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How to farm potatoes


How to Grow Potatoes — Seed Savers Exchange Blog

Here are a few tips from SSE's gardening crew on how to grow potatoes for a healthy and bountiful harvest.

General Advice

Potatoes always do best in full sun. They are aggressively rooting plants, and we find that they will produce the best crop when planted in a light, loose, well-drained soil. Potatoes prefer a slightly acid soil with a PH of 5.0 to 7.0. Fortunately potatoes are very adaptable and will almost always produce a respectable crop, even when the soil conditions and growing seasons are less than perfect.

Always keep your potato patch weed-free for best results. Potatoes should be rotated in the garden, never being grown in the same spot until there has been a 3-4 year absence of potatoes.

When to Plant Potatoes 

Potatoes may be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in the early spring, but keep soil temperatures in mind. Potato plants will not begin to grow until the soil temperature has reached 45 degrees F. The soil should be moist, but not water-logged.

Potatoes can tolerate a light frost, but you should provide some frost protection for the plants if you know that a hard, late season freeze is coming. If you want to extend storage times, and have a long growing season, you can plant a second crop as late as June 15 and harvest the potatoes as late as possible.

Cutting Potatoes Before Planting

A week or two before your planting date, set your seed potatoes in an area where they will be exposed to light and temperatures between 60-70 degrees F. This will begin the sprouting process. A day or two before planting, use a sharp, clean knife to slice the larger seed potatoes into smaller pieces. Each piece should be approximately 2 inches square, and must contain at least 1 or 2 eyes or buds. Plant smaller potatoes whole. A good rule of thumb is to plant potatoes whole if they are smaller in size than a golf ball. In a day or so your seed will form a thick callous over the cuts, which will help prevent rotting.

Planting Potatoes in the Garden

We find that potatoes are best grown in rows. To begin with, dig a trench that is 6-8 inches deep. Plant each piece of potato (cut side down, with the eyes pointing up) every 12-15 inches, with the rows spaced 3 feet apart. If your space is limited or if you would like to grow only baby potatoes, you can decrease the spacing between plants.

To begin with only fill the trench in with 4 inches of soil. Let the plants start to grow and then continue to fill in the trench and even mound the soil around the plants as they continue to grow. Prior to planting, always make sure to cultivate the soil one last time. This will remove any weeds and will loosen the soil and allow the plants to become established more quickly.

How to Water Potatoes 

Keep your potato vines well watered throughout the summer, especially during the period when the plants are flowering and immediately following the flowering stage. During this flowering period the plants are creating their tubers and a steady water supply is crucial to good crop outcome. Potatoes do well with 1-2 inches of water or rain per week. When the foliage turns yellow and begins to die back, discontinue watering. This will help start curing the potatoes for harvest time.

When to Harvesting Potatoes

Baby potatoes typically can be harvested 2-3 weeks after the plants have finished flowering. Gently dig around the plants to remove potatoes for fresh eating, being careful not to be too intrusive. Try to remove the biggest new potatoes and leave the smaller ones in place so they can continue to grow. Only take what you need for immediate eating. Homegrown new potatoes are a luxury and should be used the same day that they are dug.

Potatoes that are going to be kept for storage should not be dug until 2-3 weeks after the foliage dies back. Carefully dig potatoes with a sturdy fork and if the weather is dry, allow the potatoes to lay in the field, unwashed, for 2-3 days. This curing step allows the skins to mature and is essential for good storage. If the weather during harvest is wet and rainy, allow the potatoes to cure in a dry protected area like a garage or covered porch.

Storage Conditions

At Seed Savers Exchange.  we are able to store potatoes well into the spring in our underground root cellar. Try to find a storage area that is well ventilated, dark, and cool. The ideal temperature is between 35 and 40 degrees F. Keep in mind that some varieties are better keepers than others. Varieties like Red Gold and Rose Gold are best used in the fall, and others like Carola and Russets are exceptional keepers.

Saving Seed Stock

Home gardeners can save seed for several generations. Save the very best potatoes for planting. You may find that after several years the size begins to decrease; this is typical. Potatoes are very susceptible to viruses. If you are looking for maximum yields it is best to start with fresh, USDA Certified Seed Stock every year.

In collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, SSE is working to eradicate viruses from heritage potatoes in order to safely preserve potato genetic diversity and to offer high quality seed potatoes.

Growing Potatoes: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Potatoes

The taste and texture of homegrown potatoes are far superior to those of store-bought spuds! Garden “taters” also provide a bounty of nutrients. Here’s how to grow and harvest potatoes in your home garden.

About Potatoes

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a member of the nightshade family, which includes tomato, pepper, and eggplant. This cool-weather vegetable typically yields bigger crops in the northern portion of the U.S., however, they can be grown as a winter crop in warmer climates.

