Harvesting white potato is like stab for gold , except amber is n’t quite as fun to exhaust with cetchup .
So , why do n’t more masses lend this root crop to their garden card ?
Potatoes are n’t as popular in base gardens because they take up a lot of space and they are prone todiseases that can rest in the grease for decades . But , with proper develop techniques and careful seed selection , potatoes can be a good for you , rewarding crop .
While growing seed murphy is easy , but there are a few thing you postulate recognise about planting cum and grow potatoes to ameliorate your shot at success .
The most crucial part of planting seed potatoes is prefer seed potatoes ; make certain seed potatoes are demonstrate disease - free and you will avert most problems that come with growing potato . Once you have your potatoes , theplanting procedure will look on your available garden space .
So , let ’s dig into the cum potato rise guide with program line on what seed potatoes are , how to plant and grow seed potatoes in the undercoat , grow bag or container .
What is a Seed Potato?
This condition is somewhat confusing , becausea cum potato is just a white potato .
white potato vine are stems , not origin . The stem on a potato plant life sends out runner , and portions of the runners tumefy to store vigour as the leafy dark-green top ontogenesis dies off . These swollen percentage are potatoes .
Tubers are a method ofasexual multiplication , which imply it is a method of reproduction that involves the vegetative , non - intimate , role of a works . The Tuber overwinter in the ground , and then when the soil warms in the spring , the tubers sprout and use the stored carbohydrate to make a fresh plant .
Asexual propagation , also known as vegetative generation , always produces a genic dead ringer . So , tubers create exact copy of the industrial plant they came from .
come potatoes arenotthe same as white potato seeds . spud plant will finally flower and grow a small , fleeceable yield with seed at heart . These are the lawful reproductive parting of the murphy works .
However , potatoes rarely create viable seed , and if they do , the seedling are small , light , and produce very few genus Tuber .
The major drawback to using seeded player potato is thatseed potatoes are genetically identical to their parent , which mean it ’s impossible to thwart two different potato kind into a new hybrid . However , white potato flush officiate similarly to Lycopersicon esculentum and peppers ( they ’re related ) , so they can baffle - pollinate with other salmagundi to increase familial variety .
fundamentally , seeded player spud are clon and potato seeds are offspring .
So, Why Does This Matter?
Becauseplanting a seed potato is more like taking a cutting than planting a seed . When you plant a potato , the goal is to advance the genus Tuber to hail out of dormancy and get new roots and stems .
The central deviation between a tuber and a seed is that a seed needs to take in water system , lie with asimbibition , which then triggers the embryo to free nutrients and start developing a stem system .
The process is exchangeable , but the tuber needs much less water and should be planted deeper than a seed .
How to Choose Seed Potatoes For Planting?
There are at least 200 potato variety available to grow in the United States , and many are unparalleled , colorful , flavorful tubers that are n’t available in grocery store storehouse .
There are a few interrogative sentence to answer before you buy come Irish potato :
Of course , you should never rule out the aesthetic of a potato as a tiebreaker .
What Climate Zone Do Potatoes Need?
There ’s a room to raise potatoes in every climate zone , but most varieties turn well in zones 6 - 12 , which is most of the United States besides those notable for their austere winters . ( We ’re wait at you , Minnesota ) .
It ’s not the winter temperatures that make it unmanageable to mature potato in the far North , it ’s the shorter growing season .
Most potato varieties ask 3 - 4 months of temperatures above 70odaytime temperatures and 50onighttime temperatures in monastic order to produce mature tubers . Cold climates have short seasons , so it may not be possible to grow potatoes to matureness unless you choose an early varietyordecide you ’re felicitous with smaller harvests .
You may also choose to expend a structure like a hoophouse or coldframe to lengthen the growing time of year . Potatoes favour coolheaded temperature ( under 85o ) , so colder climates can produce tasty tubers with a little help from a run-in cover song to protect plants from freezing .
How Much Space Do Potatoes Need?
The spatial arrangement of your potato plants is flexible . In general , you should have one white potato vine plant per substantial foot .
However , the spacing can exchange depending on when you adjudicate to harvest .
If youonlywant new white potato vine , space industrial plant 6 ” aside . New white potato aretechnicallyonly freshly - harvest tubers , but the condition has evolved to mean any little , babe version of a potato . you could also harvest raw Solanum tuberosum off ripe industrial plant by removing some grime and attract up a few tubers .
