Food grade buckets vs. grow bags

[halleone]

I occasionally have access to free 5 gallon food grade buckets, and I am going to try potatoes this year in a couple of them. I'm just wondering if the grow bags are that much better??

[TexasTomat0]

Originally Posted by halleone

I occasionally have access to free 5 gallon food grade buckets, and I am going to try potatoes this year in a couple of them. I'm just wondering if the grow bags are that much better??

I think the bags are a bit better because of aeration, but if you’ve got free buckets that should work perfectly fine. Just drill lots of holes all over them. Sides and bottom. That way they will have plants of aeration. Should work just fine.


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[beasl004]

I did potatoes in 5 gal buckets last year and will again this year. They do fine but you have to make sure to keep the buckets covered or shaded or the soil will get too warm and the potatoes will stop.

[halleone]

Originally Posted by beasl004

They do fine but you have to make sure to keep the buckets covered or shaded or the soil will get too warm and the potatoes will stop.

Hmmm. Would afternoon shade do the trick? My garden has 100% sun, from dawn to dusk. I could put the pots on the south side of the garden shed for some shade.

[beasl004]

Originally Posted by halleone

Hmmm. Would afternoon shade do the trick? My garden has 100% sun, from dawn to dusk. I could put the pots on the south side of the garden shed for some shade.

Should help, its a balancing act between enough sun for the plant and enough shade for the bucket. Alternatively, you could cover the buckets.

They will produce but not as much as in ground. On the plus side, it makes them super easy to harvest.

[Nan_PA_6b]

I'm not so sure you need to "aerate" the soil so much. It dries out the soil more quickly, and it's hard enough to keep container plants watered as is. People put holes near the bottom of the bucket for drainage. If your buckets are white, they'll reflect more light and heat than if they are black. If you're worried about them getting too hot, put reflective material (like aluminum foil with the shiny side out) around the outside of the bucket.

Nan

[halleone]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

If your buckets are white, they'll reflect more light and heat than if they are black. If you're worried about them getting too hot, put reflective material (like aluminum foil with the shiny side out) around the outside of the bucket.

Nan

Yup, they're white. So far I've drilled five 1/2" holes in just the bottom of the them. This is an experiment, and I was thinking of planting half of each of my varieties in the buckets, and the other half in the ground. As I have the room, maybe it would work to put the buckets between the carrots (that are in a raised box) and the in-ground spuds, hoping their foliage's would provide some shade to the buckets themselves. ?? (I can come up with some unusual ideas sometimes!).

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by halleone

Yup, they're white. So far I've drilled five 1/2" holes in just the bottom of the them. This is an experiment, and I was thinking of planting half of each of my varieties in the buckets, and the other half in the ground. As I have the room, maybe it would work to put the buckets between the carrots (that are in a raised box) and the in-ground spuds, hoping their foliage's would provide some shade to the buckets themselves. ?? (I can come up with some unusual ideas sometimes!).

That would be a good use of space!

Nan