The edible part of the potato is the underground “tuber” which is an enlarged underground storage portion of the potato plant. The tuber develops from underground stems called stolons once the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, or around 5 to 7 weeks after planting.

Potatoes are an ancient vegetable that was first documented by the Incas in Peru. According to the Maine Potato Board, this vegetable arrived in the American Colonies in 1621 when the Governor of Bermuda sent potatoes to the Governor of Virginia at Jamestown.

Now America’s #1 vegetable, potatoes are a fat-free, cholesterol-free source of carbohydrates (energy). But it’s the skin that you should not discard; the skin provides 45% of your daily vitamin C and 18% of potassium, as well as thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

Learn more about planting potatoes below. 

Planting

Plant potatoes in a sunny place with at least 6 hours of directly sunlight each day. The tubers need to grow in fertile, loose, well-drained soil; hard or compacted soil leads to misshapen tubers. Ideally, soil is slightly acid (pH 5.8 to 6.5) and the soil temperature is at least 45º to 55ºF  (7° to 13°C). Before planting (preferably in the fall), mix compost or organic matter into the soil. Learn more about compost, soil amendments, and preparing soil for planting.)

When to Plant Potatoes

Garden potatoes can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked. For many gardeners, this is about 2 weeks after the last spring frost. But aware that early crops may be ruined by soil that’s too wet as the potato seeds will rot. Pay more attention to the soil than the calendar to determine planting time. The soil should not be so wet that it sticks together and is hard to work. Let it dry out a bit first. If you have a late and wet spring, you can plant later—through April (depending on location) or even June, especially in containers. 

In cooler regions, some gardeners will plant the first crop of “early-maturing” potatoes in early to mid-April, 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date. These varieties can withstand frost.

In warmer regions, potatoes can be grown as a winter crop and planting times range from September to February. Where winters are relatively mild, you can plant a fall crop in September. For example, in central Florida, gardeners plant potatoes in January, and in Georgia they plant in February.

See our Planting Guide for the best dates to plant by zip code or postal code.

How to Plant Potatoes

Note: Potatoes are usually planted in the ground, but they also can be grown in large containers or baskets. The same planting information applies.

Use certified (disease-resistant) seed potatoes from which eyes (buds) protrude. (Do not confuse seed potatoes with potato seeds or grocery produce.

Preparing seed potatoes for planting. Photo by tanyss/Getty Images.

When and how to plant potatoes: advice from experts

How to harvest a high yield of potatoes? The cultivation of this culture has its own characteristics, the knowledge of which is indispensable. How to plant potatoes correctly, the editors of the site tvtomsk.ru learned in the Agrarian Center of the Tomsk Region.

Choice of variety

Obtaining high yields of potatoes largely depends on the right variety. Well-known varieties, for example, "blue-eye", of course, are very tasty, but are unstable to almost all types of potato diseases.

Experts note that late varieties have higher yields, but even a very good variety should not be planted for more than 8 or 10 years. It must be replaced by a new one.

The most common varieties of potatoes among the population of the Tomsk region: Nevsky, Zhukovsky early, In memory of Rogachev, Nakra, Rosara, Lina, Fresco, Antonina, Lyubava, Solnechny, Ketsky, Safo, Anniversary, Charm, Tomich, Sante, Ideal, Karatop, Feloks , Adretta, Lugovskoy, Tuleevsky, Udalets, Rozhdestvensky, Zekura.

Preparing the soil and potatoes for planting

The soil for potatoes for next year is already being prepared at the end of this summer. For digging, you can add urea, ammonium nitrate, double granular superphosphate or potassium salt.

Pure tubers must weigh between 55 and 100 grams. It is recommended to warm the tubers to room temperature for 3 days, then spread them out on the windowsill, in low boxes or on the floor near the window, so that the tubers get a little daylight.

Potatoes can be treated with copper sulphate, Energen, Buton or Agricola Vegeta biostimulants.

If the tubers are thick, strong and short shoots, they can be planted. Large potatoes should be cut with a knife so that at least 2 sprouts are located on the cut parts. Dry them for 2 days, then proceed to planting.

Planting potatoes

Potatoes are best planted after cucumbers, radishes, radishes, beans, green peas and green manure. It should not be placed after tomato and eggplant.

Potatoes should only be planted when the soil is warm to 8°C. Stick to a planting depth of 9-10 cm. Early varieties should be planted in early May. Plant mid-season potatoes in the 10th of May.

Planting methods

1. Smooth method. Plant the vegetable by spreading the potatoes in the furrow. The best potato growth is seen when the distance between the bushes is 65-70 cm and the aisles are wide. Row spacing and hilling should be loosened a week after planting.

