| Is it possible to grow potatoes in Florida? I live on the beach so I would need to plant them in a container of some sort. Can you tell me what I will need for this? Thanks, you've always been so helpful. Cindy |
| You can grow potatoes in a barrel or even in a wire cage filled with straw. Russet potatoes are not terribly successful in Florida, but red potatoes, white potatoes and Yukon Golds grow well. You can grow them in half wine barrels or you can make a cage out of hardware cloth. That's the least expensive way to go. Simply make a cylinder out of the hardware cloth, dig down into the soil so you can bury about 6" of the cylinder, leaving about 30" above ground. Plant your potatoes and as the stems grow, pile straw into the cylinder up to the top two sets of leaves on the stem. Continue to pack straw into the cylinder as the potato plants grow until you reach the top of the cylinder. When the plants flower it indicates that tubers are beginning to form from roots within the straw. When the flowers die the plants will begin to wilt. At this time you can dig through the straw and harvest new potatoes. When the plants die down completely you can harvest all the potatoes. Best wishes with your potato growing project! |
