I bet if I told you I woke up to an inch of snow on the ground you wouldn’t believe me.
I couldn’t believe it either when I woke up and opened the door … it was a winter wonderland!
The garden looked a little chilly!
Typical Colorado – it didn’t last long, and soon it all was melted. All morning it was chilly though, so we worked inside!
I’ve been pretty excited all week – a few months ago I had ordered some plants for the garden, and this week they arrived! I ordered some gooseberry and currant bushes, potatoes, and onions. This is my 3rd year gardening here, and I really am learning what works and what does not work. I have had so many failed attempts – like over 40 tomatoes plants that perished the night they were planted last year – so I don’t focus so much on the typical garden tomatoes and peppers. By the time I can get them outside to start growing, the summer is about half over, and they don’t have enough time to mature. So I really focus on the cold weather crops. I have a lot of lettuce, spinach, and kale planted, and this year I am branching out to onions and potatoes!
However, to save space, I am trying to grow potatoes in a trash can! To be perfectly honest, I really have no idea what I am talking about, so I hope they actually grow!
How To: Growing Potatoes in a Trashcan
First you need some containers. You can use trashcans, or buckets. We had some largish containers that we had gotten some trees in. They really are perfect, because they have drainage holes in the bottom already. If you are using a trashcan, you just need to drill some holes in the bottom.
Then, I put some rocks in the bottom of the container, to help with drainage.
Here is what the potatoes look like – like little rocks!
Soil – potatoes -
More soil! And water! And in case you are wondering, yes it is hard to take pictures when your hands are all dirty.
We decided to line up our potato garden in an area that gets sun most of the day.
I hope it works! Grow little potatoes, grow!
Question: Have you ever grown potatoes in a trashcan? Does it really work?
This is linked to Little House in the Suburbs Linky Party, and The Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways Wednesday Blog Hop.
We have had snow in May but never this late. Good luck with your garden. I’m taking my tomato plants up to Maine and getting them planted tomorrow. They are three feet tall and starting to get blossoms. I’m hoping that by growing them in my potting shed this year that I will get an earlier crop.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Crispy Panko Chicken With Smoky Bacon Gravy
Good luck, Karen! I’m sure your plants will do great!
Last year i tried a potato experiment in some pots that trees came in. i planted the small potatoes, baby reds, purple fingerling, and yukon gold baby potatoes. they grew very fast in the container and it was only a couple weeks before the soil reached the top of the container. i had some other less sturdy containers that i cut the bottoms off and i stuck them on top of the container with the potatoes in it so that it made the container taller……and i kept going. the plants looked great on the patio, and in fall after they died back, i started emptying the pots. baby potatoes galore. and lots of them. i had 5 pots going. i left them in the containers until i used them, and i roasted up the last of them in March…..so fun. i’ve already got 3 pots going and i think i’ll do a garbage can one too……….hope you let us know how it turns out.
That’s a great idea! Thank you soo much for sharing! We have a bunch of old trash cans that have the sides cracked, so I bet that would be perfect! I hope I get lots of potatoes too!
Snow? WOAH! Inside my house was 81 when I first woke up this morning…I think outside is supposed to hit 96 here today. And I never knew that potatoes in a trashcan was an option, too cool! Grew sweet potatoes a few years ago, and it would have been handy to do them in a bin, it was so hard to find all the suckers at the end of the season.
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Actually Jane, I have heard about this way of growing potatoes…and they seem to work for the people that try it. Just don’t forget to water and to cover them with more soil as they grow and grow…and they will my friend
Blessing to you today,
maria
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Great! I can’t wait .. plus we planted 180 onion plants today … so I think we will be living off onions and potatoes this winter! Good thing I’m Irish!
Snow! Ah. That freaks me out! Crazy.
I have never grown potatoes….anywhere!
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I think I was just more surprised when I woke up and looked out the window! I love snow though
Oh I can’t wait to see how those potatoes turn out. I’ve heard of the method, but never tried it!
And snow… wow! It is really hot here – my kids would be soooo excited if it snowed!
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I know, I hope it works! That is why I love living in Colorado – it is always something different! My garden seems to have survived.. that was my main concern!
I will definitely tell my sister about this, I hope it works! She is the gardener in the family, I gave up
keep us posted and have a great weekend!
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I will! lol – I love gardening! I grew up on a farm, and my dad always said you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. That is me to a T!
I’ve heard of people doing this, Jane, but have never tried it myself. Best of luck with your garden! We all have gardening failures. Today I found that a rabbit had eaten all my cabbages. Oh well! No sauerkraut this year!
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ahhhhh! I don’t have rabbit problems (that I know of!) Besides the short growing season, my problem is the soil! It is very clayish, and full of rocks – so many rocks! That is why I didn’t have any problems finding rocks to put in the bottom of the trash cans! I just try to supplement it with compost and hope for the best!
Wow!! It was almost 90 here today! I have never grown potatoes…. this looks fun!
Brittany (Delights and Delectables) recently posted..Winner winner… pizza dinner
Lol! It is fun – I hope it works!
What? I cannot believe it! It’s May! The latest I remember snow was June but that’s when I lived near the Arctic Ocean!!! We are baking here already… I’ve seen people growing potatoes in garbage cans but never tried it myself. My few potato plants grow near my compost pile: I added some potato skins sometime in the winter and now i have potato plants!
I’ve never grown potatoes so no
I hope you have a spudly success.
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That is SO cool! If that really works I would definitely try!
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Thank you! I’ve heard sooo many people say that it does work, so I’m excited to see if it does!
I so want to try this!
Elise recently posted..Organic Pest Control
You should! I can’t wait to see how it grows throughout the summer!
Love this idea, I have been searching for some alternatives to the traditional garden.
Thanks! Although I do actually have some garden space now, for the longest time I was apartment gardening — on the balcony of my apartment with containers, most of which didn’t get that much sun! So I love ideas that fit even the tiniest garden space!