2. Comb method. Cut the ridges with a tractor cultivator or walk-behind tractor. Plant potatoes 8 cm on loamy soils and 11 cm on sandy soils. It should be moderately moist, loose and free of weeds. Potato hilling is carried out when the plant is 15-17 cm in height.

When plants develop slowly, remember to feed them and water them regularly. Weak development can be recognized by the state of the tops. For example, if there is not enough nitrogen, then there will be thin stems and small leaves, and the tops of a light green color.

End each watering by loosening the soil. When watering, keep the watering can close to the ground. The water temperature must be greater than the soil temperature.

Potato fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are most valuable for potatoes. Not completely rotted manure is valid for 2-4 years. Manure that has decomposed to humus is 4 times more saturated with nitrogen than fresh manure. Therefore, it is better to choose rotten manure for fertilizer. It is also recommended to use slurry with water or humus. Use wood ash for digging, add to top dressing and to holes.

How to properly store potatoes

Store potatoes in a cool, dry and well ventilated area. During storage, the main thing is not to let the tubers germinate or rot. Potatoes go bad especially in the spring.

Protection against pests and diseases

Diseases and pests of potatoes reduce its yield and quality of tubers. The main fungal diseases of this crop are early rot and late blight. Of the insects, the Colorado potato beetle and wireworms cause the greatest harm.

Late blight

The most common fungal disease of potatoes. It affects leaves, stems and tubers. On the surface of the tuber, brownish-grayish depressed spots are formed, inside it is painted in a rusty-brown color. The fungus enters the tubers during the harvesting period. The disease spreads in damp, moderately warm weather. To prevent the development of the disease, after harvesting, all affected plant residues are removed from the site and destroyed. When the first signs of disease appear, the plants are sprayed 90% solution of copper oxychloride.

Control of the Colorado potato beetle

One of the pest control methods in private farms is the cultivation of resistant varieties of potatoes. The Colorado potato beetle affects the following varieties less: Pomegranate, Crystal, Lasunok, Spark, Loshitsky, Temp. Chemical control remains the most effective method of dealing with the beetle. Plants are usually treated when there are more than 15 larvae per plant in the plantings. For the first treatments, it is better to use insecticides such as Commander and Iskra Zolotaya - they provide protection for 20 days.

Wireworm control

Wireworm lives in the ground and damages stolons, roots, stem bases and especially tubers. Helps in the fight against wireworm early autumn digging of the soil. Deep loosening in the spring and summer contributes to the destruction of the larvae. Liming of acidic soils has an effective effect.

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step-by-step instructions with expert advice

In recent years, summer residents have begun to abandon vegetable gardens in favor of flower beds and lawns. They reasoned simply: why mess with the beds when vegetables cost a penny in season. But the coronavirus pandemic has made its own adjustments - someone had their wages cut, and someone was left without work at all.

Realtors have already noted that the demand for suburban areas has increased in the Moscow region, they have begun to rise in price. And many of those summer residents who already have cherished acres have begun to dig up lawns and plant vegetable gardens. Potatoes have been planted - a good help in a crisis! But over the years of ornamental gardening, everyone has already forgotten how, in fact, to care for her. Let's brush up on our knowledge.

Frost protection

Planting potatoes is easy - dig holes with a shovel and throw tubers into them. And after about 3 weeks, wait for shoots. And now she has ascended - this period falls just at the end of May. Potato is a heat-loving plant, does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures, and frosts in the middle lane occur until June 5. How to save it in order to eventually grow a lot of potatoes?

The method is as follows: if weather forecasters promise night cold snaps, you need to spud potato shoots “with their heads” in the evening, that is, cover them with earth along with the crown. And in the morning, when it starts to warm up, unwind. This is a very simple, but the most reliable way to protect potatoes from frost.

Watering

To grow a lot of potatoes, it is enough to carry out only 2 waterings per season:

But further irrigation of potatoes is contraindicated. Excess moisture provokes 2 problems: late blight develops rapidly, and then the tubers rot.

Hilling

Many varieties of potatoes have an unpleasant feature - their tubers are formed at a shallow depth and, when they gain mass, they partially appear above the soil surface and turn green, they form a poisonous substance solanine. And to prevent this from happening, potatoes need to be spudded. This is done 3 times during the season:

Ultimately, the height of the ridge should be 15 - 20 cm.

Hilling potatoes is best after rain or watering (1), but not immediately - when the soil is a little dry, but still wet.

Protection from pests

Since summer residents began to grow not so many potatoes as in the past, in recent years the Colorado potato beetle has become significantly smaller, and somewhere has completely disappeared. But this does not mean that he will not return and start harming again.

Dealing with it is now easy - most modern drugs destroy it after the first treatment. Sometimes 2 treatments per season may be required. However, next year the pest may reappear. And here you need to remember the main rule: you can’t treat potato plantings with the same preparation for two years in a row.

