<img src="http://blog.theenduringgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1.57-kilos-of-potatoes-512x384.jpeg" height="375" width="500" alt="bag of potatoes on scal" />
<img src="http://blog.theenduringgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/harvest-of-potatoes-512x384.jpeg" height="375" width="500" alt="crop of potatoes being unearthed" />
<img src="http://blog.theenduringgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/multipurpose-compost-for-potatoes-512x384.jpeg" height="375" width="500" alt="proof of potato crop in bag" />
<img src="http://blog.theenduringgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/potato-plant-label-512x384.jpeg" height="375" width="500" alt="thompson and morgan trial potato crop" />
<img src="http://blog.theenduringgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Thompson-Morgan-potato-trial-512x384.jpeg" height="375" width="500" alt="the new shrink wrap bag effect for plants" />
Thompson & Morgan have been doing some research on growing potatoes in containers and have discovered that the deep bags that have been the standard method in recent years (and in my experience rather unsatisfactory) are far less productive than growing a single potato in an 8 liter bag. The confined quarters seem to stimulate many more tubers and save a lot of unnecessary compost. Their vegetable expert Colin Randall took me to see the trial where the bulging bags reminded me of tiny body builders in too tight t-shirts! He obligingly cut a bag open so that I could see the size of the crop and gave me the potatoes to bring home where I weighed them and found that the single seed potato had produced 1.57 kilos of potatoes. It was grown in a multipurpose compost with no further feeding. Thompson & Morgan have plans to market this growing system in the 8 liter bag with the seed potato already in the compost. All that will be needed is to cut the top off the bag and water thoroughly (and regularly) for your own potato harvest. Just perfect for tiny spaces and for showing children where the potatoes on their plates come from.
