So you are interested in growing potatoes indoors? Maybe you don’t have any space outside, but you like the idea of growing potatoes. Or maybe you would like to grow potatoes outside of their natural growing season in the winter. Whatever the reason, this article shows you how to grow potatoes indoors in 4 easy steps so that you can produce new potatoes any time of the year!
Growing potatoes indoors is a great solution for both the seasoned gardener as well as new growers who are interested in year round growing.
Tools and Equipment
1. Large container with drainage holes.
2. Somewhere for the large container to stand on that can catch the drips through the drainage holes, e.g. any type of tray, a potting tray works well.
3. Organic growing medium. This could be garden soil, homemade compost, mushroom compost or well rotted horse manure. Remember that potatoes like a slightly acidic soil, so whatever you are using in your container it is worth testing the pH with a simple soil test kit. If you don’t have slightly acidic soil, then some things you could consider adding would include leaf mould, wood chip, used coffee grounds or well rotted manure. Add in moderation and test your soil pH levels again. You want slightly acidic (around 6), not super acidic!
4. Seed potatoes. There are so many to choose from, the type of potato that you choose depends on what you would like to grow. Fingerling potatoes are smaller potatoes, great for beginners. Do you prefer to eat small new potatoes, or full-sized potatoes? Do you like red potatoes or yellow? Make your decision and get hold of some seed potatoes.
4 Step Guide to growing potatoes in a container
Step 1: Prepare the container
Large pots are a good choice, make sure they are at least 40l and have a minimum height of 40cm. For the best results ensure that there are adequate drainage holes. Begin by adding around 10cm or 4 inches of soil, or other organic growing medium.
Step 2: Add the seed potatoes to the soil surface
Make sure that your seed potatoes are chitted. This means that they have around 2 sprouts growing out of them. Chitting simply means leaving the potatoes out in the light to start to form shoots. Place the seed potatoes on the surface of the soil. They should be around 15cm apart. Cover the seed potatoes with another 10cm of organic matter.
Step 3: Growing
Once the potatoes are in do not expect to see anything for the first couple of weeks. The soil should be moist, don’t let it dry out but it likely won’t need watering. At this stage everything is happening underground. The little sprouts from the chits are starting to grow both upwards and downwards. The upward growth will become the above ground foliage and the downward growth will eventually become the new potatoes.
Once the shoots start to emerge from above the ground there are three things to do.
1. Water frequently throughout this phase, a well-drained soil is best, this means that the soil is moist but not waterlogged.
2. Cover the growing plant with additional soil or organic growing medium. This is hilling, but we don’t ‘hill’ in a pot. When the plants are around 15 – 20cm tall we add more organic matter to just leave the top leaves exposed. What will happen is that the tubers will form in this new soil. The reason to do this is because growing potatoes that are exposed to the light will go green. And green potatoes are poisonous. So we want to keep deep dark conditions for the growing tubers.
3. Cover the growing plant a second time. When the plants once again reach 15 – 20cm tall (a couple of weeks later), then you want to do the same thing. Cover the plants to just leave the top leaves exposed. By this point your pot should be pretty much full of organic matter (depending on the size you started with).
Step 4: Harvesting
Once half of the plant above the ground has died back you can think about harvesting. The tubers underground will be mature potatoes at this stage. Once the plant starts to die off, stop watering. This will allow the skins to dry out and toughen up ready for harvest. Once you have 50% die back you can harvest, or you can leave the tubers where they are for a few more weeks. To harvest you can tip the pot on its side and pick out the tubers. Or you can dig them out if your pot is very large. Either way there is so much joy to be had in finding all the golden nuggets of potatoes that are buried deep in the pot!
Top Tips for Growing Indoor Potatoes
Remember to provide adequate light when growing indoors – potatoes need around 5 – 6 hours of full sun for a high yield. Indoor growing needs to mimic this with either a grow light or a sunny spot on a windowsill. If you are using a windowsill make note of the hours of direct sunlight that the spot receives before deciding to use it.
Temperature is another consideration for indoor grown potatoes. Outdoor potatoes are typically planted in early spring before the last frost date, so that they are growing in the cool season. Don’t let your indoor potatoes get too hot or too cold.
Personally I do not use an organic fertiliser as the organic matter I use to cover the growing potatoes is fresh compost, full of the right balance of nutrients. If your growing medium does not have this, you may have to consider using some sort of fertiliser. Monitor your plants closely. If they are yellowing it may be a sign that their nutrient balance is wrong.
FAQ
Can you grow potatoes indoors in the UK?
Yes you can grow indoor potatoes in the UK, in fact you can grow them indoors anywhere. Growing indoors means that you have much more control over the climatic conditions, you can control temperature and light levels so that you can provide optimal conditions for healthy plants. You can also achieve an earlier harvest by growing indoors.
Can you grow potatoes all year round?
Yes you can grow potatoes all year round. Potatoes need light to grow, so as long as you can provide 5 – 6 hours of light with a grow light or similar through the winter, there is nothing stopping you from growing potatoes throughout the year. Remember that potatoes are a cool-season crop, but if you let them get too cold (below 10 deg C) in the winter they will not grow.
Can you grow potatoes in a 10 Litre bucket?
It would be possible to grow a single chitted seed potato in a 10l bucket, but in reality there would not be enough room. It is better to grow in a larger container than this. You want space for the tubers to grow and expand to make lovely potatoes, if the container is too small then the crop will suffer.
Can you grow potatoes in a shopping bag?
The great thing about potatoes is how versatile they are. If you don’t have the right container, then a great way to grow potatoes is in a shopping bag, one of those tough fabric ‘bag for life’ ones – not a flimsy plastic bag. All you need is a good lot of organic matter to fill the bag. Make sure to provide some drainage holes and keep the shopping bag in a place that gets adequate light. Follow the step by step instructions above and you will be able to harvest potatoes before long!
Can you grow potatoes in a compost bag?
Just like a shopping bag, you can also grow potatoes in a compost bag. Compost bags are durable and strong. And the compost within has good drainage, it’s nice and big allowing for lots of space for the tubers to grow. It’s easy to make drainage holes and the bag should enable you to achieve consistent moisture levels throughout.
You could also use a plastic dustbin, a bucket or a plastic container. The key thing is to have enough space for your potatoes to grow, so the container needs to be large. And it needs to be able to contain the garden soil or organic matter that you use for a growing medium. Plastic is a great material because the container will get wet as the potatoes need to be watered, and plastic will not deteriorate when it gets wet.
This article has outlined how to grow potatoes indoors in a variety of containers. The 4 step process is very similar to growing potatoes outside, but it is very easy to adapt to indoor growing. So if you are short of space, or would like to have out of season potatoes then have a go at growing your own indoor potatoes. You can’t beat eating your own home grown potatoes – they always taste better than shop bought equivalents!