Can someone talk me through how to grow potatoes in a dustbin?

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Starting with chitting.

I've just bought some seed potatoes and don't know what to do. I have egg boxes, which I believe is essential.

[charliecat]

Well just by thowing some spuds in my compost bin I have herds of them growing so soil and neglect seem to work well!

[Furball]

right - I did this last year and had superb potatoes.

I've copied this - it says with tyres - but I did it in an old plastic kitchen bin with a few holes in the bottom

week or two before your planned potato planting date, set your seed potatoes somewhere where they will be exposed to some warmth (between 60 and 70 degrees F.) and lots of light. This will induce them to begin sprouting.
A day or two before planting, use a sharp, clean knife to slice the larger seed potatoes into "seeds". Each seed should be approximately 1 1/2-2inches square, and must contain at least 1 or 2 "eyes" or buds. Smaller potatoes may be planted whole. In the next day or so, your seed will form a thick callous over the cuts, which will help to prevent it from rotting once planted.

If you have no established garden plot, or if there just isn't enough available space within your garden, you can still grow a respectable crop of spuds, and do a little recycling at the same time. Potatoes thrive in the warm environment of a soil filled tire!
Four tires + Two pounds of seed potatoes + Good soil = 20-30 pounds of winter potatoes!
Pick a spot where you can stack your tires which is out of the way and preferably out of sight. Loosen the surface of the soil just enough to allow for drainage, and set your largest tire in place. Fill the inside of the tire casing loosely with good topsoil, and then set 3-4 potato seeds into the soil. (Use sticks or rocks to keep the casing rings spread open.) Add enough soil to the tire "hole" to bring it to the same level as the soil inside the tire.
When the new plants are eight inches tall, add another tire and soil to the stack, as in the first level. Repeat the process for your third, and if desired, fourth tires. As you add tires and soil to the stack, the 8" of the plant stalk is covered with soil. By doing this, the existing stalk essentially reverts to a root status and the plant is forced to grow upward to once again find the sunlight which it needs. (much like if you were to try to eliminate a dandelion by covering it with a scoop of soil) By raising the soil level this way (in 8" increments) the plant is able to continue growing without suffocation, and at the same time you are creating a 24-30" tap root from which many more lateral roots can develop. Each lateral root can then produce additional potatoes (at 3-4 levels rather than the normal single layer). When you water, be sure that the soil is thoroughly moistened all the way to the base of the pile.

[Furball]

sorry missed off this bit

Watering and care
For the maximum crop, keep your potato vines well watered throughout the summer, but especially during the period when they are in flower, and immediately thereafter. This is the time when the plant is creating the new tubers, and water is critical. Water early in the day so that the foliage has time to dry completely before evening. (Wet foliage can make your plants more susceptible to several potato diseases.) When foliage turns yellow and dies back, discontinue watering to allow the tubers to "mature" for a week or two before harvesting.
Once the vines have passed the critical watering stage while in flower, they will tolerate a certain amount of drought. According to some studies, non-irrigated potatoes are less watery and more healthful. However, potato plants which are not watered regularly will produce a much smaller crop.
The Potato Harvest
Your may begin to harvest your potatoes 2 to 3-weeks after the plants have finished flowering. At this time you will only find small "baby" potatoes if you were to dig up a plant. Potatoes can be harvested any time after this, by gently loosening the soil, reaching under the plant, and removing the largest tubers, leaving the smaller ones to continue growing.
If you want late potatoes for storage, wait 2-3 weeks after the foliage dies back. Carefully begin digging a foot or so outside of the row or mound. Remove the potatoes as you find them. (Be careful not to bruise or cut the tubers with your spade!) If the weather is dry, allow the potatoes to lay on the soil surface, unwashed, for 2-3 days so they can dry. If the weather is wet, or rain is expected, move the harvest to a cool, dry area (like a garage or basement) for the drying period. This drying step is necessary to mature the potato skin, which will protect the potato during storage.
If, by the end of September, the plants have not begun to die back, all of the foliage should be cut off to ensure your crop has ample time to mature before winter.
Store your undamaged potatoes in a well-ventilated, dark, cool (about 40 degrees) location. Properly dried and stored potatoes should keep well for three to six months.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Great, thanks.

[jeremyspants]

The potato page:-
www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_november_1b_potato.asp

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

So how many seed potatoes do you think you can fit in a bin?

[jeremyspants]

Three ought to do Stripey. It seems an awful waste of space when you first plant them but you will get a good crop from three. Big potatoes too!
We planted some in a strong bin liner last year and got enough from that to see us through winter.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

Oh God, I bought a 3kg bag. There must be 40 in it if not more.

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

A bin bag sounds good though, I can't afford more dustbins but if a bin bag works I could have a row of them at the bottom of the garden

[isaidno]

We grew some in buckets last year and they were great - just drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage.

[jeremyspants]

Oh! One thing to add. Don't grow them near sunflowers. They won't do well. (They are a distant cousin of them, oddly)

[Furball]

stripey - just roll the bin bag sides down and roll up and fill with soil as the plants grow. - don't forget a few drainage holes!

[BroccoliSpears]

Fantastic! I've been meaning to find out about this.

One question: When to start them? Approximately?