Potatoes are the world's third-most-consumed food crop, so it's safe to say people can't get enough of the versatile vegetable.
Potato enthusiasts will love this easy, money-saving technique for growing potatoes at home, shared by expert gardener JoesGarden (@joesgarden.official) on Instagram.
The scoop
To get started, grab an empty egg carton and fill it with seed potatoes — potatoes that you can replant to produce a new crop. In the video, Joe says to make sure the eyes (small sprouts or bumps on the potato) face up, and the sprouts will grow bigger in a few weeks.
Next, you'll need a deep, medium-sized container to place the seed potatoes and compost in so they have plenty of room to grow. In the caption, Joe shared that he used an old recycling bin that can hold roughly 26 gallons.
"You can get creative with your containers as long as they have holes in the bottom for drainage," Joe explains.
Then, fill the container halfway with high-quality soil (Joe recommended adding at least 10.5 gallons of compost or soil for optimum potato growth). Sow the potatoes about 8 inches apart, water the plants, and then cover the foliage that appears with about 10 more inches of compost.
When you start seeing white or pink flowers bloom, it's time to water your potato plants again and add fertilizer to give them nutrients.
"Once the foliage starts to die back, that's the perfect time to tip out your container and rummage through the soil to see just how many potatoes you grew," Joe says as he dumps his container onto a tarp and shows off his harvest.
He grew a whopping 52 potatoes from just five seed potatoes, proving that you don't need a large backyard to produce an abundance of food.
How it's helping
According to Statista, white potatoes cost nearly $1 per pound, and organic potatoes likely cost even more. While you'll have to invest in compost and a container, growing your own food can still save you tons of cash in the long run.Â
Gardening will also greatly benefit your health. You'll get plenty of sunshine, exercise, and extra fiber, filling your mind with positive energy.
You'll also be doing the planet a huge favor by reducing the planet-warming pollution generated from the production and shipping of store-bought produce. If you grow 300 pounds of food, you'll keep 50 pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere.
In addition, it cuts down on plastic waste since most potatoes are sold in plastic bags. And you'll eliminate food waste by putting sprouted potatoes to good use instead of throwing them away.
What everyone's saying
Commenters seemed pumped about having homegrown potatoes, as the video received over 100,000 likes.
"I just can think about how many recipes I could make with all of them," one person remarked, adding a few potato and fry emojis.
"Thanks for this tip! Can't wait to try this," another commented.
"Yayyy, I just got some grow bags to give growing potatoes a go. Very helpful and insightful! You rock, dude," another grateful viewer said.
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