 Growing Potatoes
In almost any part of the country, the home gardener with sufficient garden space and a cool, dark storage cellar may grow and store potatoes organically by the moon phase method. Until recently potatoes could be grown only in cool areas, but now with improved varieties and better cultural techniques, they can be grown where summers are fairly hot if they are sufficiently mulched.
The best soil for PotatoesPotatoes need a moist, acidic soil with a pH of less than 6. Soils with a higher pH tend to harbor potato scab, a fungal disease that lives in the soil for many years. On the other hand, potatoes grown in extremely acidic soils are often small and of poor quality though free of scab.Beneficial companion plants
Plants that are benificial to potatoes for both growth and insect control are horseradish, beans, corn, cabbage, marigold, limas and eggplant (as a trap crop for potato beetle).. For information on other vegetable companion plants see the companion planting chart.
Test the soilBefore deciding where to plant potatoes, test the soil in several places on your property. If it is all too alkaline, try growing a green manure crop and plowing it under the autumn before seeding. Or, add pine needles or other acidic plant material to aid in soil preparation.Never use fresh manureFresh manure must never be used on potato land. If well-rotted manure is used, tilling the soil or raking under the topsoil the autumn before planting is best. For a 100-foot row, use ten wheelbarrow-loads of rotted manure and mix it in well so that it does not burn the tubers.The planting and culture of PotatoesSeed potatoes certified free of disease may be purchased from seed dealers. Unless the gardener has been saving seed of his own which he knows are healthy, certified seed potatoes are safest to plant. The best ones are small and do not need cutting. Each potato, or piece, should contain one or more eyes and weigh one to two ounces.If cutting is necessary, make certain that plenty of flesh remains around the eyes since plants must live on this stored food while sprouting. Cut seeds should be allowed to dry 24 hours before planting.
Moon phase planting of PotatoesIf you are gardening by moon phases potatoes should be planted when the moon is in the 3rd Quarter (i.e. waning) and in one of the following Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Taurus, Libra, Capricorn
Planting PotatoesDepending on the size and the number of eyes, five to eight pounds of potatoes are needed to plant a 100-foot row. The trenches or drills are five inches deep and the pieces of tuber are placed every 12 or 14 inches.Early varieties are planted about two weeks before the last killing frost. Late varieties may be planted to mature as late as the first fall frost. Early crops, growing while the weather is still cool, are less likely to be bothered by disease than late varieties. Seed for late crops should always be chosen from the disease-resistant strains.
Mulching potatoesAs soon as planting is finished, a mulch of straw or hay ten to 12 inches deep should be applied. This will keep the soil moist and cool, and foster healthy potatoes.Growing Potatoes above the soilA popular method of growing potatoes above the soil is to plant them on leaves with a cover of mulch. Leaves are piled over the potato patch the previous fall to a depth of three feet and left there for the winter. By spring they have packed down and earthworms are working through them.Potatoes are planted by laying the pieces directly on the leaves, in rows where they are to grow. The seed is then covered with 12 to 14 inches of hay or straw. More mulch is added later, if tubers appear through the mulch. When harvest time comes, the mulch is pulled back and potatoes are picked up and put into their sacks, with no digging necessary. Pests are deterred by the mulch system.
Soil and nutrient requirements of PotatoesInsufficient potash in soil can result in potatoes which become soggy when cooked. A potash deficiency can be corrected by adding about 1/4 pound per square foot of a natural potash mineral such as greensand, granite dust or pulverized feldspar to the soil. These natural minerals also contain the trace elements which are essential to normal healthy growth.A good fertilizer for potatoes may be made by mixing one part cottonseed meal, one part dried fish meal, one part bone meal, two parts greensand, and two parts ground phosphate rock. Potatoes respond best when treated with organic fertilizers.
Potato insect pestsIn the garden, the insects and diseases injurious to potato plants can be controlled by removing insects as soon as they appear, giving them no chance to breed, or organic insect control. The Colorado potato beetle and red slugs appear frequently. Sometimes blister beetles enter the garden and raise havoc among the potato plants. In the small garden, it is wise to place handpicked pests in containers of keroseneDiseases of potato plantsThere are about 60 diseases of potato plants, but many of them are local and unimportant. Where the air is particularly moist and cool, early blight may kill the vines. Late blight may also occur and cause tuber rot. Unusually warm, dry weather may result in tip-burn or hopper-bum which destroys the foliage. Common scab is disfiguring to the potato and can be avoided by keeping the soil acid. Applications of lime or wood ashes should not be used if this is to be accomplished.Harvesting PotatoesPotatoes are ready for harvest when the majority of the tops have withered. Harvesting and preservation of potatoes is not difficult. Early potatoes may be dug for table use at any time. But for storage, the potatoes should be fully mature. They may be left in the ground as much as four to six weeks if the weather is not too warm or too wet. |
After they are dug they should be allowed to dry as quickly as possible, and then should immediately be stored in a cool dark place. Stored in the light, they may turn green, and greened potatoes should not be eaten.
Potato varietiesKennebec and Katandin are recommended as late potatoes resistant to late blight and certain virus diseases, but not to scab. New Norland and Norgold Russet are resistant to scab and are very heavy producers as are Superior and Chieftain. Irish Cobbler andWhite Cobbler are old favorites grown in all states and considered excellent choices for home gardeners.
Russet Burbank is widely grown in the Northwest, but, because it tends to produce misshapen tubers, it is not recommended for the amateur grower.
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