Trash\Garbage Can Potatoes

• Purple Viking - smooth, creamy texture
• Red Bliss -  dry, flaky, sweet texture 
• Red Dakota - dry, flaky, sweet texture 
• Russet or Idaho - starchy, dry texture
• Russian Banana - tender, buttery texture
• White Rose - waxy, thin-skinned 
• Yellow Fingerling - moist, flavorful potato
• Yellow Finn - buttery, creamy flavor
• Yukon Gold - tender, buttery texture

Warning: Look for potatoes that are firm, smooth and the color they should be for their variety. Avoid potatoes that feel soft or have a green tinge or wrinkly skin.

Bonus Feature: Trash\Garbage Can Potatoes,

• Obtain either a new or scavenged trash\garbage can (clean inside the can thoroughly).
• Drill several (twenty to thirty) half inch (1/2) holes in the bottom and on the side (close to the bottom) of the can for drainage.
• Place a layer of shredded newspaper in the bottom (about ten inches) of your trash\garbage can. (This will help retain moisture and soil.)
• Fill the trash\garbage can with about six (6) to eight (8) inches of good soil. (I like “Miracle-Gro” Potting Soil.) Or, you may use a gardening" mix of one-third (1/3) peat moss, one-third (1/3) compost, and one-third (1/3) asbestos-free vermiculite.
• Take several seed potatoes and cut them up. (Leave several eyes on each piece.)

Note: You may use regular store potatoes, however, they do not grow as well as seed potatoes. Certified seed Potatoes are available at most quality nurseries and garden centers. There are several different varieties of Potatoes to choose from, each with it's own characteristics and qualities.

• Plant the potato pieces in the soil, leave several inches between each potato seed.
• Cover these seed potatoes with soil (one to one and a half inch), and water.
• The potato plants will sprout, after the vines grow four (4) inches high, add compost, soil, or straw to the trash\garbage can. (Cover all but one (1) inch of the vine.)
• Repeat the above step as the vines grow to four (4) inches until the trash\garbage can is completely full.

WARNING: Do not let the soil get dried out; and do not let your potatoes sit in soggy water either.
 

• The seed potatoes will be at the bottom of the trash\garbage can. 
• When the vines flower, the potatoes have grown all up the length of the vine inside the can.

When you dig in to get a potato (while the vine is alive), this is a "new potato" (aka baby potato). These new potatoes are extremely tasty.

WARNING: The "new potato" will not store long, so consume after picking them.

When your flowers start to fade or wither, the potato stalks will start to turn yellow. The potatoes begin to grow larger. You can harvest up to forty (40) pounds or more from one season and two to three trash cans.