Potatoes are a highly nutritious and versatile vegetable that can be grown in any garden or in pots. They are a fairly simple crop to plant - just plop a seed potato in a hole and cover it up. No need to work the soil or even amend it too much. But even with the simplest of crops, there are ways to enhance quality and yields.
The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a member of the nightshade family which includes tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Solanums thrive in acidic soil, so do not add lime where you intend to plant potatoes. Potatoes are tolerant of cool soils and moderate frost. Plant them when the soil temperature is 6 degrees C which in our area is well into March or early April.
One way to maximize success is by chitting your seed potatoes. You can use them whole or cut into pieces as long as there are at least two or three good eyes on each piece. Place the potatoes ‘eyes side up’ in egg cartons in a sunny window or greenhouse to allow them time to dry before planting and help prevent the cut edges from rotting. Once the eyes start sprouting, nick off all but two or three so the energy in the seed potato builds fewer and stronger stalks. Chit your potatoes a couple of weeks before you intend to plant. Minimize pest and disease problems by planting your potatoes in a different location each year. Pull up and disposing of any volunteers from previous crops.
Plant seed potatoes about 10 cm deep. Allow 30 cm between plants and about 60 cm between rows. When the plants begin to grow, hoe more soil up against the stems. This is called hilling or earthing-up and encourages more tubers to develop. Hilling also ensures that developing tubers are not exposed to the sun, which causes them to produce chlorophyll and turn the potato surfaces a greenish colour. The green area can be toxic and cause stomach upset.
Hilling need only be done two or three times, beginning when shoots are about 20 cm high and ending as soon as blossoms appear. Straw can be used in place of soil or use a mixture of both. Potatoes grow in just about any soil but they prefer well-drained loamy or sandy soils. Incorporating compost mulch into the soil will add nutrients and help retain moisture.
Newly planted potatoes do not require any watering for several weeks. The seed tuber supplies the budding stalks with everything they need. Once the stalks are several cm high, then watering at the base of the plant is recommended. Potatoes (like tomatoes) do not like water on their leaves and stalks because the dampness makes them vulnerable to blights or other fungal diseases. During dry weather, water potatoes deeply (about 30 cm) two or three times per week.
Once your early varieties flower, begin harvesting your delicious new potatoes. For your main crops, once the stalks look like they are dying, it’s time to get the potatoes out of the ground. Leave them to sit on top of the soil to dry out for a day or two to toughen the peel if you are intending to store them. Do not wash potatoes before storage, since wet potatoes decay easily. Store in a cool dry dark place for optimum results.
Seed potatoes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colours (inside and out!) Whatever you choose for your “bouquet”, be sure to plant some earlier varieties to use as soon as they are harvested such as Warba. Stretch out your harvest by planting some mid-season varieties in April such as Chieftain and Yukon Gold. The later maturing varieties such as Russets and Kennebec are your “main crops” and are planted in late April or early May.
(Courtesy of Campbell River Mirror)