diameter, use a 16-ft. foot piece of

fencing. For a bin that’s 4 ft. across, the fence should

HOW TO MAKE A POTATO BIN

be 12^1 ⁄ 2 ft. long. A 3-ft. bin requires a fence piece that’s

91 ⁄ 2 ft. long. Bend the fencing into a cylindrical shape

and wrap the loose ends of wire around each other to

fasten it closed. Place your bin in an area that receives

6 to 8 hours of full sun per day.

STEP 3 Spread a layer of newspaper, 5 to 6 layers

thick, around the inside of the bottom part of the wire

bin. This will hold the soil inside the bin and form your

first layer. At the end of the season, the newspaper

will degrade. Fill the bottom of the bin up to the top

of the newspapers with a 50/50 blend of compost and

potting soil (or another mixture of organic matter as

mentioned above).

Continued

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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