Potatoes in Containers

I took advantage of a lovely evening last night to finish hilling all my potatoes in containers. All the plants are up and a couple of them are setting buds. I filled the containers to the tops, carefully mounding the soil around the stalks and leaves of the plants. I topped all of the containers with a layer of mulch, mowed leaves that I had saved from last fall, to help them conserve on moisture.
One drawback of planting potatoes in containers is getting all the soil needed to fill them. I could purchase it, but that would be expensive. I took soil from the area around my compost pile. The soil was nicely amended with the compost that had spilled over the sides of the compost pile.
My husband was pretty dismayed to see all that disturbed soil around the compost bin. With clouds gathering on the horizon and rain forecast for the week, it all looked like a huge mud event, waiting to happen.
I reassured him that all would be well. I raked the area level and I’ll cover it with plenty of woodchips from the free pile at the town dump.
It made me grateful for my compost pile. Much of that soil was last year’s weeds and coffee grounds and it looked much nicer than anything that I could buy at the garden center. The fact that it was full of worms and other beneficial bugs meant that the soil was healthy and a good source of nutrients for my potato plants.
This fall I will empty my potato containers and stockpile the soil next to the compost pile. That soil will be enriched by this year’s decomposing weeds and coffee grounds and ready to hill next year’s potato crop.
Another benefit of composting: the ability to build my own soil from castoffs of the kitchen and garden. I love that kind of repurposing of things!
Between raindrops, mark out a spot for your own compost pile so you can build your own free soil!