Most potato varieties need 1 sq . ft of blank to have enough room to develop fledged tubers . However , some with child or more fecund change may need more outer space .
Other reasons you may demand to correct the spacing are :
Under median consideration , one white potato plant will yield roughly 6 fledged white potato vine . Yields increase in loose , rich , well - maintained garden beds .
So , how much space do you ask ?
Well , that depends .
How many potatoes do you want to exhaust ?
Why Are You Growing Potatoes?
Although this seems like a goofy interrogative sentence , it ’s the most overlooked part of the gardening process .
I lie with a nurseryman who implant 40 - 50 love apple plant each year just because they ’re easy to grow . They do n’t like raw tomatoes , and they detest displace . Most years , they get the tomatoes waste on the vine .
This is a major waste of garden space .
Do n’t plant a yield or vegetable unless you have a design for how to use the produce .
So , why do multitude plant potatoes ?
you could implant for multiple reasons , but you have to have at least one clear aim for why you plant anything in your vegetable garden .
If you plan on eating your white potato , calculate how many potatoes you will habituate per week and multiply by 3 - 4 months ( which is how longsighted fresh potatoes can be stored ) .
For example , if you have a sept of 5 and plan on using 10 potatoes per workweek , multiply 10 potato by 16 weeks for a total of 160 Irish potato .
Most potato plants give 6 potatoes , so divide 160 by 6 , which equals about 27 works .
Each plant ask about 1 sq . ft of space , so in orderliness to glean 160 potatoes ( or about 80 pound ) , you should plant a 3 ’ x 9 ’ plot .
Of course , you may have some plants that bring out more and some that do n’t survive the growing season , so you may desire to plant a few excess .
If you contrive on selling white potato , calculate out how many pounds you call for to trade and divide by 10 to define how many pounds of seed potatoes to buy .
However , selling tater can be hard unless you grow a unique variety , so yields may change depending on what you make up one’s mind to maturate . Irish potato usually sell for less than $ 1 / Cypriot pound , but specialty diverseness may sell for more depending on your market .
The standard ratio for planting germ potatoes in mass is 1 lb germ potatoes per 10lbs of harvest .
So , if you want to glean 2,000lbs of white potato , plant life 200lbs of seed white potato .
The average seed potato is 1.5oz-2 oz , so plan on 6 - 10 seed potatoes per pound .
If there is an average of 8 seed potatoes per pound , then you could manifold 200lbs x 8 seed potatoes for a total of 1600 Solanum tuberosum plants .
If you average a substantial foot per works , this mean you need 16 row of potatoes that are 100 ’ long .
If you design on salt away potatoes , decide how you need to store them and work rearward to figure out how much you require to harvest .
murphy can be stored raw for 3 - 4 months if they are in a nerveless , dark , juiceless place .
However , Irish potato can be stored long - term in a variety of means :
Because Solanum tuberosum store so well without processing , it ’s not as plebeian to preserve them for long - term storage . But , besides having a stockpile of carbohydrates , there are some benefits to put in spud for the foresighted draw .
Dehydrated white potato take up much less blank than raw murphy . A 5 pound bag of potatoes shrinks down to a Ziploc bag if you desiccate them . If you use a vacuum sealer , this is an easy way to store big sum of potatoes in pocket-sized spaces .
insistence - canned white potato are ready to eat . Processing take on time , but once you ’ve expend a day peeling , boiling , and canning potatoes , they are ready to utilize , which skip down on meal preparation time .
icy potatoes are comfortable to process . Dehydrators and imperativeness canners are specialness cock that take up infinite and necessitate at least a little experience . flash-frozen white potato vine , on the other bridge player , require a pot , piddle , and a strainer .
How Many Seed Potatoes Should You Plant?
We ’ve already covered a few calculations to determine how many seed potatoes to set , but let ’s put it all together .
To determine how many seed potatoes to plant based on expected yield :
If you want to ground your calculation on the number of potatoes , average 6 murphy per germ potato .
( expected yield/6 ) = how many seed potatoes to engraft .
If you desire to base your computing on expected Ezra Pound , average 10lbs of fruit per 1 lb of seeded player spud , and 9 seed potatoes per punt .
( expected yield/10 ) = pound of seed potatoes , ( hammer of seed spud x 9 ) = how many seed white potato to plant .
To specify proper spacing for cum potatoes :
If you ’re institute grant to the square ft gardening method , place tater evenly across a game no more than 4 ’ wide .
