Growing Potatoes at Home

Written By Arman Zulhajar on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 | 12:55 AM

By Ray Donovan


Consider growing potatoes yourself if you want potatoes without all of the dangerous chemical substances in them. Early varieties of potatoes including caribe and Irish cobbler are ready to harvest within 3 months. Mid-season varieties like Yukon gold and red norland potatoes grow within 100 days.

Early or mid-season potato varieties are best planted three weeks prior to spring's last frost date. They can also be planted in hot summers and short spring climates. If you'd like to plant late varieties, it's best to plant them in early summer. You'll be able to have potatoes in the fall.

Replanting is by far the easiest way for growing potatoes yourself. You'll want to get seed potatoes that are certified disease-free. You need about six pounds of seed potatoes to plant in a 50-feet row. You can look forward to harvesting 80 to 125 pounds of potatoes.

Choose potatoes that produce shoots, as they are the best for seeds. You can plant seed potatoes whole or you can plant cut pieces. Just make sure each piece has one or two eyes. It's okay for the seed potatoes to rot in soil that is cool or wet.

You need to loosen up the soil (approximately 10 inches deep) before planting the potatoes. Add in a layer of alfalfa meal, compost, and organic fertilizer that's high in nitrogen. You should plant the pieces 4 inches deep and about 12 inches apart in furrows. Cover up the seed pieces with nearly two inches of soil. When the first sprouts start to emerge, fill the furrows.

While the plants grow, be sure you often till up the edges of all the plants. The tubers continue to be loose with frequent tilling. In addition, they don't end up being exposed to sunlight, which often can turn them green as well as make them poisonous. You should keep on tilling the soil up until the plants reach 4-6 inches in height. Any time you see the plants putting out flowers, cease tilling.

Your soil might not be very rich, but that is alright; potatoes do not require soil that is really rich for them to grow. You need to simply add organic matter and ensure your soil's pH is between 5.0 and 6.0. Similar to most plants, however, potatoes have to be frequently watered, ideally a minimum of an inch of water each week. If you grow your potatoes in soil which has a high pH, the potatoes might have rough spots due to scab. Incorporating peat moss or rich compost to the soil will help stop this from occurring.

Beetle larvae are famous potato pests. Look out for wireworms also as they could cause the plants to blacken and turn moldy. You must burn the plants when this happens. In case you must use pesticides to eradicate unwanted insects, be sure to don't use anything but those that are innocuous and certified to be organic.

The potatoes are going to be ready to pick in two to four months depending on the seeds, weather conditions, and the soil condition. You will find the tops dying off as soon as the potatoes are ready to be picked. It is vital that you harvest with care. Use your hands or a shovel for this. Carefully brush the soil away from the tubers prior to taking them in the house to dry. Keep these covered with dry towels for about 3 days. The best potatoes in the batch may be used as seed-stock for growing potatoes the next year so keep them in a cool, dry area.




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