Growing Potatoes - Benefits and Instructions

 

Benefits of Growing Potatoes

  • Medicinal - Potatoes are one of the most common and important food sources on the planet. They are rich in antioxidants which can help decrease the risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Coloured potatoes have 3-4 times more antioxidants than white varieties. The skins of the potato contain more vitamins than the flesh itself.
  • Nutritional Profile - An excellent source of vitamin C, B6 and potassium.
  • Use in: Boiled, baked, mashed, fried, stuffed, roasted, soups, stews, salads.

 

 

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Growing Instructions

Culture:

Sun Exposure: Full sun 
Soil: Prefer well-drained soil that is free of low spots where water can collect with a pH between 5.0 and 6.0. Sandy loam soil is best. Potatoes benefit from periodic fertilizing: at the time of planting, one week after your plants emerge, and four to six weeks after your plants emerge.
Moisture: Maintain even moisture, especially from the time when sprouts appear until several weeks after they blossom. The plants need 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
Planting: Plant potatoes according to the time it takes them to mature. Early seed potatoes planted in spring will be ready in June or July.  Maincrop varieties have a longer growing period and will be ready late summer and through out the fall.  To prepare seed potatoes for planting, use a clean knife to cut seed potatoes roughly into quarters, making sure each piece has at least 2 eyes. Leave the pieces of seed potato out so that the cut edges can dry before planting and eyes begin to sprout. Plant the seed potatoes with the eyes pointing upwards. As the leaves start to emerge, mound soil up around the plants to prevent potatoes from being exposed to sunlight. Sunlight will turn the potatoes green, and make then inedible and poisonous.
Spacing:   Plant 4 potatoes per square foot of growing space using Square Foot Gardening Method.  Or plant in rows 12-14 inches apart.
Sow seeds: Sow pieces of seed potato 3-4 inches deep.

 

Harvesting:

Regular potatoes are ready to harvest when the foliage begins to die back. The tops of the plants need to have completely died before you begin harvesting. Dig up a test hill to see how mature the potatoes are. The skins of mature potatoes are thick and firmly attached to the flesh. If the skins are thin and rub off easily, your potatoes are still too new and should be left in the ground for a few more days.

Storage/Preparation:

Allow freshly dug potatoes to sit in a dry, cool, dark place (7 to 15°C) for up to two weeks. This allows their skins to cure, which will help them keep for longer. Potatoes can be stored long term in a root cellar that is damp and dark. Potatoes can be stored in containers of damp sand; alternate layers of sand and potatoes, leaving plenty of room in between for circulation.

 

Companions:

Beans, peas, onions, garlic, marigolds, celery, corn.

 

 

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