Content
Intro
Potatoes are very easy to grow. If you've never tried gardening before, potatoes can be a great way to get started. This blog post will provide you with all of the information that you need in order to successfully grow potatoes in your garden. You'll learn about how to choose the best type of soil for growing potatoes, how much sunlight they require, and much more!
There are many reasons why potatoes make a great choice for your first foray into gardening. They're relatively easy to grow, and they produce an abundance of delicious food! Here's what you'll need:
-Potatoes--seed potatoes or organic seed from a local farm store, vegetable stands work best!
What is a Potato Seed
When someone says potato seed they are talking about a regular potato that you will be planting. I replant a whole potato so that potato that I replant is considered to be my potato seed. Potatoes are not grown from seeds, the growth comes out of the potato itself. The potato seed is actually a whole, un-cut Potato.
Soil Type for Growing Potatoes
-Soil type that is deep, porous, rich with compost or rotted manure; loamy soil without stones which may be clayey is preferable. It should drain well but hold moisture long enough for the potatoes to grow.
Sunlight requirements
Potatoes need to have plenty of sunlight in order for them to grow properly and produce well-shaped tubers with good flesh quality. Without enough sun your plants may become spindly or even die off completely if there has been little rain or too many cloudy days which result in inadequate sunlight.
Potatoes need about six hours of sunlight per day, it's important to know how many hours of sunlight your garden gets because potatoes need direct sun.
In order to prevent the tubers from turning green and tasting bitter, keep them out of the light, if you are planting in rows be sure to plant more than seven inches apart so they will receive enough sunlight.
Water Requirements
-Water requirements: water deeply at least once a week if there hasn't been any rain so that their leaves don't droop from lack of moisture (a sign of dehydration). Remember also that potatoes can get thirsty quickly. You should keep your soil moist but not soaked throughout as this will cause moldy patches on any potato tubers within the ground.
Potato Growing Tips
for Beginners
-Potatoes are an easy crop to grow and will produce a bountiful harvest.
-The most important thing for growing potatoes is the type of soil you use. You want it to be fluffy, loose dirt with good drainage so water can flow through easily without getting pooled up.
-You'll need about 7 inches between potato plants in order for them to spread out comfortably and get adequate sunlight exposure. Make sure your row spacing is even - one foot from either side should do just fine unless you're planting a hill-style bed where there's no delineation at all (just make sure they're spaced evenly across the bed.)
-Potatoes like a lot of water, so make sure to give them plenty. They're not drought tolerant and need about an inch of water per week in order to thrive. If you don't have drainage issues, watering will be less frequent (think every three days). The soil should feel like it's moist at all times - never dry or saturated! This is important for potatoes because they can sustain damage from both extremes as well as having their growth stunted by too much moisture.
-The best time to plant your potato garden is right after the last frost date for where you live or when nights are consistently warm enough that there's little chance for freezing temperatures overnight. Putting some kind of protection over seeds before planting is a good idea if you're starting your potatoes indoors because some varieties can take up to five weeks before they'll be ready for the outdoors.
-You want soil that's on the light side (loose and fluffy) with plenty of organic matter, so purchase compost or make it yourself out of grass clippings, leaves, straw, coffee grounds - Potatoes need loose soils in order to grow into their full potential.
-Potato plants are sensitive to frost but don't typically die immediately when exposed. A lot is dependent on how cold it gets at night and also what kind of variety is being grown. There's no set rule about whether waiting one more day after the first signs of frost will help protect the potatoes.
-If you have a ton of potatoes, try roasting them for crispy french fries or hash browns. If you want to freeze some, blanch the whole potato first and then cut it up before freezing so that each piece is ready to boil in its own bag when needed.
-Planting potatoes too shallow can lead to problems with sun exposure as well as insect infestations such as wireworm larvae, potato beetles, etc...
-Potato Gardening Tips for Beginners: - Hilling potatoes is an effective way to protect the potato plants to keep them from being exposed to sunlight which can turn them green and make them inedible.
Planting Seed Potatoes
Planting seed potatoes are the most common way to grow potato plants. Planting them from a store-bought bag of fresh potatoes will not produce good results. Store-bought potatoes have a chemical on them to keep them from sprouting before they're packaged. You can get seed potatoes from your local nursery.
Planting seed potatoes is easy. To grow potatoes, cut the top of each potato off with a sharp knife or use the entire potato. Now you are ready to plant them in your garden or container. Plant them about seven inches apart and four to five inches deep. If you're planting in containers, make sure the potatoes are at least six inches apart and the roots won't get tangled together.
What is Hilling Potatoes?
As potatoes grow they become uncovered by the soil which can leave them vulnerable to exposure to the sun, which turns the potatoes green and makes them inedible. Some gardeners create a mound of soil around the plant as it grows to protect them from exposure, and hilling is simply creating this protective layer. Hilling potatoes involves piling up soil around the emerged part of the plant, which helps with weed control as well as keeping pests at bay by blocking their access to that area. It also protects the pail from being too deeply buried.
Congratulations! You've made it to the end of my blog post. Here's how you can grow potatoes in your backyard garden for a delicious side dish, or even as an entire meal on its own. If you have any questions about growing potatoes from scratch or want more information, feel free to comment below and I'll answer all your gardening queries. Happy planting!
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