Let's say Arrivo did a good job this year. But this does not mean at all that it will be just as effective next summer - the Colorado potato beetle develops resistance to drugs. Therefore, they need to be changed: this season - one, in the future - another. But here it is not the name of the remedy that is important, but its active substance. The fact is that different drugs can have the same composition. For example, the active substance in the same Arrivo is cypermethrin. And the same cypermethrin is the basis of the drug Inta-Vir. Therefore, it makes no sense to use Inta-Vir after Arrivo.

Another scourge for potatoes is the wireworm, the larvae of the nut beetle (2). There are many methods of dealing with it, there are drugs on sale, but practice has shown that the best way to get rid of this pest is to put 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate. Keep this in mind for next year to grow a lot of potatoes.

Protection from diseases

Summer residents know that late blight is the main problem of tomatoes. But they have already forgotten that this disease affects all nightshade crops, including potatoes. It can develop in a very short time, hitting the entire tops.

The main cause of such outbreaks is high humidity. That is why potatoes should not be watered after flowering. But in the summer there are rains, and we can’t influence this in any way. They are especially dangerous in August, when it gets cool. In order to prevent the development of the disease, in early August, potato tops should be treated with copper-containing preparations - Bordeaux liquid (1%) or copper oxychloride (0.3%) (3).

Harvest

Potatoes intended for storage start after 25 August. This should be done in dry warm weather. It is better to dig not with a shovel, as we are used to, but with a pitchfork - so there is less chance of cutting the tubers.

Potatoes should be sorted immediately. The first step is to choose the most productive bushes, in which all the potatoes are even and the same in size - they need to be set aside for seeds.

The remaining tubers need to be poured in one layer in the garden - let them lie down for a couple of hours, dry out. And then you need to sort them too. Sick and injured - in one heap. They will not be stored, they must be eaten in the near future. Healthy - in another. They can be safely laid in the cellar.

But not right away. Potatoes intended for storage should be sent for 2 weeks to a dark, cool room, for example, to a barn or a bathhouse. During this time, it will finally dry out, ripen, the skin will become dense. And only then it can be lowered into the cellar.

Storage

The ideal conditions for storing potatoes are in a cellar with a temperature of 2-3°C and about 90% humidity (4).

Say, we don't live in the countryside, where can we get a cellar? There are other storage options.

In the refrigerator. Part of the harvest, the same damaged tubers, can be sent to the refrigerator - there are ideal conditions for them.

In an apartment. Potatoes can be stored in bags in a dark place at room temperature for a couple of months. For example, in the closet. Or in the cabinet under the sink. Or even under the bed. The main thing is that light does not fall on it, so the bags must be tight. Cardboard boxes can be used instead of bags.

On the balcony. Potatoes can lie on a glazed balcony much longer. But here again it is important that the light does not fall on it. And you also need to monitor the temperature so that it does not fall below 0 ° C. Otherwise, the tubers will freeze and will not be stored. In addition, frozen potatoes acquire a sweet taste.

To protect the potatoes from the cold, the bags should be wrapped in 2 to 3 layers of fleece before the temperature drops. Spunbond-60 is ideal - they are usually covered with roses in winter.

Popular questions and answers

The agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova told us about the tricks that help to grow a good potato crop.

When to plant potatoes?

The traditional time for planting potatoes is from 1 to 10 May. The tubers germinate at a soil temperature of 7 ° C, and, as it should be, by the beginning of May, it warms up to these values. If the spring is early and warm, you can plant potatoes after April 25th. With a cold, protracted spring, it is better to shift the deadline to mid-May.

Why can't you plant potatoes in the same area every year?

Because pathogens and pest larvae accumulate in the soil. Potatoes can be returned to their original place no earlier than after 4 years. And it is best to plant it after cucumbers, cabbage, peas, root vegetables and corn. But after relatives - nightshade crops, which include tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, you can’t plant potatoes - they have common pathogens.

Should potato tubers be germinated before planting?

Optional, but desirable. And it is important to germinate it in the light, because under the rays of the sun, the toxic substance solanine is formed in the tubers, which protects potatoes from pathogens. Yes, and germinated potatoes sprout earlier, which is important if May turned out to be dry. The faster the potato sprouts, the sooner it will take root in the lower layers of the soil and be able to extract water for itself.

Sources

  1. Yakubovskaya L.D., Yakubovsky V.N., Rozhkova L.N. ABC of a summer resident // Minsk, OOO "Orakul", OOO Lazurak, IPKA "Publicity", 1994 - 415 p.
  2. Dolin V.G. Key to click beetle larvae of the fauna of the USSR // Urozhay, 1978
  3. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals permitted for use on the territory of the Russian Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation
    https://mcx .

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