The 4 Methods of Planting Potatoes
Published by cheappay on
Monday, March 15, 2010 - 13:17:01
- Filed under Growing Potatoes
Potatoes are your average northerner…they hate hot weather. If you live somewhere with high summer temps, be sure to choose an early variety so that you can harvest before the extreme heat strikes. When it comes time to plant, you are looking for a sunny spot with well drained, slightly acidic soil (some compost in the mix is good because potatoes require a lot of nutrients). Plant the rows running from north to south with about 2 feet in between the two rows. In the individual row, you want to keep the tubers about 1 foot apart. Decide which method of planting is best for you:
1. The Classic Method
Dig 4 inch deep trenches, put the potatoes in them with the broad tips of the tubers pointing downwards, and fill the trenches with a soil/compost mix.
2. The Transparent Foil Mulching Method
A slight twist on the Classic but with a better harvest. After you plant, cover the bed with a sheet of transparent foil making sure to secure the edges with bricks or stones. When the plants sprout and are pushing against the foil, make a small cut above each plant to let the shoots out. This will discourage the weeds!
3. The Black Foil Mulching Method
Cover the bed with black foil and secure it as described above (before you plant). Then make the cuts in the foil (watch your distances) and plant the tubers there. This keeps the weeds out for sure, but you take the risk of some of the potatoes not sprouting due to lack of light. Check up on the shoots after germination as a few of them might need your help to get above the foil.
4. The Straw Mulching Method
A very different method: Cut every potato in a few pieces, spread them on the ground, and cover them with a loose layer of straw mulch. That’s it! This method works best with rich soil so it’s a good idea to enhance it with compost or fertilizer. Note: the other methods will produce a better harvest.
Which method is right for you?
The classic or black foil method are best for indoor planting, transparent foil is best for outdoor, and the straw mulch method is the fast and easy way.
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.