Container Gardens
GROWING POTATOES
Last year I had a terrible time with potatoes in our garden and I live in Idaho!! So I did some research to see what I could do to improve this year’s crop. Here are some tips that I learned.
Potatoes grow better in well-drained fertile soil. Using a compost or manure will help. Rotate your crop with other plants every 3-4 years.
Small tubers planted whole are less sensitive to decay than cut pieces. You can cut large tubers into sizes of 2 ounces or more (about the size of an egg) with at least two eyes. Be sure to distribute the eyes evenly.
Plant when the soil is 55-60 degrees (about when dandelions bloom) and dry enough to work easily. Plant in furrows 4-6″ deep and in rows 32-36″ apart. Move the soil into a hill when the plants reach 6″ and again when they reach 12-15″. Do not cover the plants completely when creating these hills. Mulch after the second hilling to assist in retaining moisture and preventing sunburn.
Watering is critical. Ensure that once the plants emerge you maintain 1″ of water weekly until two weeks before harvest. Here is hoping that we have a great year for spuds!
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February 6th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
As with most plants, usually when they don’t do so well it’s because they didn’t have full sun. Maybe it was as simple as that?