Potatoes in the playground: Growing in containers

Learning objectives:

Potato | Container | Planting | Growth | Harvest | Soil | Watering | Tubers

Use this symbol-based guide to support understanding:
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Potatoes are an easy and versatile crop for beginners. We recommend planting early varieties of potato in March as they should be ready to harvest before the start of the summer holidays.

1. Choose and buy your seed potatoes from a garden centre or online retailer. There are many different varieties of potato so check which type they are and when they should be planted

2. Place the potatoes in an egg box in a cool, light place until they grow small shoots. This process is known as chitting

Allowing potato tubers (seed potatoes) to sprout short shoots before planting, to give them a head start and higher yields. Stand the tubers in egg boxes or seed trays, with the buds (or eyes) uppermost, then place in a bright, frost-free location for a few weeks, until the sprouts are about 5cm (2in) long within six weeks.

and it gives your potatoes a head start. Once the shoots are 2-5cm, the potatoes are ready to plant

3. Select a large container with drainage holes and quarter-fill it with compost

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

. Place the potatoes on top about 30cm apart and then cover over with a layer of compost

4. Once the shoots start to appear, gradually add more compost around the base of the stems to cover them up. This is known as ‘ earthing up

Mounding soil up around plants, usually specific vegetable crops. With potato plants, it protects early shoots from frost and ensures new tubers aren’t exposed to light, which can make them green and poisonous. With tall or top-heavy plants such as brassicas, it helps to prevent windrock, which can loosen the roots. Leeks and celery are earthed up to blanch the stems.

’ and prevents light from reaching your potatoes as they grow

5. Water the container when the compost is dry, particularly during hot or dry weather

6. Continue to bury the stems by topping up with compost until the container is full

7. The potatoes will flower but if these develop into fruits, make sure your pupils are aware that they are poisonous if eaten

8. Stop watering at this point and the leaves and stems will start to die off above the soil. This is a sign that your potatoes are ready to harvest

9. Tip the bag upside down and allow pupils to rummage in the soil to gather their crop. Discard any potatoes that are green, as these are potentially poisonous if eaten

10. If you are not using the potatoes straight away, store them in paper sacks in a cool, dark place