1 week Ago By Brian Dillon
A gardening expert has shared his genius way of growing potatoes at home without using any space in his vegetable plot. Growing vegetables at home is a rewarding way to enjoy the fruits of your labour, using what you've grown to make what you eat. A lot of people see this as a sustainable and cost effective way of living.
When it comes to potatoes , they can be an easy crop to grow and something that will come in useful down the line. One gardening expert, David Domoney, shared on his blog a way to make potatoes in a dustbin rather than in a patch of land in your garden. "If space is at a premium where you live, yet you still want to grow your potatoes, you can do this by growing them in a dustbin," he told readers.
To do this, you won't be able to use standard potatoes from the supermarket . You will have to get seed potatoes, which are readily available in specialised food and gardening shops. According to David, potatoes planted in dustbins now will be ready to harvest in June or July.
The dustbin itself needs to be the capacity of at least 40 litres. To prepare the dustbins, he drills drainage holes in the bottom. The bins must be placed in a sunny, frost-free place in your garden.
Then, some gravel is added to the bottom of the bins before 10cm of peat-free multi-purpose compost goes in, followed by 3-5 chitted seed potatoes that are a hand-width apart. He then covers them with 8-10cm of compost, before them watering well. David says that once shoots begin to grow past 8cm, you can cover them with 10cm of compost, with this method repeated until you reach the top of the bin.
Potatoes are a popular ingredient in many British meals and millions are sold in the UK every year. They are rich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant, and are also high in potassium, which is good for helping heart and muscle functions..
