Do You Know What it Takes?

To find the sunlight after waking up 10-12 inches below the surface?

Find potato bushes somewhere, they will tell you all about it.

There is a lot of information out there in regards to growing potatoes in pots.

Have some Aspirin on you?

I’ll summarize what they say in one sentence to save you $7 and a couple hours of research.

It’s just NOISE.

GROW POTATOES FOR THE FLOWERS!

And then, wear them on your hats like Marie Antoinette.

Europeans grew potatoes as a decorative plant in the XVI Century. SO CAN YOU.

Potato flowers is a fun surprise floating in a sea of Zinfadel and Kale.

Click for larger image.

ALL You need to know:

Location: Sunny Spot

Soil: Loose sandy mix (try Garys Best Top Pot)

Fertilize on top (after filling up the pot) with Aged Manures

Get rid of the flowers after all the buds open up. It will send the energy back to the tubers.

Water regularly, do not over saturate.

Mulch with hay.

*It’s common practice to “hill” potato plants, in other words to add more soil around the stem as the plants grow, expecting for it to grow more tubers. I have not tried it.

I had a spare pot that was left in presumably sunny location. The NO “planning” process was happening before the grapevine took off.

I decided to experiment with a few small (1-2 IN) gourmet potatoes left in the fridge. I added 3-4 inches of a sandy mix (Gary’s Top Pot) to the bottom of a 20-inch, 15 gallon pot, placed a few small potatoes on top and filled up the rest of the pot. Potatoes ended up being planted at least 10 inches below the surface.

Little did I forecast that my potatoes would have close to NONE sun exposure which affects the quality of your harvest and the size of the tubers. But I believe in Spiritual Powers, so let us wait.

They found a way to show me the flowers anyway and I am grateful for that. I will post an Update on a harvest.

I planned everything carefully. See the pot on top?..

ME NEITHER!