If you ’re planting Solanum tuberosum in row , calculate total quarrel length and divide it into as many rows as you need to outfit into your garden space . Space rows 2 ’ – 3 ’ aside for easy harvesting .
For some spry average , use the following guidelines :
2lbs of seed white potato vine will engraft 20 ’ of dustup length .
2lbs of germ potatoes will yield 20lbs of mature murphy .
These numbers are calculated using the modal Irish potato grow in average conditions . Solanum tuberosum grown in easy , rich , fertile soil , and cover with mounds of soil or mulch during the growing time of year will give in more Tuber .
How to Choose a Seed Potato Variety
Now that you ’ve done some merriment calculations , it ’s meter to permeate through 200 + potato change to decide which ones to plant in your garden .
Do n’t worry , though , we ’re run to break down the most uncouth options .
Potatoes are broken down into class establish on how well they hold back up to different preparation methods . For most home growers , a good all - function potato is satisfactory for basic house beauty .
However , if you ’re selling potato or you have a specific processing method you want to habituate , it ’s deserving being a bit more choosy over your variety .
Starchy Potatoes
These potato are a adept all - design potato because they are absorptive . Starchy spud are well-fixed to mash but also well-heeled to fry .
democratic type of starchy tater let in Russet , Gold Rush , and Idaho spud .
Waxy Potatoes
These are potatoes with sparse skin and firm material body . Waxy potatoes hold their soma when cookery , which cause them perfect for white potato salad , soup , and broiling .
democratic types of waxy potatoes admit Red , Purple , and Fingerling white potato .
All-Purpose Potatoes
All - purpose potatoes are ego - explanatory ; theycanbe used for anything but they do n’t excel atanything . These potatoes can be mash , baked , fried , or boiled with relative succeeder .
The most pop all - purpose potato is Yukon Gold .
Popular Varieties
There are many gold - standard potato varieties , but do some inquiry on what grow well in your climate zone before you order anything on-line . Ideally , order from local cultivator who select their stock to do well in your specific mood .
The all - star , all - purpose , average spud . Yukon Gold tater are an early variety , which makes them a right choice for northern climates . They are also notorious for gadfly and disease ohmic resistance .
This is a popular waxy variety with a firm , bloodless flesh . White Rose is an early variety .
This is a late - maturing , starchy potato with high yield and excellent pest underground . Idaho Irish potato have an first-class ledge living .
This waxy variety is average in the kitchen , but shines in the cellar . Red Pontiac stores well and has a beautiful , red pelt .
This waxy potato has a cryptic , rich flavor and colour . colourful potatoes are similar in nutrition to other potatoes , but they are considerably higher in antioxidants . Blue potatoes are a late season variety .
These are a skilful all - design starchy potato with a yellow / gold material body . russet are an early assortment with a strong shelf life .
These are all - role tubers that are superscript to Yukon Gold in every mode . harmonize to official taste tester ( yep , real matter ) , Purple Viking potatoes are more flavorful and have a good texture than Yukon Gold , plus they look better .
Purple Majesty white potato have a beautiful , deep violet flesh . They are grown commercially in South America , but they are becoming popular in home garden . Purple Majesty murphy do n’t store well , but they can deal for over $ 2 / pound , making them a lucrative variety for hobby farmers .
Where to Buy Seed Potatoes?
Potatoes are prone to pests , diseases , and soil - bear pathogen . It ’s significant to get your seed potatoes from a certified agriculturist , or else you may be bringing infected plant into your garden , and this could ruin your territory for potato for years .
Any certify seed potatoes are safe to develop in your garden . Organically - grown seed potatoes may have come in in contact with few chemicals , but they are no more disease - free than any other demonstrate come white potato vine .
plant life entrepot - buy murphy at your own risk . Many people have successfully raise potatoes from computer memory - buy tubers , but there are two major risk with this coming :
If you do decide to grow depot - buy potatoes , make trusted you do n’t apply any with brown topographic point in the flesh to invalidate introducing blight to your white potato vine crops .
How to Prepare Soil to Plant Seed Potatoes
This final and crucial step of set to plant come potatoes can determine output , cuss resistance , disease ohmic resistance , shelf living , and even flavor .
white potato ask loose , rich , well - drained land without rock ‘n’ roll or debris that can harm the skin . bet on how you intend to grow potatoes , you may also demand excess soil to build up up hills around the stems to increase yield .
Nutrients Potatoes Use During Each Growth Cycle
murphy are heavy self-feeder , so soil preparation must let in amending with composteach yearyou plant white potato .
