Step 1: I went to Home Depot and purchased a brand new 32 gallon trash can with a lid. The lid isn't really necessary, but it will be used to cover the can at night if we happen to get another cold front with temperature drops. If the lid is left on during the day, though, it will kill the plants. Cost: $14
Step 2: I flipped the can over and drilled several 1/2" holes in the bottom for proper drainage. I used a 1/2" drill bit because that was the largest we had and I didn't want to go out and buy a larger one just for a few silly holes. I think this will be sufficient for drainage, though.
Step 3: I shredded up a bunch of old newspapers that we haven't taken to be recycled yet and put them in the bottom of the can. This is about 1 layer of newspaper--enough so that the dirt that I put in the next step won't drain out. Cost: $0
Step 4a: Choose and purchase a good Garden Soil. I opted to go with Organic Choice Garden Soil by Miracle Gro. We got a big bag, 1.5 cubic feet, however, a smaller bag would've probably worked here. I think we ended up using half of this bag, if that. We plan on using the rest of the soil for our other plants that we are planting soon (those are still in seedling stages). Cost: $7 (But we only used half, so I'm going to say $3.50 for total used cost).
Step 4b: Place about 3" to 4" of your garden soil into the trash can. From what I've read, this step isn't really a "must do" step, however, you will get a much better crop with a little bit of soil.
Step 5a: I purchased a bag of potatoes at Publix. You could use seeding potatoes if you'd like, but I've read several sites on the internet that say store bought potatoes work just fine. I used petite red potatoes so I didn't have many to cut. You can use any type of potato that you want. If you use larger potatoes, simply cut them to smaller pieces. Make sure you keep about 1" around each eye and 1" of the potato behind the eye to ensure proper nourishment while it's growing. Cost: $4
Step 5b: Simply place the potatoes in the trash can on top of the dirt.
Step 6: Cover the potatoes with about 4" of shredded newspaper. Don't use the ads, just the normal newsprint is best. You can also use junk mail or any scrap paper that you have lying around. Water the newspaper until you see water coming from the drainage holes that you drilled. Voila! You are done with the planting of your potatoes!
It is extremely important to make sure the first layer of newspaper and soil never dry out. I have been watering it twice a day for the first few days to ensure that it is wet enough.
The next few steps are very easy. When your potato plants start to grow and reach about 3" - 4" high, cover the plants with more newspaper, junk mail, straw, peat moss, whatever you have on hand (even dirt will work) until about only 1" of the potato plant is showing. Continue to do this step until your plants are growing higher than your trash can and then stake them so that the plants don't fall over and break. Keep all layers fairly moist, but not soggy.
They say that when you see flowers growing, you can reach in and gently grab a few baby or new potatoes to eat. I'm not going to do this that often because I want mature potatoes and lots of them by the end of the growing season.
Apparently, the way this works is potatoes grow on roots to the side of the main stalk--so as you add more layers to the top and force the main stalk to grow more, you produce more potatoes. The idea is that by the end of the growing season you simply dump out the can and have nearly the whole thing filled with delicious spuds. =) I will keep you posted on the whole process as we grow along. =)
Oh, and if you were keeping track of it all--Total Project Cost: $21.50. Not too bad for a fun experiment. Hopefully we will get a good potato crop out of it, too!
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