There is a motive Idaho is known for potatoes — its own climate. Potatoes love cool dirt and will not grow once the soil gets too warm, which isn’t a problem in most of this nation. Wherever you’re located, though, you still can generate a potato harvest in spring and early summer and again in autumn or early winter simply by planting at the right time.
But potatoes are more than simply a convenient addition to some cool-season garden. They are also fun. It is possible to mix and match your harvest by growing different-color varieties: white and red, of course, but also tan, yellow, brown and blue. They are very hands-on in a fun manner, particularly for kids, as you must occasionally add more dirt to make a mound as the plants grow. And while it might take them around four weeks to mature, you can start picking infant, or “new,” potatoes in as few as eight weeks.
If you don’t have a lot of room, don’t despair. You can easily grow potatoes in very large containers, for example half wine barrels.
Caution: The tuber is edible unless it has turned green. Green spots on the tuber and all other parts of the plant are toxic.
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Amy Renea
When to plant: In spring, four to six weeks before the final frost date (plant a variety that matures early if your climate, and so your dirt, warms up fast). Plant a late-maturing variety in late spring to get cold-winter climates. In mild-winter climates, you might even plant potatoes in late summer to early autumn for a harvest that will last into winter.
Days to maturity: 90 to 120
Light requirement: Total sun
Water requirement: Regular water
Favorites: All Blue, Butte, Buffalo, Butterfinder, Irish Cobbler, Fingerling, Katahdin, Kennebec, Norland, Red La Soda, Red Norland, Red Pontiac, Russet, Superior, Viking, Yukon Gold
Amy Renea
Planting and care: Start with seed potatoes that are certified as disease free. Do not use potatoes out of grocery or the supermarket store.
The soil should be rich and quick draining, using a pH below 5.5. Create furrows that are approximately 4 inches deep and 2-3 feet apart. Closer rows will let the shade from the plants help keep the soil cool.
Cut the seed potatoes into square balls. Each chunk needs to be approximately 1 1/2 inches and also have two eyes. Let the pieces dry for 2 days prior to planting to help prevent rot.
Set the balls about 1 to 2 1 1/2 feet apart and 4 inches deep, with the eyes facing up. Cover the balls. Add approximately 2 inches, once sprouts emerge. Leave the tips of the leaves vulnerable. Continue adding dirt as the plants grow, until a ridge about 4 inches high and 18 inches wide forms.
Keep the region around the potatoes weeded and the soil uniformly moist. Mulching will help keep the soil cool. Issues that may develop include aphids, Colorado potato beetles, flea beetles, leafhoppers, scab, wireworms and specific blights.
After most of the foliage has turned brown, water one final time. Following a week to ten days, cut the vines.
Harvest: For “new” potatoes, pull tubers from around the edge of this plant by hand when the vines start to flower; for varieties that don’t flower, crop at about two weeks.
For older potatoes, dig up the plants around five days to a week after you’ve cut away the vines. It’s ideal to do this to a cool, overcast day. To avoid injuring the tubers, use a spading fork and dig about a foot away from the plant. When the plant is up, shake off dirt and then pull the potatoes from the blossoms, then place them into baskets or burlap bags.
To store potatoes, first put them in a dark, humid place that stays at a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re storing them in a basket, then pay it with burlap. After two weeks, remove any potatoes that have injuries or are faulty and maintain the remainder in a dark, dry place that is well ventilated.