You should always do a soil mental testing before you sum up specific amendment to your grease , like chelate iron or lime . However , you could add as much compost as you want to a garden plot of land as long as it has mature by rights .
When the cum murphy sprouts , it will habituate the nutrient within the potato to corroborate initial stem and root constitution . As shortly as the roots are able to absorb weewee , the white potato vine works will start using nutrient from the surrounding dirt to take shape top growth .
Thehook stageis when the tater plant initiates the tuber induction phase . fundamentally , hooking is what cook the plant to startle forming genus Tuber .
Once the plant begin to bloom , the flora will transition from initiating tuber into adding mass to existing tuber . This phase is authoritative because it will thicken the skin and prepare tubers for storage .
Most plant prefer a pH of 6 – 6.5 , which is the dulcet bit for the six major nutrients ( nitrogen , phosphorus , potassium , sulphur , calcium , magnesium ) . As pH becomes more acidulent or alkaline , the soil either binds or resign nutrients to make them more or less available to plants .
Potatoes prefer apH of 5.3 – 6,which is much more acidic than most vegetables . This is the range where iron , boron , zinc , and manganese are uncommitted in the highest assiduity , which are the nutrients responsible for pest and disease resistance , along with improving skin caliber .
If potatoes are grown in more alkaline stain , or anything over 6.5 , these food are less available , and the overall timbre of the murphy will decrease .
Even if you use amendments high in trace nutrients , they will only be available within a certain pH grasp , so test your grime each year and adjudicate to adjust pH before you apply nutrient - specific amendments .
How to Amend Soil with Compost to Grow Seed Potatoes
Potatoes are a food - dense , starchy veggie , which intend they use alotof food during ontogeny . In fact , Solanum tuberosum are such heavy feeders that many raiser found them directly into a base of compost .
The rule of thumb for using compost in a murphy plot of ground is to bring as much as you could , and attempt to mix it in without exploit the dirt .
The only elbow room you could harm murphy with compost is if you add compost that is too immature , which may make Tuber to decompose . Immature compost produces heat when you add it into the soil , and these pocket of decompose constitutional stuff may harm developing white potato vine . This is more probable with manure - based compost products than plant life - base compost products .
How To Amend Soil With Compost
Ideally , you should prepare a white potato patch during the fall so it is quick to go the following spring . Potatoes can be planted as before long as the ground thaws , but if you wait to add compost until the spring , you may have to remit planting until the priming coat is able to be tilled so you may blend in compost before engraft .
Only till territory when it is dampish . If the territory is wet enough to drip piddle , it will organise large clumps after tilling . If the soil is too dry , it will die down and succinct after irrigation .
This method acting assure compost will not harm new tubers , and it also prepare a locoweed - free plot of land that will be ready to plant as soon as the soil thaws .
If you wait until saltation to train the soil , you’re able to use the same method as above , except you must wait until the territory has melt enough to be tilled without destroying the social structure .
Do You Have To Chit Seed Potatoes Before Planting?
Chitting is a coarse , but completely optional , first whole step in the seed potato planting process .
Have you ever left a suitcase of Irish potato in the locker for so long that they begin to germinate ? If so , you ’re already conversant with chitting .
begin in January , provide seed potatoes in a cool , cheery spot with a small wet , like in a tray with a damp towel . lay the cum potatoes so the legal age of the optic are facing the light .
After a few week , you should notice diminished , green node forming on the eye . These will finally spud and produce long , leafy green stem . Keep potatoes moist until you plant them out of doors .
You do n’t have to chit semen Solanum tuberosum , but theywillgive you a psyche set about on the develop season . This is particularly beneficial in cooler clime with a little growing time of year .
Chitting also melt off the risk of rot when you plant seed potatoes , which is common when white potato are establish in nerveless , wet weather condition .
Another common practice with chitting is cutting the seed spud to get more plants . If you could tailor potato chunks with 2 - 3 eyes per piece , you could increase the amount of plants you get per hammer of ejaculate white potato .
The risk with cutting potatoes is rot . But , if you chit potatoes after cutting , you’re able to slim down this endangerment exponentially .
So , the rule of thumb isif you want to issue your cum potatoes , you should chit them .
Otherwise , it ’s a matter of timing and penchant .
How to Plant Seed Potatoes
There are a few different ways to plant cum potatoes , but the most common is to plant them directly into the ground . you could plant Irish potato in containers or bring up layer , but this may reduce yields .
