Potatoes can be grown in containers just as easy as in a traditional method of gardening. Terracotta pots, half barrels, trash cans and even a burlap sack,or trash bags are all good choices of containers to grow your potatoes in.
The one thing that you need to remember when growing potatoes in a container, is that the container of your choice can not be to deep, 12 - 18 inches is a good depth. The reason for this depth is that sunlight is needed for plant growth, and even though potato plants can grow to a height in the area of 2 - 3 feet, they need to be hilled or covered as they grow.
Planting your crop in a sack allows you to pull the sides up as the plant grows, in a pot or other type of container you will still need to hill the plant as it gets taller. This can be done simply by placing a 2 foot tall wire mess around the inside of the container as the plat grows and covering the plant with straw, potting media, or compost. Once you have you have the container of your choice, make sure there are adequate drainage holes in the bottom or the lower sides.
Now is it time to prepare your potatoes for planting. These potatoes can be seed potatoes from a garden center, or potatoes that you have on hand that are starting to sprout. Cut the potatoes so that there are three eyes on each piece, two eyes will do fine if the numbers don't work out. I have even planted them with one, and they did just fine. Once the cutting is done, you will want them to sit for about a day to form a dry covering over the cut area.
While you are waiting for the potatoes to dry, you can start filling your container with potting media mixed with an organic fertilizer, and pre soak the media so that it is moist. When ready, place the potatoes that you have cut in the container with the eyes facing up. In the average container,with a diameter of about twenty inches, I put three pieces spaced apart evenly, cover them with about 2 - 3 inches of media, and water until the media is moist. To save time, you can pre soak the media before you plant, and have it ready for covering the potatoes at planting time.
Caring for your potato plants is fairly easy. Place them in an area that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun and is not exposed to winds. Check the moisture content of the media, and water daily if needed. Containers dry quicker that soil in a traditional garden, so they could need watering every day.
As the plants get to a height of about 6 inches, you will need to hill the potato plant by covering the plants with more potting media, leaving about 2/3 of the plant exposed. Continue hilling until the plant stops growing, or starts to flower.
Harvesting your potatoes can start any time after the plant flowers, young potatoes are small, but tender. If you choose not to harvest them early, wait until the plants start to turn yellow and gently spill the media out of the pot to collect your fresh crop of potatoes.
