I regret to inform all those interested that the potato experiment I had been conducting this summer has been a complete failure.

For those who do not know the background, I read on the web last winter that it was possible to grow potatoes in a trash can instead of in the actual ground. Since I have a small backyard and an intense love of potatoes, I thought this would be interesting to try. A bought a new trash can and drilled large holes in it for drainage. I put in a little dirt and added two sprouting hierloom potatoes. Each time the greenery rose above the top of the dirt, I added more dirt (garden soil). Once the can was full, I began picking off the greens. This is where I believe my mistake was made (and looking back on it, I can't believe I thought this was the way to go :whack: ).

Anyway, I will make another attempt next year with a few differences:
1) Use seed potatoes (most likely from seeds of change)
2) Add worms to the trashcan to aerate the soil
3) NOT pick off the greenery as it comes over the top of the can.

Hopefully, next year will yield better results.

Well that's a bummer! Sorry to hear it :-/ At least you know what went wrong, better luck next year...:)

I don't understand, you may have a small back yard, but I can't imagine that it is smaller than a trash can. Isn't it easier to put a potato in the earth, instead of putting the earth on top of the potato?

Potatoes are heavy feeders by the way. They require soil with lots of nitrogen in it. And of course loose un-compact soil helps make harvesting them easier, and I think will encourage larger growth.

I never grow my own potatoes because I live in the middle of potato-farming country -- i can collect potatoes as they fall off trucks going by.

I don't understand, you may have a small back yard, but I can't imagine that it is smaller than a trash can. Isn't it easier to put a potato in the earth, instead of putting the earth on top of the potato?

The other space in my backyard is used for other produce for the most part; tomatoes, peppers, garlic, etc. I guess I like the idea because it would allow the potatoes to be planted vertically instead of horizontally and therefore take up less horizontal square footage (unlike garlic, for example, which has to be planted horizontally).

I never grow my own potatoes because I live in the middle of potato-farming country -- i can collect potatoes as they fall off trucks going by.

Sounds lovely. I have to admit I'm a little envious of that fact.

Anyway, I will make another attempt next year with a few differences:
1) Use seed potatoes (most likely from seeds of change)
2) Add worms to the trashcan to aerate the soil
3) NOT pick off the greenery as it comes over the top of the can.



1- yes, but you can also use one from a health shop (organic ones)
2- doesn't matter
3- no don't do that.

Will the potatoes really form down deeper, in addition to forming shallowly, if you have deeper soil? I didn't know that. I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that you need the leaves to manufacture the potatoes -- that the potatoes are storage areas for starch manufactured in the leaves, so that the amount of potatoes, by weight, is limited by the amount of leaves.

My grandpa taught me you cound grow them in old tires... just stack them on top of eavh other, and when you harvest, you just take them apart (have yet to try though)

The trash can is basically the same idea as old tires. Hearing you say that though gives me hope for next year. If potatoes will grow in tires, why not a trash can....