REAL FOOD in AMHERST: Container Potatoes

Ready to grow some of your own food, but not ready to take on a full size vegetable garden yet?  How about container potatoes?  Finally a use for those sprouting spuds sitting in your pantry.  This is a fun and easy project for anyone who has a small bit of space outside, an old plastic tub, and a love of potatoes. 

Of course you can buy some special "seed potatoes" but really, those old sprouting ones in the pantry work fine too - and finally you have a use for them. You also need some type of large old storage tub (the bigger, the better).  Since we use large plastic tubs as winter "water dishes" for our 3 cows, there are always several torn and broken ones sitting in the garage by spring, so that's what I use. If they are broken and split - that's perfect.  If they are not broken, you may want to add a few holes in the bottom. 

Set the tub along the edge of your patio or in a corner of the yard.  Put about 4 inches of nice soil in it.  Now toss in your potato - just one or two is all you need. 

Barely cover the potato with more soil.  Water and wait.  When the potato plant starts to grow up a few inches and forms a leaf, add more dirt.  You want to bury the plant, leaving just one leaf exposed to the sunlight.  Now water and wait.  Let the plant grow several more inches.  Then add soil to bury it again, leaving only one leaf exposed.  Water and wait.  You keep doing this, adding more soil as the plant grows, over and over until the tub is completely filled with soil.  This could take several weeks.  At this point, let it GROW!  What you have done is force the root system into the tub.  In the fall, the plant will wilt and now you're ready for the harvest.  

Dump the tub over, spilling out all the dirt and the potatoes.  Let the potatoes "air dry" for a day or two in the sunshine.  You should get 10 - 20 pounds of potatoes in that one tub.  Enjoy.  

Feel free to post questions or contact me through our family website:  NHHoney.com

Kathie Nunley is an Amherst resident who feeds her family on their 2 acres.