No matter how you decide to grow potatoes , alwaysrotategarden bedsand / or discard used soil . Potatoes are prostrate to soil - birth viruses , and planting spud in the same soil twelvemonth after year can encourage a buildup of pathogens that can destroy future crop .
How To Plant Seed Potatoes In Rows
Planting in source white potato in rows is the sluttish manner to grow them . As tubers develop , you will have to pile soil up around the stems of the industrial plant , which is easiest to do if you have wide rows with plenty of walking space .
Space rows 2 ’ – 3 ’ aside to allow for easy maintenance and a clean nerve tract for moving soil in wheelbarrows .
recollect : spud need escaped soil , so avoid step near the plants . Use the center of the nerve pathway as much as possible .
You have two choice for growing in rows :
If you found potatoes even with the soil , you will have to bring in some type of soil or mulch to cover the stems as they arise . stem , not tooth root , produce tubers , so the more soil you jam around the stem , the more tubers you will get .
If you plant spud in a oceanic abyss , you may fill in the oceanic abyss as the potatoes develop . The add welfare to trench planting is that the potatoes can spread out as deep and blanket as they want as the trench is replete in , whereas pile soil onto the stem turn above the ground provides a smaller area for tubers to develop .
Either way , the planting process is wide-eyed .
As the industrial plant grow , tidy sum soil or straw mulch around the stem to breed all but the top leaves . Continue to mound soil around the plant until it begins to bloom .
As the potatoes grow , fill in the trench . Continue to pile soil around the base until the plant commence to blossom .
How To Plant Seed Potatoes In Plots
This is exchangeable to planting white potato in words , but the spatial arrangement is different .
If you want enceinte , mature potatoes , space the plants 12 ” apart in all directions . If you want small , new potato , space the plants 6 ” – 10 ” apart in all directions .
Avoid stepping in the plot as much as possible to exert a crumbly , loose filth body structure . Plots should be no more than 4 ’ wide unless you place stepping stone or planks of wood in the plot to step on as you tend to the plants .
How To Plant Seed Potatoes In Containers
Container growing makes the harvesting process much easier ; just dump out the soil and take out out the potatoes . However , tubers tend to be smaller , so container growth is unspoiled for new potatoes .
check that container are large enough to fend for proper tuber development . A 5 - gallon bucket is the small container you should use for potatoes .
You may also incorporate a few potato plants into raised beds or large garden containers . Potatoes will need a few feet of grime deepness and they can add considerable weight to a container , so ensure your bottom or box seat is large and sturdy enough to support fledged potato flora .
If you do decide to plant white potato in a container with other plants , consider how the harvesting process will pretend other flowers and vegetable .
Plant fast - maturing vegetables likeradishesor cultivated carrot near Solanum tuberosum flora so you’re able to dig them all up at the same time without harming nearby root system of more established plants .
Use cryptical , wide-eyed containers for the upright takings .
container tend to have loose soil than in - ground plots or row , so you may space potato a piddling closer in bring up layer . Yields may be lower in raised beds because it is difficult to mound soil around the stems .
How To Plant Seed Potatoes In Bags Of Compost
Remember when we said potatoes are punishing feeders ? Well , one certain - flack method of pass them mint of nutrient is to plant them directly into a bag or pile of compost .
However , this is not without some risks :
Generally speaking , these risks are minimal , and most gardener have dandy succeeder with growing potatoes in bag or pile of compost .
pocketbook hold more moisture than container , so water light until the plants are actively growing to prevent the tubers from rotting .
You may have to add a small funding to the compost as the Tuber develop to prevent the compost from wash off away .
No matter how to decide to plant your potatoes , keep them water , mulched , and weed . When the plant bloom and the tops start to die back , pull away the soil and start harvesting .
Potatoes are fun to grow and even more fun to glean , which makes the preparation and preparation worth the effort . regain singular and colorful varieties to love flavorful , nutritious meals directly from your garden .
drop a line By
Amber Noyes was born and raised in a suburban California townspeople , San Mateo . She holds a skipper ’s degree in gardening from the University of California as well as a BS in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience work out on an constitutive farm , piddle conservation research , granger ’ markets , and plant baby’s room , she understands what makes works fly high and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant wellness . When she ’s not on the land , Amber loves informing mass of young idea / things come to to gardening , particularly constituent gardening , houseplants , and grow plants in a small space .
