Everything You Need to Know About How to Grow Potatoes at Home

Potatoes are planted from "seed potatoes". Buy them from a nursery or online plant store for best results. You can try growing them from any fennel that is past its prime (like the ones tucked away in the back of the pantry), but you're not always successful because they may have been treated to keep them from sprouting or they may be harboring disease without showing signs.

When you're ready to plant, cut the potato into two-inch or larger chunks, making sure each has one or two "eyes" or sprouts. Then place them in a warm, sunny spot for at least a few days, until they heal, although this step isn't always necessary (read more about healing here).

When planting, you want loose, fertile soil that drains well. Prepare the bed with a sprout or garden shovel to completely flip the soil in your potato beds and break up clumps.

Dig holes 10 to 12 inches deep and space the pieces 10 to 12 inches apart. Place each piece in a hole with the eye facing up. Cover the piece with 5 to 7 cm of soil. Add more soil, "heaping" around the plant each time the vines grow 6 to 8 inches.

How to plant potatoes in a container

The most important step? Use a large container. A five or even 10 gallon bucket is ideal, but the containers should be at least two feet deep. Place four to six inches of soil in the bottom of the container, add the potato, and cover with another two to three inches of soil.

Continue adding soil as the plant grows and poke the soil 15-20 cm. You want to keep them covered with dirt because they will turn green and bitter if exposed to air. Potatoes in containers will generally be smaller and underperform.

How to care for potatoes

Potatoes like slightly acidic soil, so find a balanced basic fertilizer to add at planting time and then give them regular water; usually this is about an inch of water a week.

You should always keep the plants moist, especially during flowering, because that is when the tubers form. Avoid adding too much nitrogen as this will cause lush foliage but smaller tubers.

If any potatoes jump out of the ground during cultivation, cover them with soil to prevent them from turning green.

 

Enjoy This Video Tutorial About  How to Grow Potatoes at Home

Source: Urban Gardening

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Last update on 2025-02-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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