We know that potatoes can easily be grown in a single bucket. BUT you can make harvesting easier too by using two buckets instead of one!
It’s simple yet very effective. A windowed inner bucket allows you to have better access to your produce. No need to dig out all the soil in your container just to make sure you don’t miss any spud good for harvest.
There are several easy ways to grow humble spud. However, if you’re looking for something that is easy and quick to build, uses the least amount of space, and is very easy to use then this is the idea for you.
Just remember to use only black buckets and NOT to place them in direct sunlight. ;)
Want to learn how to make this no-dig potato grow buckets? Follow the step-by-step tutorial from Pothuset below!
Materials:
- 2 pcs of at least 12-liter black Buckets
- Soil
- Potatoes
Tools:
- Sharp Knife
- Speed Marker
- Drill or Soldering Iron
Click on any image to start the lightbox display. Use your Esc key to close the lightbox. ?
Steps:
Preparing the buckets: First, you’ll make some holes in the bottom of both buckets in order to drain the soil. It’s important because potatoes can rot if there is too much water around them.
Once done set one of the buckets aside. You don’t need to do anything more with that bucket. This one will be the outer bucket.
The inner bucket: I divided the bucket rim into 3 parts, 120° each. Then I drew a line vertically down the bucket.
Then I draw 2 lines parallel to the first line 5 cm (2 inches) on each side of these. Then I measured 5 cm (2 inches) from the top and the bottom and made 2 lines between the b-lines.
In the picture, I call them C lines. Now cut out the rectangle made from the b- and C lines. Finally, you’ll have a bucket with 3 windows like this one.
Planting potatoes: Before I made the buckets I started sprouting the potatoes.
First I place the inner bucket in the outer bucket. Then I fill the buckets half with soil.
Now I place one potato right in front of each window half the way from the middle to the side of the bucket. Then I fill the buckets with soil, taking good care of the fragile sprouts.
Finally, I give the potatoes a good amount of water. The soil will pack around the potatoes, so it can be necessary to add more soil.
Remember, potatoes must not get any kind of light, they’ll turn green and become poisonous (produce solanine). Place the buckets in a light spot, but avoid direct sun. Give the potatoes enough water but don’t let them soak.
Harvesting: When the potato plant begins to bloom the first harvest is ready.
Remove the inner bucket from the outer bucket and take the number of potatoes you want. Spare the soil that falls out of the bucket. When finished, place the inner bucket in the outer bucket and place the soil back on top of the surface where you took the potatoes. The soil will repack around the rest of the potatoes. It can be necessary to add more soil, avoiding sunlight to the potatoes.
You can continue harvesting potatoes from the same plants until late autumn/early winter.
Thanks to Pothuset for this great project!
Grow your own root vegetables at home with these Root Vegetable Grow Bags!
