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 80°F.
• 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
• Clancy - grown from seed, which eliminates the potential for introducing disease into the garden, dark green foliage and blue flowers, red to rose bluish skin tones with creamy white to yellow interior, All-America Selections winner