Part of living off the grid is knowing how to garden. Food storages will run out, and hunting isn’t always reliable. Here I’m going to go over how easy it is to grow potatoes out of a barrel.
Potatoes are a touch tedious to grow. Their garden rows require constant hilling, which consumes time and dirt both. When you use a Barrel to grow your batch, instead of a garden row, you can get fantastic yields for your space.
The process remains the same. Plant the seeds, wait for the foliage to grow about 6 inches tall, then cover with more soil. What makes barrels so much better is the efficiency behind it.
The barrel
The taller the barrel, the better. The typical choice is a 55 gallon. This is because the more times you can mound them (cover them in soil), the more potatoes you can grow. Any durable barrel will do. Most people settle on the standard plastic ones you can find in home improvement stores. Avoid black barrels if possible. Potatoes like it cooler, and the black color will absorb more heat.
Drill Some Holes
Like with any plant-based container, you need drainage. Drill a 1/2″ hole every 6 inches to allow proper drainage. Some people will drill holes in the sides as well, but it is not necessary.
Plant the Potes’
Fill the barrel with 6 inches of soil and plant the seed potatoes. Place the side with the most eyes upwards. Leave about 6 inches of spacing. Cover those in an additional 6 inches of soil. Keep the dirt moist.
Dirt Part 2
When the new growth foliage reaches about 6 inches tall, cover them with new soil leaving just an inch or two exposed. Water and keep soil moist at all times. Once the foliage has returned again, repeat. Do this until the barrel is full, the foliage yellows and dies, or the first frost hits them.
Harvest Recklessly
Don’t bother digging into a barrel to harvest the potatoes, just tip it over! Pouring out the barrel is a fast way to get access to the entire harvest. If you want to save the dirt, then put a tarp down before dumping.
That’s it! Now you can grow fantastic potato numbers from an incredibly efficient storage method. Being one of the highest calorie vegetables that you can grow, potatoes are a fantastic food to have in preparedness.
Potatoes are one of the highest calorie vegetables that you can grow in your garden. That makes it ideal for the sake of preparedness.