Growing Potatoes

I have a quiz for you - What is white, red or yellow, can be eaten fresh, fried or even raw and is one of the most important staples of the human diet.  If you guessed potato, you are right. 

This nutritious vegetable can be fun to grow in the home garden.  You’ll start with seed potatoes.  These are really tubers just like the potatoes we eat.  These contain "eyes" that grow into potato plants.  You may have seen this happen on potatoes stored in the pantry.   Purchase seed potatoes at garden centers or from garden catalogues for best results.

Cut whole or large seed potatoes into smaller pieces containing at least one good "eye".   Plant them in a 2- to 3-inch furrow, 10 to 12 inches apart, leaving 24 to 36 inches between the rows.  As the plants begin to grow, mound the nearby soil over the tubers until the rows are 4 to 6 inches high.  Keep the planting weeded and wait for the harvest. 

Or, you can try planting your potatoes in a pot or planting bag.

A bit more information:  Whether you garden on a balcony or a large lot there is always room to grow a pot of potatoes.  Fill a large container or grow bag with several inches of compost or well drained potting mix.  Set several sections of seed potatoes in the compost at the bottom of the pot.  Each piece of seed potato should have one or two eyes.  Cover them with the compost or potting mix.  As the potatoes grow cover the bottom of the stems with soil or compost.  Water thoroughly and whenever the top few inches of soil are slightly moist.  Once the container is filled continue to water and fertilize as needed.  Your potatoes will be full size when the vines start to dry. Just empty the container to harvest your potatoes. 

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