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Growing potatoes in a dustbin

The barrel The barrel base Compost and potting medium
1. Take one standard old-style dustbin 2. Drill some drainage holes in the
bottom of it		 3. Compost and potting medium
     
The potatoes Adding some potting mix Potatoes on a 10cm bed of potting mix
4. The potatoes - use five per barrel 5. Add 15cm of the compost and potting medium mix 6. Put the potatoes on top
     
Adding some potting mix The potatoes almost covered Adding water
7. Cover potatoes with more compost and potting medium mix 8. Potatoes almost covered 9. Water thoroughly
     
Topping up the potting mix

As the potatoes grow up, add more soil to cover the foliage. Don’t worry if you bury the leaves – they’ll soon grow up again

Keep the growing potatoes moist – not saturated.

Harvest when foliage starts to die back or flowering ceases.

If you’re using ordinary garden soil, enrich it with manure or garden compost. If you have neither of these, organic chicken pellet fertiliser will do.
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