8 Tips For Planting Potatoes

Potatoes are simple to cultivate, store well throughout the winter, and give a healthy element to meals. Nothing like the taste of freshly dug potatoes, especially when you know they were produced pesticide-free in your own home garden.

This article will show you how to cultivate your own, homegrown potatoes, whether you want a few gourmet fingerling potatoes for fresh consumption or a huge crop for winter food storage.

Tips for planting potatoes

TIP 1: Plant Certified Seed Potatoes: When you plant seed potatoes, you are growing a potato that was created by the previous year’s plant. Any illnesses or insects carried over from: the mother plant is passed on to the seed potato. Planting certified seed potatoes provides disease-free potatoes from the outset.

TIP 2: Pre-sprout or chit your potato seeds before planting them in the ground to give them a head start.

TIP 3: Grow in Full Light: Plant your potatoes in an acidic, well-drained soil where they will receive full sun (6-8 hours each day).

TIP 4. Plant potatoes in early spring since they like milder temperatures. They may be planted as soon as the ground can be handled in early spring, when the soil temperature reaches 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wet, soggy soil can decay the seed potatoes. So, depending on how rainy your springs are, it may be best to wait until the soil has dried up a bit before planting.

TIP 5. Water Consistently: Keep the potato bed wet at all times, averaging around 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) of water every week.

TIP 6. Keep the Tubers Covered: To keep your potatoes from developing green skin, cover them with earth or severely mulch them so that no light enters the tubers.

TIP 7. Allow the Potatoes to Fully Maturate for Food Storage: After the plants blossom, you can begin collecting fresh potatoes as needed for meals. Allow the tubers to develop in the ground if you are planting potatoes for storage.

Cure unwashed potatoes before storage to allow the skins to recover and thicken. Cure tubers should be stored in a dark place in closed boxes or containers with some air openings.

TIP 8: Rotate Your Potato Crop for Healthy Soil: Potatoes in the garden should be rotated every three years. This implies you shouldn’t plant potatoes in the same area for another 3 or 4 years. Potatoes should be followed by beans, leafy greens, a cover crop, or another non-Solanaceae family crop.

What is the key to successful potato cultivation?

Grow in Full Light

Plant your potatoes in an acidic, well-drained soil where they will receive full sun (6-8 hours each day). 4. Plant potatoes in early spring since they like milder temperatures.

They may be planted as soon as the ground can be handled in early spring, when the soil temperature reaches 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

What should be applied to potatoes before planting?

If you want to plant potato pieces right away and the soil temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, dip each piece in a container of sulfur powder, coating all cuts, or place the pieces in a bag, add a few teaspoons of powder, shut the bag, and gently shake it until all pieces are covered.

How long will it take potatoes before it grows?

Most kinds will develop large tubers ready to harvest in 90 days. Summer temperatures in the Southeast make it impossible to cultivate good potatoes. Using DTM varieties beyond 120 days is not recommended. For the greatest quality, aim to have your entire potatoes ready by the end of July.

What causes potatoes to grow larger?

If you want to grow potatoes the size of your fist, place the plants at least 14 inches (36 cm) apart. Some individuals take it a step further and plant potatoes in hills, with three plants per 24-inch (61 cm) diameter “hill.” Potato “hills” are really flattened mounds around 6 inches (15 cm) high.

Conclusion

Potatoes are quite simple to cultivate if you learn the fundamentals. They’re also enjoyable to cultivate because there are so many different planting methods to try.

The payoff is a tasty, organic, nutrient-dense food supply for your family. It’s also satisfying to feel proud of oneself for growing them yourself.