Potatoes remain one of the nation’s favorite vegetables. As an enthusiastic potato grower, there is a wide array of exciting potato varieties you can grow that you won’t find at shops; you don’t even require a garden space. Many thrive happily in large bags or pots on balconies and patios.
Potato varieties vary based on when they’re planted and harvested; typically, June/July is optimal as first early (new) potatoes don’t store well and should be consumed promptly for optimal taste.
Second earlies (often called “new”) take several additional weeks to mature before harvesting between July and August. Because these potatoes don’t store for too long, salad potatoes with their firm, waxy texture, and rich, nutty flavor tend to be first or second earliest.
Maincrop potatoes require the longest maturation period and should be harvested between August and October for harvesting. They’re great for baking, roasting, and mashing, and can even be stored for up to six months without losing quality.
How to Grow Potatoes at Home | Potatoes are Easy to Cultivate:
One seed potato will yield many fruits at harvest time. Prepare the soil by digging and removing weeds before creating straight trenches 12cm deep and 60cm apart, to which 30 cm apart seed potatoes were planted in spring before filling up their trenches with soil as they grow. After 20 cm tall shoots have appeared, use a rake, hoe, or spade to mound up soil around their bases – known as earthing up! You could also grow the first and second early varieties in large bags on patios or balconies as compost covers were applied as they developed.
In warmer areas, late-summer planting of maincrop potatoes will yield delicious Christmas potatoes.
Before planting potatoes, it is necessary to ‘chit’ or pre-chill them first. This means allowing the seed potatoes to produce shoots that will lead to a bigger harvest. Place seed potatoes in trays or egg cartons with those having the most eyes facing up and allow them to sit in cool, light conditions until 1-2 cm long shoots have developed – this could take anywhere between six weeks and three months!
How to Plant Potatoes:
Growing your potatoes is possible using seed potatoes, small tubers that serve as seeds rather than the actual seeds themselves. Seed potatoes can be purchased beginning late winter; try not to be lured in by growing from old produce rack vegetables, as this won’t yield reliable crops.
When planting potatoes in the ground, early and salad varieties should be planted 12 cm deep and 30 cm apart with 60 cm between rows; maincrop varieties need more space; 12 cm deep and 38 cm apart is sufficient, leaving 75 cm between rows; make sure the shoots (called eyes ) face upward.
Homegrown potatoes thrive in all soil conditions, though ideally richer ones would be preferred for optimal results. Add plenty of organic matter, like garden compost, for optimal success in an open, sunny location.
Maincrop potatoes thrive when grown in the ground; early or salad potatoes do well when grown in pots and bags as well. Polypropylene potato growing bags are designed specifically for this task, while old compost bags also yield good results when planted with potatoes.
Wing Potatoes: Caring for Your Crop:
Water your crop regularly during periods of warm, dry conditions, and keep the soil free of weeds. As potato plants flourish, use a spade or hoe to cover shoots with soil to stop their tubers from developing into green and inedible tubers; this process is known as earthing up and leaves only the top few centimeters poking through; once plants continue growing you’ll need to earth them up again as necessary.
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Problem Solving with Potatoes:
Slugs can be an issue when growing potatoes under black plastic sheets.
Potato blight is a fungal disease that infiltrates plants’ foliage, turning its yellow petals yellow with dark spots, and eventually leading to their tubers rotting away. To minimize risk, grow resistant varieties. Or cut back infected plants at the first sign of infection to not reach any tubers before harvesting tubers as quickly as possible.
When to Harvest Potatoes:
Early potatoes should be harvested between June and July when plants are still flowering and potatoes have reached about the size of a large hen’s egg (gently rummage around in the soil to check). After cutting back haulms (aka plants) to ground level, remove with a fork before gently pleasing off as many as you need for eating at once; these early harvest varieties don’t store well so dig up as soon as desired!
Second earlies should be harvested between July and August when they plant flowers. Harvest them using the same techniques as with first earlies – just remember they don’t store well, so dig up as necessary.
Maincrop potatoes should be harvested between August and October when their leaves have turned yellow and died back, on a dry day when cutting is complete. Cut the plants back down to ground level before harvesting your crop – discard any that have been damaged by pests such as insects.
Storage: Homegrown potatoes, especially maincrop varieties, will store well for many months when kept cool but frost-free. Only store tubers that show no sign of damage before storage – remove any with spots, damage, or cracks before placing them into storage bags (Hessian or brown paper are good options) then check crops regularly, removing any that are rotten from storage as soon as they appear.
FAQs
Q1. How to grow potatoes from fresh potatoes?
Cut the potatoes into pieces with at least one eye each. Now, let them dry, and plant in well-drained soil.
Q2. How long do potatoes take to grow?
Potatoes typically take 70 to 120 days to grow. It depends on the variety.
Q3. How many potatoes do you get per plant?
You can get about 5 to 10 potatoes per plant.