National Gardening Association

Ever think of growing a few potato plants in bushel baskets to make a potato tower? Well, you can -- it's easy and fun. You can be a potato grower in the smallest yard or just on the back porch or patio.

Line a bushel basket with plastic and punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Stir a few tablespoons of houseplant food or fertilizer into a bucket of moist soil. Put a 4- or 5-inch layer of soil in the basket. Position several seed pieces 6- to 8-inches apart on the earth, then cover them with 3 or 4 more inches of soil. Keep the basket in a warm, sunny place. As the plants grow, add more soil around the stems to give the tubers room to expand, and be sure to keep the soil well-watered.