You Can Grow Amazing Potatoes
I love French fries or, better yet, roasted potatoes with onions, garlic, and other veggies mixed and sprinkled with Himalayan sea salt. The mix of sweet caramelization and salty goodness makes these potatoes my favorite side. So, I need to have an abundance of amazing potatoes. I Like a variety to choose from. In Asia, potatoes are not the rock star they are in America. I often find green, hard, hacked-up pebbles at the grocery store. They are not Russets. The good news is, you can grow your own amazing potatoes within a small space and soft soil.
The Best Time to Grow Amazing Potatoes
You should plant potatoes two to three weeks before the average, last frost date. Don’t plant too early to avoid rot in seed potatoes. If your potatoes get a heavy frost after they emerge, they will put out new shoots. However, every time they die back they will produce a smaller and later harvest.
If you wait for the soil to warm up a little, potatoes will emerge quickly and grow steadily without stress. Late March to early May is a good time to plant potatoes in the northern states of America. In the warmer areas of the South, they plant in late fall or early winter.
If you talk to local gardeners where you live, they will probably have a local reference, like when dandelions emerge or a certain bug shows up. Ask around to get the average date for planting potatoes.
Preparing the Soil for Amazing Potatoes
To grow amazing potatoes, you need a loose, deep loam that holds moisture, but also drains well. Luckily, for those without “ideal” soil, potatoes can adapt well to many difficult soil types. The best harvests require lots of finished compost to break up compacted soil. You can add nutrients, in layers, as you break up the soil in the spring. Use a well-balanced fertilizer (4-2-2 NPK) since too much nitrogen will delay root production and yield huge plants with little potatoes. Also, cow manure should be well composted to prevent “scab” on potatoes. Scab potatoes are edible but ugly.
Dig a shallow trench about 6-8 inches deep. Rake in loose soil, or you may need a shovel or hoe in heavier soils. Cut potatoes into cubes with several potato eyes on each cube. Place the cut potatoes 10-12 inches apart in the trench. If you plant larger whole potatoes, they will produce larger plants and should be given a little extra room of 12-16 inches.
A spacing of 36 inches between rows is adequate, but the addition of more spacing will make hilling easier.
Plant fingerling and other small potatoes closer, but no less than 8 inches, between plants. Cover the plants with about 3-4 inches of soil, leaving the trench partially filled.
Leave the cut potato pieces in a cool and humid space overnight. This will give the potatoes enough time to callus before planting. The callus will help prevent infection from soil contact.
Planting seed potatoes whole minimizes worm damage. The juicy exposed flesh of a cut potato attracts worms such as wireworms, maggots, or other pests. So, planting whole potatoes may be a good idea.
Hilling for Astounding Potato Production
Hilling is the most crucial and fun part of growing potatoes. When your potatoes reach about 8-10 inches high, bring soil up around the vines from both sides. Hilling can be done with a rake in loose soils. If your soil is hard, you may need to break apart the soil before raking or use a hoe.
Make sure not to rake too closely to the young plants. Do not disturb the new root systems. Hilling brings loose soil around the vines where the potatoes will form. It sends the roots into cooler soil. With the first hilling, cover the vines up so that only the top leaves are exposed. This allows for a shallower second hilling 2-3 weeks later when the addition of 2-4 in of soil is brought around the vines.
A mulch that is loose and allows the soil to breathe can be applied after, or instead of, a second hilling. I recommend straw if it is available. Straw allows air to circulate well, but leaves can also be used as long as they are not applied too thickly. I also saw a recent video that used fresh-cut grass as mulch. If you have a bag on your mower, just spread the grass around the base of the plants a few inches thick. The grass will break down and form a mat which will deter weeds.
A deep layer of mulch helps to protect vines from potato beetles. It creates a barrier that provides a habitat for insects that eat the beetle’s larvae. The fun part of hilling is looking at beautifully hilled rows!
Harvesting Amazing Potatoes
Potatoes can be harvested as “new potatoes” or “mature potatoes”. Usually, the variety will indicate the true purpose of the potato, but all mature potatoes can be harvested as new potatoes.
Potatoes begin to produce tubers after flowering. You can dig into the loose soil at the sides of the vines, and you shouldn’t have to dig too deep, to find thin-skinned new potatoes. The mature potatoes will continue to develop unharmed. Be patient, the potatoes are not ready yet.
Potatoes are ready to harvest when their vines die and lose color. This can occur with a frost or when they have reached full maturity. Potatoes can be left in the ground during more than one frost. However, they should be harvested before the danger of heavy frost. A heavy frost could spoil potatoes lying closest to the surface. If this happens, they will become mushy and turn black.
Once vines die, use a fork to gently dig around the vines to loosen the soil. Then, use a spade to dump the dirt onto a large plastic sheet. Search through the soil to locate the potatoes and place them in a bucket. It is best to lay the potatoes on a rack to let them dry before storing them in a cool, non-humid, place. Likewise, if you grow potatoes in a large pot, turn over the pot containing the potatoes onto a plastic sheet to harvest. Use your hands to find the buried treasure. Take the potatoes into the kitchen to wash and cook up some amazing potatoes.
I hope you grow a lot of amazing potatoes to eat with your amazing tomatoes. Thank you to Dreamtime.com for the image of potato planting!
