This spot may control affiliate links .
deal this post or immobilise it for later !
you could maturate any type of Irish potato in your garden using traditional method like trenching or mound . These methods can be used for anything from large Yukon gold peach to fingerlings or other purples .
In this clause , we ’ll provide step - by - step instructions for planting and growing Solanum tuberosum in your garden using either the trench or hill method acting .
We ’ll also tell you when to plant , and provide some helpful tips for how to ensure your potato develop into a healthy harvest .
Preparing your Garden for Potatoes (Trenches or Hills)
To embark on the process of growing potatoes , you must first take a site on your land . Once you have pick out a internet site , use a digger or hoe to grind a trench about eight inches wide and 12 - 18 inches deep . The trench should be long enough to accommodate the number of tater plants you want to produce ( one plant every 12″ ) .
If you are grow potatoes in hill , ensure the hills are about four foot apart .
Once you have dug your trench , it is time to remediate the soil with compost or manure . You will require about two gallons of compost or manure per ten - ft row . Spread the compost or manure evenly in the bottom of the oceanic abyss and then apply a hoe to mix it into the dirt .
Planting and Hilling Potatoes
Potatoes are grown from “ seed potatoes , ” which are modest genus Tuber specifically grown to be planted . you could purchase ejaculate potatoes from a garden shopping mall oronline retailer . It is best to plant seed white potato that have been certified as disease - free .
IMPORTANT : As the Solanum tuberosum start to grow , you will need to “ hill up ” the soil around the plant ( or in the trench ) . This mean that you will need to total more ground to the base of the plant as it grows , covering about half of the works each time .
This help the potatoes educate properly and prevents them from being exposed to sun , which can cause them to turn immature and taste bitter . you could use soil with mixedcompostto add nutrients as the spud raise .
You ’ll do your first hilling when the industrial plant are about 6 inches magniloquent , then again every two workweek until you ’ve impart about 12 - 18 in of grease .
Watering & Fertilizing
tater postulate about one inch of water per week . Water at the stem of the flora , being careful not to wet the leave as this can encourage disease . If you are growing potatoes in mound , water around the hill , not just at the base of the plant life .
you may fertilise your potato plants about two calendar week after they have blossom , using a fertiliser that offers a healthy potassium and phosphorus storey ( atomic number 7 is not as necessary ) . For exemplar , a 5 - 10 - 10 fertilizerwould be appropriate . you’re able to also side - clothe the plants with compost or manure about six week after planting .
Harvesting Potatoes
you could harvest potatoes for everyday employment as shortly as the plant start to blossom . To verify if they are quick , dig around the edge of the plant with a nigger or fork and cautiously lift one tuber to see if it is a beneficial size of it . These “ newfangled potatoes ” will be small but arrant for stewing or roasting .
For better storage potatoes , hold off to reap until later in the time of year . If you wait to reap all of your potatoes at once , you may do so after the plant has died ( when the parting turn icteric and begin to die ) .
This unremarkably hap about two months after flowering . To harvest , dig around the plant with a spade or branch and lift the intact plant out of the ground . Be deliberate not to damage the genus Tuber as you dig them up .
you’re able to also leave some tater in the priming and dig them up as call for . These “ tardy harvest home ” white potato will not be stored either , but they can be a convenient way to have fresh potatoes throughout the fall and winter months . Dig around the plant life with a spade or branch .
When do you plant potatoes?
broadly , it is expert to plant potato in the spring , typically 1 - 2 week before the last Robert Lee Frost . This will give the plant life the longest possible growing season and yield the highest . Because you have to dig a ditch to plant your Solanum tuberosum , you ’ll have to wait until the priming is workable to redeem yourself a caboodle of tough work .
In some region , planting potatoes inthe fallfor a wintertime harvest home is potential . This is known as “ winter planting . ” If you are found in the fall , you should constitute potatoes eight to ten weeks before the first expected frost date . This will give the plants metre to develop a impregnable root scheme before the cold wintertime weather arrives .
If you live in an area with a long growing season and meek wintertime , you may engraft potatoes anytime . For object lesson , tater can be planted in California ’s Central Valley from February through November .
What type of soil do potatoes need?
white potato necessitate well - drained , sandy loam dirt with a pH of between four and seven . You cantest your soilbefore planting to ensure it has the right pH and nutrient levels for potatoes and to get a sense of its consistence .
If your soil is clay or very sandlike , you may meliorate its drain and fertility by lend organic subject such as compost or well - rotted manure ( read more about improving clay stain here ) . If your grunge miss organic matter , you could ameliorate it by adding compost or manure to the planting domain a few hebdomad before you plant .
What is the ideal location for planting potatoes?
Potatoes necessitate full sun and well - enfeeble soil . Avoid planting potato where they will be in the shade , as this can conduct to greening of the white potato and make them more susceptible to disease .
Also , check that that you spread out your potato uprise location from season to time of year so that you do n’t deplete the nutrients in one spot or risk having over - wintered pests attack your Solanum tuberosum right off .
How much space do you need to plant potatoes?
you could imbed potatoes in row or mound . rowing are great for maximizing your place , as you could plant other crops between the dustup of potatoes . You ’ll need about 12″ between plants and about 30″ between course . So , in a dustup about 10 foot long , you’re able to plant 10 potato . You ’ll need about 30″ between this course and the one next to it .
you’re able to also plant potatoes in “ hills . ” This means you will mound the filth around the plants as they grow , giving them extra space to originate tuber . This is a honest alternative if you have limited space or are growing tater in container . You ’ll need about 18″ between works and 36″ between rows when establish in hills . you’re able to typically set about 8 - 10 Solanum tuberosum on a Benny Hill .
Storing Potatoes
Once you have harvested your potatoes , you ’ll want to follow a few heedful gradation before storing them . Here ’s an clause on how to properly stack away white potato vine !
How long does it take to grow potatoes?
white potato vine are a fast - growing harvest that can be harvested in as small as 50 days from plant . However , the duration of clock time it takes to maturate potatoes will vary depending on the variety of potato , the mood , and the grow conditions .
For case , former varieties of potatoes may grow more quickly than late varieties , and potatoes grown in fond climates may maturate more quickly than those grown in cool climate .
When choose a potato variety , it is significant to consider how long it takes to mature . For example , if you require to harvest potatoes in other summer , you must choose a change that suppurate in 60 days or less .
If you need to glean white potato vine in late summertime or former nightfall , you must choose a variety that get on in 70 days or more . Atraditional large russet potatois a former time of year motley that should n’t be harvest until after its plant dies back , especially if you want to store it .
The best style to make up one’s mind how long it will take for your white potato to mature is to consult the growing instructions for the miscellanea you are consider . This will give you an idea of how long each variety show matures and when they should be planted . you may plant some of each to have potato over a longer period !
