What everyone should know about growing potatoes in a garden

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Nothing but nothing tastes as good as homegrown potatoes, thus it’s a very good crop for you if you desire a crop to grow easily in your back yard.

Interestingly enough you can plant potatoes for three years prior to having to rotate the crop.Now even though you may desire to use grocery potatoes as seed potatoes, that is not a good idea.

You see, the seed potatoes you purchase from a nursery are certified disease free, whereas potatoes that may be good to eat may still possibly harbor some kind of potato disease that will ruin your crop.

When you grow potatoes they should be planted when the ground temperature reaches at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit.When planting potatoes the garden soil should be light and loose and be of the type that retains moisture. Potatoes prefer the ground to be moist, but never soggy or wet.

Slightly acidic soil is best when you grow potatoes. Plant them where they will receive full sun all day. Encountering water when you begin to dig a hole signifies that this is not a good place to plant potatoes.

Potatoes can weather through light frost, but should be covered to protect them. If you use plastic as a protective barrier, be sure and allow a hole to provide ventilation should the next day be hot!

Two weeks prior to your anticipated planting date, be sure the potatoes are kept in a warm environment that is between 65 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and in a location where they will receive an abundance of light. This will begin the sprouting of the seed potatoes.

Prepare the ground for growing potatoes

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This is also a good time to prepare your soil. Turn the soil a few times and remove any rocks and such, then add in well-rotted compost or composted manure to fertilize the soil, however provide the fertilizer below the depth you will plant your potatoes.

Since you will plant the potatoes about 8 inches deep in a trench, the compost should be 10 inches deep and covered by one inch of soil.

Two days prior to planting potatoes, cut the larger potatoes into seeds by having at least one eye in each in each 1 ¾ inch square. Smaller potatoes may be planted by themselves and won’t require cutting.

The cubes you cut from the large potatoes will develop dark calluses where the cuts were made, which means that they will now resist rotting in the ground.

Plant the potatoes with the cut side down about 14 to 15 inches apart in the trench, and then put about 3 to 4 inches of soil on them. When the sprouts emerge in about 2 weeks, add another 3 to 4 inches of soil then.

When the plants begin to grow, in about 2 more weeks, add about an inch or so of soil once a week. You must keep doing this to prevent the growing potatoes from ever being hit by the sun, or else they will turn green and may actually be toxic!

Water the plants in the morning daily especially when flowers appear. When the foliage begins to turn yellow stop watering and let the plants grow for another 1 to 2 weeks.

Then it’s harvest time!

Remove only the largest potatoes, and leave the smaller ones in the ground to grow further. When you grow potatoes following the instruction here, you'll improve the percentage of a healthy, abundant harvest.