10 Plus 1 Hints to Grow Beautiful Healthy Potatoes
Published by cheappay on Monday, March 15, 2010 - 12:56:30 - Filed under Growing Potatoes
1. Think you don’t have the space for growing potatoes? Think again! You can grow first earlies, which can be harvested and cooked within a very short time period. Just pop those suckers into a barrel or potato bag and grow them right on your porch or patio! They can be planted close together and will blow those grocery store potatoes out of the water.
2. Choose your potatoes carefully - If you have the space to grow a lot, make sure you choose different kinds of potatoes including some that will last in storage.
3. Work backwards - Chitting should be done six weeks before you want to plant them, so that means six weeks before your region’s recommended planting date. Note: chitting encourages the potato plant to be ready a week sooner, so it’s not a HUGE deal if you buy your potatoes late and just have to throw them in the ground.
4. Dig in some well rotted compost before planting.
5. Know the potato - A potato has one end that is more rounded and blunt than the other; this is where the eyes are, so remember when planting that it is the eyes that sprout and plant the potato blunt end up perhaps in a tray or egg box. It is important to plant them right side up!
6. Sun-kissed - Your growing potatoes should get plenty of natural light, but make sure they are safe from frost as it will damage them.
7. Size matters - Remove some of the shoots if there are too many. You want the shoots to be strong, not spindly. Long, thin shoots indicate they have been kept too warm, and shoots that are too tiny indicate they have been too cold.
8. It’s like vitamins…for your potatoes! - Spray your chitting potatoes with a small amount of a weak feed of Maxicrop. This is a seaweed feed that will promote healthy and strong growth.
9. Normal distance between plants is about 12 inches for first earlies and about 18 inches for second earlies and maincrop potatoes.
10. Soil should not be water logged. Keep the plant “earthed up”, meaning that the soil should be pulled up around the plant while it is growing. This helps to keep away weeds and protect better from frost. Earth up the plant first when it is about 4 inches tall, then at least twice more as it grows.
11. Regular watering during the growing season is recommended, but give the plants a really good soaking about two weeks before you plan on harvesting them. This allows the tubers to pick up the excess water and increase the weight of your potato crop.