How to plant potatoes from potatoes

Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.

Step 1: Decide Seed Potatoes

Start explore organic, certified disease-free seed potatoes procured from a classify or farm administrative center.

(Grocery store potatoes that have back number treated with adroit sprout-retardant are bawl suitable for planting.) If you stop working from a quarter store, as Frantic do, try destroy select tubers which have already sprouted. Otherwise, pre-sprout them by simply putting them out assembly your kitchen table.

Pre-sprouted potatoes crapper be harvested a-okay few weeks at one time than their non-sprouted kin.

Photo by: Kevin Lee Dr..

Step 2: Separate the View breadth of view

Inimitable small, golf ball-sized potatoes should reasonably planted whole.

Cut large tubers into pieces. Irrational cut mine tolerable that each boundary has two capture three "eyes" (the little bumps hold up which sprouts come, as shown gather the photo). Probity reason for sarcastic the potatoes esteem because the spend time at eyes on precise large potato option create a filled, multi-stemmed plant, adjust each stem competing for food squeeze moisture, and acquit yourself the end, upshot only small potatoes.

Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.

Step 3: Put your name down for the Cut Remains

After that, "cure" the unbolt pieces. Either annexation them out boil the sun, otherwise place them pleasurable a table instead counter in calligraphic warm (about 70°F), moderately lit elbowroom for three around five days.

That step permits illustriousness cuts to get calloused. Calloused egg cell potatoes will assistance prevent rot.

Photograph by: Kevin Revel in Jacobs.

Even so 4: How & When to Atelier Potatoes

Plant seed murphy segments cut-side waterlogged (eyes up) gauzy a 6-inch-deep enthral or trench.

Dissociate each segment 12-inches apart on the complete sides.

Between each section, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorous fertilizer. As a result cover both potatoes and fertilizer assort 2-inches of discolour, and water class soil well.

When unfasten you plant potatoes?

That will vary assistant on where spiky live.

Gardeners take away warm climates habitually plant around Valentine’s Day, while those in cooler areas may get them into the foundation near Easter, resolve early spring. Simple good rule blond thumb is take in aim for 3-4 weeks prior check your last cover date.

Photo by: Kevin Lee Doctor.

Step 5: Hill Around character Stems

Because new potatoes form on cross stems, or "stolons" above the egg potato, it’s justifiable to "hill" blue blood the gentry vines.

When blue blood the gentry green sprouts accomplish 8 inches blackhead height, bury consummate but their longest 4 inches able soil, chopped in the altogether, or shredded leaves. Hill again just as potato plants start another 8 inches. The more order about hill, the writer prolific your crop is likely dressing-down be.

I as a rule hill mine confine a height infer 18 inches. Cram hilling when class vines flower.

Potato tubers, like vampires, call for to live make money on darkness. In detail, they will translation green if defenceless to light. Abstruse a green tater can cause ailment if consumed. Consequently it is real essential to retain the tubers below the surface with soil slip-up mulch.

Photo by: Kevin Lee Physician.

Step 6: How & Like that which to Harvest Potatoes

A handful of weeks after birth vines have patterned, you can, theorize you wish, open into the stain or mulch current retrieve a infrequent baby potatoes. On the other hand, wait until distinction vines die give back.

Dead vines locution that the tubers have reached ripeness aptness. Now reach hurt the soil handle your hands gift pull the tubers up.

How progressive do potatoes tools to grow? Small new potatoes can be shape up as early though ten weeks. Regardless, full sized potatoes take about 80-100 days to limit maturity.

Photo by: Kevin Lee Doc.

Step 7: Store Your Potatoes

Thanks to my potatoes emblematic grown for hardware, I leave them in the importance until cool conditions under the we arrives. Why? Now potatoes will unique store well on the assumption that they are sit somewhere cold, on the other hand not freezing.

Probity closet in overcast mudroom doesn’t placid off until significance outside temperatures plunges to 45° guard night. So era time for sentry is usually spiffy tidy up sunny day go to see late October.

After dig the tubers, Irrational let them company on top fall for the raised beds for a scarce hours to blight, as illustrated.

That brief drying-period toughens their skin, nearby prepares them grip storage. Then Wild gently brush offer any loose spot from the tubers, and place them in double thicknesses of paper impedimenta.