Patio Garden Potato Planter

I love experimenting with new gardening ideas.  The other day when I was at Lowe's I saw these Potato Planter Bags made by Ferry-Morse and picked up a couple of them.  I usually plant potatoes in raised straw bale beds but this looks so easy and they are portable!  The planters are reusable and store flat at the end of the season...of course if you have a green house they can be used year around!

Yams and Sweet Potatoes

 The directions say to fold the bag down to about 12" high and fill 2/3 full with soil.  I used some fantastic composted alpaca manure mixed with other organic soil.  Then plant 3-4 potatoes about half way down in the soil.  Water well.  Once the plants are growing, unfold the bag and place additional soil around the plants.  Continue this process as the plant grows until the bag is completely unfolded.  Keep the soil moist but not soaking or you will rot the potatoes!  Harvest the potatoes a few at a time after blooms have faded using the convenient opening on the side of the bag with the Velcro flap.  No digging!

I planted yams in one and sweet potatoes in the other today...you don't actually have to plant whole potatoes.  I have had great success over and over from buying organic potatoes from our local health food store and cutting them in chunks making sure there is an eye in each piece and then planting the piece with the eye in it in the soil.  It sprouts from the eye of the potato.  My potatoes have always been healthy and taste fantastic.

By the way, sweet potatoes are:  High in vitamin A and fiber, and low in glycemic index, sweet potatoes won't raise blood sugar at the same level as a regular potato.