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HOW TO GROW POTATOES?

Picture
Seed Potatoes

You can buy seed potatoes from nurseries and some produce stores. These seed potatoes are usually free of viruses and other diseases. You can expect a good potato plant from these disease free seed potatoes. The seed potatoes does not look like the fresh ones, they are dried up and look wrinkled.
​
The store bought seed potatoes has to be exposed to light, so that shoots appear. Do not expose them to direct sunlight. When the shoot becomes about 1 cm long, its ready to plant in  the soil. However, it may take few weeks for the shoot to reach 1 cm length. It again depends on the climate of the place you live.

Alternatively, you can use the potatoes from your kitchen also. Look for those potatoes which has tiny shoots. If not, you can wait till the shoots appear and then use as seed potatoes.

If the potato is big and has many shoots, you can try to cut them with atlleast one shoot in each cut portion. Allow it to dry and then plant in the soil. If it is not properly dried, there are chances that these potatoes may get rotten and can’t produce any potato. So make sure its dried well, before you plant those cut portions in the soil. Always keep the shoot portion on the top and cover the remaining portion with soil. Let there be some space for the shoot to come out properly. Try not to cover the shoot portion.
 
Potatoes form an integral part of food for many people around the world. Unlike other vegetables, this potato is widely used across the world. It is the world’s fourth largest food crop. There are different varieties of potatoes found in the world. In this page, lets see how to grow potatoes in your backyard.
 

When to Plant Potatoes?

The best time to plant potatoes is after last spring frost. Wait until 2 weeks after the spring frost and then plant seed potatoes. Alternatively, you can also plant potatoes all round the year, as they are also found to grow successful throughout the year.  ​​
 
Materials Required:
  • Potato seeds
  • Shovel
  • Water
Procedure:
  1. Preparing the ground- First, prepare the soil well by digging properly and loosening the soil. You can even moist the soil with water, as it makes digging easy. Add plenty of dry animal manure or compost. Take care not to add fresh animal manure, as they will burn your plants.
  2. ​Dig trenches for seed potatoes, preferably 40 cm wide and 20 cm deep.
  3. On the bottom of trench, add some compost and soil and mix.
  4. Plant the potatoes- Now you can put seed potatoes or cut portion of potatoes about 30 cm apart.
  5. Place the shoot-side up and then cover the trench with some soil. ​The shoot or eye must face upwards as the plant starts to grow only from the eye or shoot.  Cover the seed potato with some loose soil and tighten the soil around the seed potato.
  6. Now you can sprinkle some water and dont forget to water regularly. In summer time, its better to water the plants atleast once. In rainy season, you dont have to pour any water. 
  7. If the flower appears, then you need to give extra water and manure to the potato plant, as this is the indicator that potatoes are going to form. You may plug and throw away the flower, as it has no role in the potato growth. It takes all the plants energy to produce more and more flowers, so just pluck and throw away it.  
  8. Hilling the Potatoes- Heaping some dirt and soil around the potato plant  is called Hilling. It helps the plant to produce more potatoes and bigger size potatoes. When the plant starts to grow (about 6 inches tall), you can cover that area with some loose soil or hay. Do not bury the green portion under the soil. For the first few weeks, have a look at the shoots and cover them with some loose soil.  ​This hilling protects your potatoes from getting sunburned. If the potatoes are exposed to sun, it becomes green in colour due to the chemical called solanine. These green potatoes are poisonous. Do not eat those green potatoes. Repeat the hilling process once in two weeks to protect them from sun. 
  9. Flowering occurs
  10. Harvesting- Wait for two to three weeks after the flower appears. Then dig the ground using the shovel carefully and remove the potatoes from the soil. For best potatoes, wait for the foliage to die. Once the foliage has died, wait for 10-14 days and then dig the ground to take the potatoes. ​​

Brush any soil attached to the potatoes and then store in a cool, dry, dark place. Do not wash with water, as this will reduce the storage life, just brush the soil attached to it. Best temperature to store the potatoes is 35-40 degree F and the best place to store is the garage, where you can spread them in the floor.  

General Tips:
 
  1. Soil temperature: 10- 30 degree C.
  2. Distance between  two plants: 30-40 cm
  3. Harvesting period: 15-20 weeks
  4. Compatible plants: Peas, Beans, Sweetcorn
  5. Not compatible plants: Cucumber, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, Rosemary, Sunflower

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  • HOME
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