5 Gallon Bucket Potato Harvest
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- This is the first of several 5 gallon buckets planted with potatoes that is ready to harvest. This one was planted back in February with Norland Reds. Two whole seed potatoes were used in this particular bucket. I think the results were excellent, but I am new to this whole container gardening methodology. Let me know what I could have done differently to improve my yield in the comments below.
I love it when we harvest our potatoes and say 'I think that's it' and then we find one or two more 😂🤣😁🌱🐛☀️
I always get kinda giddy and then even more excited when I find one I miss!
That's a great yield. I am a big fan of 5 gallon buckets.
They are really easy to manage. I wish we could get those buckets the Brits use in all their videos. They are 30 liter, have handles on two sides and lots of drainage.
Have you ever heard of people pinching the blooms off their potato plants with the purpose being increased yields? Just curious to know if there is anything to the idea.
@@greyghostgardening5353
I'm pretty sure the big grower supply houses have some thing similar to what Simplify Gardening uses but they do cost money.
@@greyghostgardening5353
My potatoes don't really bloom for whatever reason. Not so far anyway.
I have heard of people pruning off suckers and excess green growth to enourouage growth like on
tomatoes. Same family, makes sense. I might try that and see.
I planted a bunch in buckets, some in fabric grow bags (5 & 10 gallon) and a 24 foot in ground row. It'll be interesting to see the yields. I used the drum to my old clothes dryer, man that makes such a fantastic potato planter. Last years 5 gallon buckets did ok, anything in them is better than just an empty bucket.
This year I ended up with a bunch of extra seed potatoes (red Norland and Yukon Gold) so I planted them where I planted my peanuts last year. It will be interesting to see the difference in yield between what I have planted in buckets and tubs vs what I get out of the ground.
That’s a great harvest!
the eyes are what are called chits. It doesn't matter if the potatoes are whole or cut up.
That's a nice yield for a 5-gallon bucket. HGV usually gets btw. 1.5 - 2.5 lbs of potatoes out of a repurposed 10" flower / florist water bucket (which lands somewhere in the 2-3 gallon container range) with one whole seed / store potato at a 2-3" depth from the bottom.
Since the Red Norlands are determinate, I would imagine you can plant one more in the same bucket, offset and 1 level up, to see if the yield increases. Would be cool to see how it works out for you.
From what I've seen with the way bigger containers, a ton of soil is used relative to the yield usually obtained (i.e., not a ton of potatoes).
Unless you're refreshing / making your own soil, it seems a bit wasteful. I know I had to stop buying Promix because it was becoming an expensive habit. Now I am just getting forest dirt from the park across the street under the older trees.
I enjoy seeing gardeners still achieve workable yields with smaller containers that also help conserve on precious real estate. I can relate to that being in an apartment with a balcony.
This is my 1st year growing potatoes and sweet potatoes. Kinda went into it haphazardly at the beginning of the season, but should have it tweaked out better for next year.
Thanks for sharing your results!
Great Harvest Man
Thank you.
Real nice harvest, I see I am not the only one who gets excited when harvesting. ; ) I harvested an indoor pepper today, it was bigger than my hand and it made my day. I am planning on planting blue potatoes and wondered if a bucket would work. Seems like it works good. Thanks for sharing.
I wish I had a good “measuring stick” to judge my results by, but as I am new to the container world, I don’t have a lot to go by. What zone are you in?
@@greyghostgardening5353 I am in 7a
The ideal size bucket for spuds is 30 litres or 6 gallons, it's been proven many times by many long term gardeners 😁🌱🐛☀️
I would say I agree with you that smaller May be better. Just from my experience, on a volume basis, I have gotten better production out of 5 gal buckets vs my feed tubs.
I grow potatoes in 5 gallon buckets.
They are everywhere and can be gotten for free.
It seems to me that two seed potatoes per bucket is about right.
I plant one two inches off the bottom on the left side of the bucket and another 6 inches higher on the right side of the bucket.
When both potatoes have sprouted I fill the bucket to the top with potting mix that I make myself.
I set my buckets in Kidde Pools.
I drill big holes around the bottom of the pools. I have five pools so far.
Five buckets fit in the pools with room for wood chips around the buckets.
I put tomato cages over the buckets to support the plants so they get good ventilation.
I put 2x4x36 wire fence around the pool to keep critters out of the buckets. In cold weather I drape plastic over the fencing so I get a double layer of plastic that doesn't tend to blow off. I cover the whole thing with plastic on freezing nights.
I grew potatoes through the winter with nights into the high 20s F.
Now I am trying to figure out how to get them through the summer heat.
HGV grows his in 10 liter flower shop buckets he gets for free. He get about 1 1/2 pounds per bucket
With one seed potato.
If I could get 3 pounds consistently with my 20 liter/5 gallon buckets
I would be thrilled.
When you get up into 30 liter containers you can use 4 seed potatoes so you get more yield.
However the pots are heavier and harder for old people to manage.
I think 5 gallon buckets with two seed potatoes is a decent return for its size. When you consider that I get them for free it's no contest.
@@johnndavis7647 I quite agree that using a bucket/pot size that one can comfortably manage is better for the body but the ratio is pretty much the same 😁🌱☀️
you had a blood draw i'v been there before and i think you did good for a 5 gallon bucket
How many did you plant to yield that amount?
Where do you get potato seed?
I've never heard of that.
The seed I bought last year came from Gurney’s. This year, I bought my seed potatoes from Wood Prairie Family Farms out of Maine. So far, things are looking really good with their seed potatoes. They have a good website and have been very quick to respond to any questions I’ve sent their way.
@@greyghostgardening5353 I have used seed potatoes but I thought you meant you were meaning you actually had Seeds, sorry.
Potato seeds are called true potato seed ( TPS). They won't come true from seeds, they will be different from the mother plant. They are found in the berries the potatoes make after blooming. The berries are poisonous so don't eat them.
Cultivariable site has a good article about it.
@@pamh.5705
3 lbs from a 5 gallon bucket is an excellent harvest. I may have missed it, but how many seed potatoes did you use per bucket?
I put two chits in 5 gallon buckets or two whole seed potatoes if they were small (golf ball size). A lot of the seed potatoes I bought last spring were really small. The seed I got this year has been really large…different supplier…but definitely one extreme to the other. I have no idea what would be considered a “good” yield from a 5 gallon bucket.
@@greyghostgardening5353 The average good yield from a five-gallon bucket is approximately 3 lbs per bucket. Two seed potatoes and the harvest in your video is excellent
@@paulandbarbie1969 I wish I would have had the same success with all my containers, because I did not!!! It ready depended on the variety. The earlies produced the best. My late seasons were a bust! I show that in another video “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
@@greyghostgardening5353 I'll check out your other videos too...I'm in zone 8 (Northwest Florida). I usually get my potatoes planted in mid-February. My wife and I are just hobby backyard gardeners. We do raised beds, containers, and a small earth bed gardening
I have got 3-6 lb per pail
From everything I’ve learned, 6 lbs would be great from a five gallon bucket!
Secret to larger yield . I used Horse turds in the mix
Hi May I ask where you purchase those blue totes
They came from Lowe’s, but they are not the best quality. There are better ones at feed stores but you will pay $$ for them.