How To Earth Up Potatoes Growing In Bags And Containers

How To Earth Up Potatoes Growing In Bags And Containers


Increase the root area for a bigger crop

Growing your own potatoes is hugely satisfying as they taste so much better than supermarket produce. If space is restricted and you are growing in bags or pots stick to the varieties that are expensive to buy in the supermarket such as the first Earlies and salad potatoes. 

You earth up potatoes in order to increase the amount of roots the plant grows. The more roots it has the more nutrients and water it can uptake and this will result in an increased yield.

You will need:

  • multi-purpose compost

 

If you are growing potatoes in bags once the potatoes have put on about 15cm (6”) of growth roll the bag up a little and top up with compost up to the bottom of the first leaves.

Carry on doing this until the bag is half full of compost.

If you are growing the potatoes in containers you will have initially put in about a third of a pot of compost and placed the potatoes just under the surface. Keep adding compost as the potatoes grow until the pot is full.

Keep them well watered.

Harvest once the flowers have died back.


Profile Image Angela Slater

Angela Slater

Daughter of a farmer and market gardener so have always had a connection with the outdoors, whether it was keeping animals or producing fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. Along with my work at Hayes Garden World I also have a smallholding, mainly breeding rare breed pigs. I gained an HND and BSc in Conservation and Environmental Land Management, as a result I am an ardent environmentalist and have a keen interest in environmentally friendly gardening. In my time at Hayes I worked for several years in the Outdoor Plant and Houseplant areas.