Grow Bags For Potatoes

[karstopography]

Any recommendations on sizes, brands, features? Thinking of going to grow bags next season for potatoes. So many sizes, materials, features to consider. What size, materials and features make the most sense?

[wykvlvr]

7 and 10 gallon "potato grow bags with the flap are a waste of funds. A regular 7 or 10 gallon bag will work just as well and are cheaper. My first year we got 3 potato bags, and used 5 or 6 regular 7 or 10 gallon bags. The next year I moved up to 15 gallon bags with only a couple of 10 gallon bags. This year I have three 15 gallon bags, two twenty gallon and a 30 gallon bag. (the big Kennebec are in that bag)
A 15 gallon bag is about the largest most of us can move by our selves once full of soil. The 20 and 30 gallon require a helping hand to move. Translation it is best to fill your bags with soil where you intend to leave them, but a 15 gallon can be moved into or out of shade as needed by yourself.
Any decent nonwoven (felt like) material is good. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS YOUR SOIL. You want it to be light, fluffy and easy for the plant to grow tubers in. Think potting soil. Since these bags take a lot of soil I tend to grab the big black and light blue bag of Pro Mix from our local Menards. The grow bags are fairly cheap and last at least 3 years if you can keep weed eaters away from them... but that dirt for them gets expensive. I would suggest snagging some on sale and storing it if you have the room.
Planting is easy, fill the bags up. Shove a seed potato just over wrist deep into the dirt, pull you hand out, the potato is now planted. Or if you want fill the bottom third, place potatoes on it cover with 3 or 4 inches and add soil as they grow like mounding an in ground. Either method works about the same but I am lazy...
Harvest is easy dump the whole bag onto a tarp or into a wheelbarrow and then sort out your potatoes. Return soil to container or storage bin for use next year or with another crop if you can grow year round.

Not sure where I found the information now and I know it is a combination of information but this is what I use for planting my potato grow bags:

• 7 gallon can hold 2 plants each. This size takes about 1 cubic foot of soil
  10 gallon bags can hold 3 plants each. This size takes about 1.45 cubic feet of soil
  15 gallon can hold 5 plants each. This size takes about 2.14 cubic feet of soil
  20 gallon can hold 7 plants each. This size takes about 2.64 cubic feet of soil

The 30 gallon I think I put in only 7 or 8 seed potatoes but the Kennebec forms a larger tuber and I wanted them to have room. The huge down side to it was I needed over 4 cubic feet of soil for the bag.

[karstopography]

@wykvlvr
That’s some great information! Thank you very much.

I can get some good loose soil in bulk (dumped into the bed of my 1998 GMC truck) for not much $$ in 1/2 or 1 cubic yard increments so I’m not too worried about the price of soil. I’ve used that soil on my potatoes in raised beds and it worked well.

I’m leaning towards the 15 gallon bags.

[karstopography]

I ordered 4 Growpropel nonwoven 15 gallon grow bags. These are 15.75” in diameter and 17.7 “ tall. I liked little extra depth for potatoes. Just under $30 shipped for the four, seemed reasonable. Reviews looked good.

[wykvlvr]

I like my 15 gallons they are like a goldilocks size not too small and not too big. I have Adirondack Blue, Red Thumb and Natasha in those. AND I didn't heed my advice about the fingerlings and that bag really crowded... so next year if we grow that one again it will be half as many seed potatoes... The big bags in front have more Adirondack Blue, Daisy Gold and Kennebec. These are having to contend with full sun all day long, wind and for us very high temps. For instance it is currently 93F here with only 7% humidity... Tonight I will have to water everything.