Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Potatoes are the main food in the diet of people in many regions. The process of growing potatoes is also quite simple. You just need to start with step 1 to perform the steps below.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Choosing the right type of potato

1. Choose a potato variety according to the growth cycle. Potatoes are classified according to the time of the plant's growth, a trait that can be affected by the weather.
   • Potatoes that are planted early will fully grow in about 60-110 days. Potatoes planted in late March will be harvested in late June or early July. Some of the new potato varieties include Pentland Javelin, Arran Pilot, and Dunluce.
   • Potatoes in the main season will grow at maximum in 125-140 days; If planted in late April, you can harvest in mid-August, and the potato crop can continue to harvest until the end of October. These potatoes are more productive and generally have larger tubers, which can be used immediately or stored for the winter. King Edward, Kerrs Pink, and Harmony Potatoes are some of the varieties of this category.

2. 

   
   
   Buy the selected potato variety. You can buy potato seeds by ordering or buying them from a gardening store, or you can also purchase leftover potatoes from the supermarket. However, these potatoes are not certified to carry pathogens, so they can cause problems if you plan to continue growing potatoes in the same place, as many diseases can be transmitted in the soil from five year after year.
   • Try to buy certified seed potatoes to control and reduce the risk of disease in the potato plant. Certified seed potatoes can be purchased at a garden center or online for relatively low prices. There are many varieties of potatoes grown at different times.

3. 

   
   
   Prepare the potatoes for planting. Using a sharp and non-serrated knife cut the potato quarterly, making sure that each section contains no more than three "eyes," ie, indents in the surface of the potato. Leave in the sun for a day or two, or until you see the eyes on the tuber sprouting.
   • Don't soak potatoes like some advice. Potatoes do not have the hard skin that must be softened by soaking like some other seeds, and they already have the moisture needed in the tubers to germinate. Soaking potatoes may increase the risk of rot rather than help the plant sprout! You need to let the section "heal" and create a dry outer layer of "skin" to prevent rotting.

4. 

   
   
   Consider using a potato for the seeds. Some varieties of potatoes grow small green, very poisonous fruits, lying on the ground, containing up to 300 "real" potato seeds. Mince the potato and place it in a dish of water; About a day later, the seeds will separate and sink to the bottom of the dish.
5. Plant potatoes in a greenhouse or under a window sill. You can use an empty egg carton or a seeding tray to place the tubers in, the sprouting part facing up. When the sprout is about 3.5 cm tall, it can be planted outdoors.
   • Leave only about 2-3 sprouts on each potato, removing the other sprouts.
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Part 2 of 2: Growing potatoes

1. 

   Prepare the land. You can grow potatoes on a bed of soil or in a pot in the backyard. Large planters, tires, and old chimney covers all work fine. The most important thing is to make sure the soil is weed-free. In addition, you may need to add compost or manure to the soil to increase nutrients.
   • Prepare the soil with compost well and add a fertilizer with a high potassium carbonate content.
   • Make sure to plow the soil thoroughly. Potatoes will not grow well on hard or solid soil.

2. 

   Choose the right time to plant in the climate where you live. Choose a planting time for a week or two before the last frost of the year passes. You can find it here. Cold nights kill potential pests, and potato plants need more sunlight as the days get longer. In coastal Virginia, for example, potatoes are grown on St. Patrick's Day in March and harvested in July.
3. Choose a suitable location in the garden. Choose a place where the soil is loose and sunny, as the potato plants need high heat and plenty of sunshine to be healthy. Potatoes should never be grown in shaded areas in the garden.
   • Make sure to plant potatoes in different areas of the garden each year so that the soil has time to "rest" and to add nitrogen. Or you can add a fertilizer solution (10-10-10) throughout the growing season and after the potatoes are harvested.
   • Potatoes can also be grown in potato bags or in large pots. Carefully press a sprouted potato into the compost, the sprouts pointing upwards, about 12 cm above the ground. Gently fill the compost over the potato. All the plants need then are water, light and frost protection.

4. 

   Bury the seed potatoes about 10 cm deep. Potatoes should be planted in rows about 30 cm apart and about 10 cm deep. Put soil in beds along the rows, forming a mound. Potatoes should be planted at enough distance away from each other on the ground as they grow.
   • Another way to grow potatoes is to cut the tuber into pieces so that each piece has at least 1, or better yet, 2 sprouting sprouts. Soak the agricultural sulfur in the potato chips, being careful not to break the germs, otherwise the sprout will slow down. Place the potato chips in the ground, the cut-down section face down, the sprout or the "eyes" pointing upwards, about 8-10 cm deep on the soil beds.
   • As the leaves come out of the ground, keep covering the plant with soil to prevent the tubers from sticking out. Otherwise, these bulbs will turn green and cannot be eaten because of the poison.
   • Once the plant is hardened and flowering, you can apply a nutrient solution to the plant. When the potato plant begins to die, it's time to start uprooting and harvesting.

5. 

   Take care of plant. Taking care of the plant as it grows ensures that you can get a nutritious and edible product.
   • Pluck the weeds around the potato plant.

     

   • If you see a leaf is leaking or turning yellow, a pest is probably present. If you don't want to use pesticides, ask the staff at your gardening store about natural ways to get rid of them.

     

6. 

   Water the potato plant sparingly. Potatoes like soils that are not only loose but also well drained, so you should only water when they start to dry, not to let the soil moist once the tubers have formed. Be sure to plant the potato on “hills” or in mounds so the water can flow down easily. If grown on level ground, potatoes will not grow well.
   • Watering once a week during the summer is fine, as long as it is done carefully but not too often. The leaves of the plant begin to wilt which means the plant needs water. However, don't over water it; otherwise, you will be left with only black rotten potatoes.

7. 

   Harvest potatoes. Harvest potatoes when the first frost is coming. You can harvest potatoes in stages - "young" or "early" potatoes can be harvested 8 weeks after planting (when the first flowers appear). You can harvest a few potatoes but don't pull the stem up and leave the other bulbs to grow to their full size. You will know the right time to harvest when the leaves turn yellow and withered. advertisement

Advice

• If you want to grow seed potatoes from a seed supplier or gardening center, you need to make sure they are germ free.
• If you leave the potatoes on the ground, they will grow next year. While it sounds easy, it's not a good idea to grow potatoes in the same location for the following year, as this could increase the chance of the plant getting sick due to depleted soil of nutrients. An ideal garden should be rotated with a variety of vegetables, including potatoes.
• You can harvest two crops a year; one in summer if planted in spring, and one in early winter if planted in autumn.

Warning

• Don't eat green potatoes or the green parts of potatoes - they can cause poisoning in large quantities.
• Soil contaminated with gravel will give potatoes an odd shape, so be careful to remove any gravel from the soil if you want a uniform product.

1. ↑ https://www.almanac.com/plant/potatoes
2. ↑ https://www.growveg.com/guides/how-to-grow-super-early-potatoes/
3. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/potatoes
4. ↑ https://www.growveg.com/guides/how-to-choose-the-best-potatoes-to-grow-in-your-garden/
5. ↑ http://blog.seedsavers.org/blog/tips-for-growing-potatoes
6. ↑ http://www.potatoes.co.za/siteresources/documents/soilpreparation.pdf
7. ↑ https://www.almanac.com/plant/potatoes
8. ↑ https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/571/
9. ↑ https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/571/
10. ↑ https://lovelygreens.com/when-to-harvest-potatoes/