PLANTING DIRECTIONS FOR ORGANIC POTATOES IN A PAIL We buy organic potatoes in bulk at the end of the growing season and keep in cardboard boxes in the garage over the winter so my potato starts are all from these organic locally grown taters. (Regular bagged store potatoes usually are not fertile as they as sprayed with so many chemicals they will not grow but just rot if you attempt to plant.) I chose starts from ones with the most activity (eyes) and cut in smaller pieces and put about 3 or 4 pieces in each 5 gallon pail. Pails I purchased used from Craigslist for $1.50 each and they were from a local restaurant. Drill holes in bottom of pails about pencil size X 6 and you should have good drainage. Put about 6" of good garden soil and compost (Mixed is best) in the bottom and bury your potato pieces in different areas of the soil. When the potatoes are nearing the top of the bucked add more soil & compost mix to the bottom of the pails. This way potatoes are evenly distributed throughout the pail. Continue to add more soil compost mix as your potatoes continue to grow until you are near the top of your bucket. Keep watered and make sure they get adequate sun. This is a good project for a deck or patio if you have limited space...

Summer is officially here on our calendar and I have been busy gardening. This year we are container gardening with potatoes in a pail. I will also be putting melon and zucchini and tomatoes in pails with cages around them to see how our harvest goes. Here is a pix of potatoes in a bucket after just 3 weeks.

We also have some seedlings I started in little paper cups instead of peat that look like this after 2 weeks:

And these are my milk jug starts...

And finally here are our 2 hunters laying in wait for something hidden in the woodpile: