Growing Potatoes in a Trash Bag

This project for growing potatoes is a simple and yet very effective vegetable garden hack.  Just combine everything into a large trash bag.

The potatoes will grow in the bag itself, saving the space for other veggies and works really well.

I’m a meat and potatoes kind of girl.  No meal seems quite complete with me without a potato on the plate!

But vegetable gardening for a crop as large as potatoes can take a LOT of space. 

Growing Potatoes in a 30 gallon trash bag.

To plant a potato crop you’ll need these supplies:

• a large 30-gallon trash bag
• a loose soil mix like compost and potting soil
• seed potatoes or store-bought organic potatoes.
• straw or dry leaves for mulch.

Growing potatoes can be a chore and take a lot of info and space.  Or you can do it the easy way, in a plastic bag.

It also helps to get children interested in gardening doing it this way. And it is an almost foolproof way to grow potatoes.

Image adapted from The Plant Guide

To do the project, follow these tips:

1. Prepare the potatoes first.  Let them sprout for several days.  If they are large, cut them into smaller pieces, making sure they have several sprouts or “eyes.”
2. Place your bag into a place in your garden that gets 6-8 hours of sunlight a day.
3. Roll down the sides of the trash bag and cut some holes in the bottom so the soil will drain well.
4. Fill the bag with your chosen soil mix and plant the potatoes about 2 or 3 inches deep with the eyes facing up.
5. Cover the potatoes with soil mix and water well. Add mulch such as dry leaves or straw to aid in moisture retention.
6. Keep the plants watered evenly but do not let the soil get soggy.
7. When the shoots are about 7″ tall, roll the trash bag up a little and add some more soil.
8. Keep repeating this process as the plants grow.
9. Once you see the leaves turning yellow, and the foliage starting to dry out, stop watering.  This will allow the potato skins to dry.
10. To harvest the potatoes, simply cut the side of the trash bag and remove them.

Pin This Potato Bag Project for Later

Would you like a reminder of this post for growing potatoes in a trash bag? Just pin this image to one of your gardening boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Recycled potato water gives nourishment to plants in the garden in the form of potato starch. This only works with unsalted water but is a good source of plant food. Find out how to use potato water in the garden here.

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