How to Grow Potatoes in Buckets, Bags & Pots (Easy Guide)

Growing potatoes is something I love. For years, I believed that growing potatoes required a huge farm, a tractor, and a steel back. But now I don’t think I know how to grow more potatoes in a small space.

If you want, you don’t need a farm. You don’t even need a piece of land. You can grow a large amount of potatoes in a 5-gallon bucket, a cloth bag, or even an old garbage can on your porch.

This is a great strategy for “lazy gardeners” like me. No digging, no weeding, and harvesting is like finding a treasure. In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to grow potatoes in containers, from choosing the right container to “hilling” techniques for double the yield. Let’s grow some carbs!

Why Container Potatoes Are Better Than In-Ground

You might ask, “Juwel, why bother with buckets if I have perfectly good dirt in the yard?”

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I used to think the same thing. Then I spent an entire Saturday digging potatoes out of heavy clay soil, slicing half of them with my shovel by accident. It was heartbreaking.

Here is why I switched to containers:

• No Digging: Seriously. When harvest time comes, you just tip the container over. That’s it.
• Pest Control: It is much harder for ground-dwelling pests (like voles or wireworms) to get into a bucket.
• Space Efficiency: You can put a grow bag anywhere a driveway, a balcony, or a rooftop.
• Soil Control: Potatoes hate heavy, wet soil. In a pot, you control the drainage perfectly.

Related: How to Grow Sweet Potatoes at Home: Easy Step-by-Step Guide for a Bountiful Harvest

Choosing Your Vessel: Buckets vs. Bags vs. Pots

You can grow a potato in almost anything that holds dirt, but some homes are better than others. I’ve tried them all, so you don’t have to waste your time.

1. The 5-Gallon Bucket (The Budget King)

This is the classic DIY route. You can often get these for free from bakeries or delis (they get pickles or frosting in them), or buy them cheap at the hardware store.

• The Pro: It is rigid, durable, and cheap.
• The Con: It holds heat. If you live in a scorching climate, a black plastic bucket might cook your potatoes before you do.
• Crucial Step: You must drill holes in the bottom. A bucket without holes is just a potato coffin.

2. Fabric Grow Bags (My Personal Favorite)

These are made of a felt-like material. They are lightweight and usually have handles.

• Why I love them: The fabric breathes. This prevents the roots from circling and allows excess heat to escape. The drainage is automatic you can’t overwater them because the water just flows out the sides.
• The Downside: Because they breathe so well, they dry out faster. You will need to water these more often than plastic buckets.

3. Potato Towers or Trash Cans

Want a massive harvest? Go big. Some people use 30-gallon trash cans.

• The Logic: The deeper the container, the more layers of potatoes you can potentially grow.
• My Experience: While impressive, these get heavy. Once you fill a trash can with wet soil, it is not moving. Make sure you put it exactly where you want it before you start!

FYI: Whatever you choose, ensure it holds at least 5 to 10 gallons of soil. Potatoes need room to stretch.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Tomatoes in Pots (My Secrets to a Massive Harvest!)

The Seed Potato: Don’t Use the Grocery Store Stuff

This is where 90% of beginners fail before they even start. You see a potato sprouting in your pantry and think, “I’ll just plant this!”

Please don’t.

• The Risk: Grocery store potatoes are often treated with “growth inhibitors” to keep them from sprouting on the shelf (which is why they sprout so weakly). More importantly, they can carry diseases like Potato Blight that can infect your soil forever.
• The Solution: Buy certified “Seed Potatoes” from a nursery or garden catalog. These are certified disease-free and ready to grow.

To Cut or Not to Cut?

If your seed potato is small (size of an egg), plant it whole. If it’s huge, you can cut it into chunks.

• The Rule: Each chunk must have at least 2 “eyes” (those little dimples where the sprouts come out).
• Important: If you cut them, let them sit on the counter for 24 hours to “scab over” before planting. If you plant a fresh wet cut, it will rot.

Related: How to Grow an Endless Supply of Garlic: Secret Tips Revealed!

The Perfect Soil Mix (Dirt Matters!)

Potatoes are tubers. They have to expand and push against the soil to grow. If you use heavy garden soil, the potato has to fight for every inch, and you end up with small, gnarly spuds.

You want the soil to be fluffy, loose, and well-draining.

My Go-To Potato Mix:

• 1 Part Potting Mix: A standard, high-quality mix.
• 1 Part Compost: This provides the nutrients.
• Optional: A handful of perlite or straw to keep it airy.

Do NOT use: Straight Garden soil or manure that isn’t fully composted. Fresh manure is too strong and will burn the plants (and give you scabby potatoes).

Related: Plant Now for Spring Beauty: A Beginner’s Guide to Fall-Planted Bulbs

The Planting Process: The “Lasagna” Method

Here is the cool part about growing potatoes in containers. You don’t fill the pot all at once. We use a technique called “hilling” to maximize the harvest.

Step 1: The Base Layer

Fill your bucket or bag with just 4 to 6 inches of your soil mix. That’s it. Leave the rest of the bag empty for now.

