Grow your own Potatoes

Posted on August 2, 2007 in latest news

You would require:

Procedure

  1. First you would have to germinate the seed potatoes. Its good to buy certified diseased free seed potatoes from the market. If you have your own seed potatoes observe them carefully for any signs of disease. If they have signs of disease, then throw them away. Do not try planting the potatoes that you might have bought from your local super-market.
  2. Take a few seed potatoes and cut it into pieces about 1 inch so that each piece has at least one ‘eye’. An eye is the bud where the stem will grow from. After cutting them, put your cuttings into a large grocery bag and fold its top. Keep the grocery bag at room temperature for 2-3 days. After 2-3 days or more you will notice sprouts appearing.
  3. Its important to plant your cut potatoes about 2-4 weeks before your last frost date.
  4. Your soil temperature should be at least 40F.
  5. Dig a 4 inches deep shallow trench with a hoe in your soil. Dig several trenches about 2-3 feet apart from each other.
  6. Place your seed potato pieces in the trench with its eyes up and cut sides down. Make sure the cut seed potato pieces are about 8-12 inches apart. Place the soil over the pieces.
  7. The stems and foliage will appear in about 2-4 weeks depending on the condition of your soil.
  8. When your plants grow about 6-8 inches tall, hoe the soil loosely around the base of each plant within about an inch. This process is called Hilling and it keeps the developing potatoes from the sun. Sun can turn your potatoes green, bitter and toxic.
  9. You can also add a thick layer of weed free mulch to keep the sun off your potatoes. Mulching also helps retain moisture and keeps the soil from drying out.
  10. Give your potato plants deep watering at least once in a week.
  11. Pests and Diseases
  12. You may face a problem of pests like Colorado potato beetles, Aphids, Flea Beetles, Leaf Hoppers.
  13. Diseases like early and late Blight and Scab also may effect your potato plants.
  14. Be careful and control the pests and diseases as soon as you take note of them.

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