I've grown La Ratte in sacks successfully - one of the few varieties I've found worth growing since downsizing garden. @Joyce Goldenlily Loofahs I still have a couple ready for use from some years ago. They are a faff to clean but I do enjoy a "chat" with my home grown ones when in the shower Sad isn't it ?
I have grown spuds in different containers for 3 years, old compost bags turned inside out have been the best croppers each year. I think it's the black absorbing the heat better (clearly there is no scientific evidence to this as I'm not that bright). I put 2 Charlotte spuds in per bag, they are planted very early and kept in the greenhouse safe from frosts for several weeks. Plenty of watering and we get really good crops, I make all my own compost so it's only the seed I pay for
I know, wonderful! No joking, cow poo is one of my favourite smells.
Absolutely… reminds me of home 😊
Glad I'm not the only one, @Dovefromabove. It's the smell of summer holidays on the family farm for me, and one of the reasons we bought a house that is surrounded on 3 sides by cow pasture. Can't wait for them to come back in a few weeks.
I wouldn't use hessian sacks unless they have some sort of protective coating. The hessian sacks I use to store my potatoes don't last long at all, even inside the shed. I only need to miss one rotting potato and the moisture rots the sack into a big hole, so I can't imagine the sacks will last long outside full of moist compost. I do grow potatoes both in the ground and in bags. I like to be able to move the bags so I use the heavy-duty ones from Marshalls, which last several seasons and have stout handles. If blight is threatened I can move them under cover and also the harvest is very clean and easy compared with those grown in the veg plot, so I tend to use them for salad varieties like Anya which then can be just rinsed and boiled. The yield seems more dependent on how much care I provide than anything else but can be quite heavy if you ensure the sacks are watered to keep the soil just moist, use good compost (I mix home-made with leaf mould and a bit of shop-bought multi-purpose, plus potato fertiliser), and do not let them get too shaded. I think that the compost bags suggested also make very good, deep pots and keep the potatoes warm and dark.
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@Joyce Goldenlily Loofahs I still have a couple ready for use from some years ago. They are a faff to clean but I do enjoy a "chat" with my home grown ones when in the shower Sad isn't it ?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.