Potatoes

Potatoes:

• Why you should grow it
  • Variety of uses
    • Boil
    • Mash
    • Stick in a stew
  • Store well
  • Should get about 10X what you plant

• How to start seeds
  • Use ‘seed’ potatoes
    • Potatoes that are able to sprout
    • Each spot where there is a sprout is an eye
  • Chop up the seed potatoes with an eye in each piece
  • Let them cure for a few days, this dries them out and helps prevent root rot
  • Plant 3-4″ deep and 12″ apart
  • Plant in full sun, loose soil, and water well
  • Raised beds work best, but you can also use potato bags or old garbage bins – just water more frequently as they dry out quickly
  • Water well when planting, don’t water again until you see a green plant come up – prevent disease

• Tips for growth
  • Hill up the plants once you see green growth, using dirt, chopped leaves or best straw
  • Straw keeps moisture in and at the end of the season it can be taken off and used as mulch – it has already begun to break down as well
  • Plant near bush beans, brassicas, carrots, celery, corn, garlic, onions, peas, and marigolds.
  • Avoid planting near kohlrabi, melons, parsnips, squash or sunflowers
  • If you don’t get a plant shoot, check for wireworms

• Harvesting
  • Once the flowers and plant die down, the potatoes should be ready
  • Leave in the soil for two weeks to firm up – this makes them store better
  • You can harvest new potatoes as soon as you see the flowers – they don’t store well and should be used immediately
  • Check the skin when you harvest, if you can rub it off, it is a new potato and needs more time if you want to store them

• Saving Seeds
  • Save a few potatoes at the end of the season to plant again
  • Store in a cool, dry, dark place to prevent sprouting too early
  • Don’t use grocery store potatoes, they may be treated to prevent sprouting
  • Make note of where you plant potatoes so you can rotate your crops next year