Melinda Myers

Potato

Botanical Name

Solanum tuberosum

Hardiness

Annual

Height

18 to 36 inches

Width

18 to 36 inches

Light

Full sun

Soil

Moist, well-drained, organic, acid

Planting & Care

• Potatoes should only be planted after the soil has reached a temperature of 40 F. Tubers will fail to form in soils over 80F.
• Use certified disease-free seed potatoes from your local garden center or catalog source
• Cut seed potatoes into 1 to 2 inch pieces with at least one good eye (preferably 2) per piece.  Plant pieces 1 to 3 inches deep, spacing them 10 to 12 inches apart. Space rows 24 to 36 inches apart.
• When the plants reach 6 to 8 inches, begin to hill the soil around base of plant. Repeat every 2 to 3 weeks during the growing season.
• Hilling prevents the tubers from becoming exposed to the sun and becoming green and bitter
• Green potatoes contain solanine, which can be toxic when eaten in large quantities
• Providing even soil moisture cools the soil and aids in uniform tuber development
• Use floating row covers to protect plants from insect damage

Problems

Colorado potato beetles, flea beetles, aphids, leaf hoppers, scab, blights

Varieties

• Yukon Gold - popular yellow fleshed variety
• Red Pontiac - red skin
• Norland - smooth red skin, scab resistant
• Adirondack Blue - dark purple skin and flesh
• Adirondack Red - reddish-purple skin with red flesh