Step 2: Place Your Spuds

Place your seed potatoes on top of the soil.

• Spacing: In a 5-gallon bucket, I only plant 2 potatoes. In a 10-gallon bag, I plant 3 or 4. Don’t overcrowd them! They will fight for nutrients and you’ll get tiny marbles instead of potatoes.
• Orientation: Make sure the “eyes” or sprouts are facing up.

Related: Forcing Bulbs Indoors: Get Spring Flowers in Winter!

Step 3: The Cover Up

Cover the potatoes with another 2-3 inches of soil. Water them well. Now, you wait.

Step 4: The “Hilling” Game

In a few weeks, you will see leafy green plants poke through the soil. Let them grow until they are about 6 inches tall.

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• The Move: Add more soil! Gently dump fresh soil around the stems, leaving just the top 2 inches of green leaves poking out.
• Why we do this: Potatoes grow up from the seed potato, along the buried stem. By burying more of the stem, you encourage the plant to send out more roots and produce more tubers in those new layers of soil.

Repeat this process until the soil reaches the top of the bucket or bag.

Care and Feeding: Keeping the Tubers Happy

Potatoes are relatively low maintenance, but they are thirsty and hungry.

Water: The Goldilocks Zone

Potatoes are mostly water. If you let them dry out, they stop growing. If you keep them soaking wet, they rot.

• The Check: Stick your finger deep into the soil (at least 3-4 inches). Is it dry? Water it.
• Consistency: Uneven watering (letting them get bone dry and then flooding them) causes the potatoes to crack or develop weird shapes. Try to keep the moisture steady.
• The Fabric Bag Factor: Remember, if you use fabric bags, wind will dry them out from the sides. Check them daily in the summer heat!

Sun: Powering the Factory

The leafy greens above the soil are the solar panels that power the potato factory underground. They need full sun at least 6 to 8 hours a day. If your plants look leggy and weak, they aren’t getting enough light.

Fertilizer: Feed the Beast

Potatoes are heavy feeders. I mix a slow-release organic fertilizer into the soil when I plant. Look for one with a higher middle and last number (like 5-10-10).

• Avoid High Nitrogen: If you use a lawn fertilizer (high first number), you will get a magnificent, giant green bush… and tiny, sad potatoes. Nitrogen grows leaves; Phosphorus and Potassium grow roots.

Troubleshooting: Dealing with the Bad Guys

Even in buckets, nature finds a way to annoy us. Here are the two biggest threats.

The Colorado Potato Beetle

These guys look like striped tanks. The adults are yellow with black stripes, and the larvae are reddish-orange blobs. They will strip the leaves off your plant in days.

• The Fix: Hand-picking. It’s gross, but effective. Go out every morning with a bucket of soapy water and knock them in. Also, check the undersides of leaves for clusters of bright orange eggs and squish them. (Sorry, not sorry).

Blight (The Silent Killer)

If your leaves suddenly develop dark, watery spots and turn yellow/brown, it’s likely blight. This is the same fungus that caused the Irish Potato Famine.

• The Fix: It’s hard to cure once you have it. Prevention is key. Water the soil, not the leaves. Fungus loves wet foliage. If you see infected leaves, cut them off immediately and throw them in the trash (not the compost!).

Related: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding and Improving Your Garden Soil

The Treasure Hunt: Harvesting Your Gold

This is the moment we have been waiting for! But when do you dig?

New Potatoes vs. Storage Potatoes

• “New” Potatoes: These are baby potatoes with thin skins. You can harvest these early, usually when the plant flowers. You can gently reach into the soil and steal a few without killing the plant.
• Storage Potatoes: For full-sized spuds with thick skins that store well, you need patience. Wait until the foliage turns yellow and completely dies back. Then wait another 2 weeks. This allows the skins to “cure” and harden underground.

The Dump

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Here is the fun part. Don’t use a shovel; you might slice a potato.

1. Lay out a tarp or an old sheet.
2. Tip the bucket or bag over.
3. Sift through the soil with your hands like a kid in a sandbox.

Finding those nuggets of gold hidden in the dirt is honestly one of the best dopamine hits in gardening. IMO, it never gets old.

Storage: Don’t Ruin Them Now!

You have a pile of potatoes. Do not wash them!

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• The Dirt is Good: Washing them introduces moisture, which leads to rot. Brush off the big clumps of dirt, but leave the dust.
• Curing: Let them sit in a cool, dark, airy place for a few days to toughen up the skins further.
• The Dark: Store them in the dark. Light turns potatoes green. Green potatoes taste bitter and can give you a tummy ache (it’s a toxin called solanine).

Conclusion: The Gateway Vegetable

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Growing potatoes in containers is the perfect “gateway drug” to vegetable gardening. It’s low risk, low cost, and high reward. There is something deeply satisfying about eating a meal where the main ingredient came from a bucket on your porch.

So, go grab a 5-gallon bucket, drill some holes, and plant a seed. You aren’t just growing food; you’re growing a little bit of independence.