Potatoes are a fundamental vegetable in the diet of many peoples. Their cultivation is pretty simple - read on to find out more.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Choosing the Right Strain
Step 1. Choose the type of potato based on the growing season
Potatoes are classified according to their ripening time, which can be influenced by the climate.
- Early potatoes ripen in 60-110 days. Planted towards the end of March, they are generally ready for harvest between the end of June and the beginning of July. Some varieties of this type are Pentland Javelin, Arran Pilot and Dunluce.
- Traditional varieties ripen in 125-140 days. Planted in late April, they can be harvested in mid-August, and then until October. These varieties have a higher yield and usually produce larger tubers, which can be eaten fresh or stored for the winter. King Edward, Kerrs Pink, and Harmony are great examples of these strains.
Step 2. Get your favorite seeds
You can buy them online, at a garden center, and even use leftover potatoes you got from the supermarket; however, these seeds are not certified as disease-free and can therefore lead to perpetually problematic harvests if you plan on using the same plot over and over again, as certain diseases are transmitted year after year across the earth.
Always try to get certified seeds; in this way, you minimize the risk of having potatoes carrying diseases or viruses. You can buy them at reputable garden centers or online; remember that the different varieties come in different seasons
Step 3. Prepare the seeds
Slice the potatoes into four parts using a sharp smooth-bladed knife, making sure that each piece has no more than three "eyes" (the small indentations or spots on the surface). Leave the pieces in the sun for a day or two, until you notice that sprouts start to appear.
Don't soak the potatoes as some people suggest. Unlike other seeds, these tubers do not have a skin so hard that it needs to be softened with water and their pulp has all the humidity to guarantee the development of the shoots; soaking increases the risk of rot, rather than bringing benefits! You must allow the cuts to "heal" and become covered with a hard layer that protects the rest of the pulp from rot
Step 4. Consider using potato fruit to grow seeds
Some varieties develop small green and very toxic fruits that contain up to 300 potato seeds. Finely chop the fruit and put it in a saucer with water; after about a day the seeds separate from the pulp and go to the bottom.
Step 5. Sprout the tubers in a greenhouse or on a windowsill
You can use empty egg cartons or a seedbed to hold the potato pieces upright; when the shoots are about 1 cm long, they are ready to be buried.
Leave 2-3 sprouts on each piece of potato and remove the others
Part 2 of 2: Plant the Potatoes
Step 1. Prepare the ground
You can plant potatoes in a piece of the garden or in a planter on the terrace; large pots, old stacked tires or terracotta chimney tops are perfect for this grow. The key thing is to make sure the land is as free of weeds as possible; you should also enrich it by mixing it with manure or compost.
- Prepare the soil with well-aged compost and a specific fertilizer very rich in potassium.
- Remember to hoe or loosen the earth very well, as potatoes do not grow in hard or firm soil.
Step 2. Choose the appropriate time based on the climatic conditions of the region
Plant the seeds a week or two before the last expected frost; consult an agricultural almanac or meteorology website to find out when this will happen. Very cold nights kill potential parasites, while potatoes need more sunlight as the days get longer; for example, tubers that are planted in mid-March in central Italy yield their harvest in July.
Step 3. Choose the right area of the garden
Opt for a sunny part of loose soil on your property, as this type of vegetable needs heat and light to develop well. never sow it in shady spots in the garden.
- Remember to grow it every year in a different area of the property, so that the soil can rest and restore nitrogen levels; alternatively, you can enrich it with plenty of liquid fertilizer (in 5-10-10 proportions) during the growing season or shortly after harvest.
- Potatoes can also be grown in bags or large pots. Carefully place a sprouted tuber 12 cm deep into the compost, making sure the sprout is facing up, and gently cover it with more compost; all it needs to grow is water, light and shelter from the cold.
Step 4. Plant the seeds approximately 10cm deep
You should plant the potatoes in rows, spacing them about 30 cm from each other and 10 cm deep. Accumulate the earth along the row; the tubers should keep a distance that prevents the plants from joining underground as they grow.
- Alternatively, you can cut the potatoes so that each piece has at least one sprout (preferably two). Sprinkle them carefully with agricultural sulfur, being careful not to break the shoots, otherwise it will slow down their development. Bury the potato pieces cut side down and the sprout, or "eye", up about 8-10 cm from the soil surface.
- As the leaves sprout from the ground, it continues to accumulate soil at the base of the plant to prevent the tubers from being exposed; otherwise they become green, poisonous and therefore inedible.
- When the plants are well established and in bloom, you can add a liquid fertilizer; you can start harvesting when the foliage begins to die.
Step 5. Take care of the plants
Feeding them while they grow ensures healthy and edible vegetables at harvest time.
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Pull out the weeds that grow around the potatoes.
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If you notice any perforated or yellowed leaves, there may be pests. If you don't want to use pesticides, ask the clerks at the garden center for some advice on how to get rid of insects naturally.
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Step 6. Water them in moderation
Potatoes prefer a soil that is not only well moved, but also draining; therefore you should only water them when they are drying out. Do not keep them moist once the tubers have formed; Also be sure to bury them in a heap so that the water that falls on the top runs off quickly. If you plant them at ground level, they won't grow well.
During the summer it is sufficient to water them once a week, as long as you proceed carefully; however, do not hesitate to give them more water if you deem it necessary. If the leaves appear to have wilted, they may need more water; however, be careful not to overdo it, otherwise you will get black potatoes
Step 7. Collect the tubers
When the first frost approaches, harvest and eat the potatoes. You can proceed when they are "new", ie 7-8 weeks after planting, as soon as the first flowers appear. Take some without pulling the stems and leave the others in the earth until they are fully developed. You can tell that they are ready for harvest when the stems turn yellow and wither.
Advice
- If you buy potatoes to grow at a seed farm or garden center, make sure they are of a healthy stock.
- If you leave a few potatoes in the ground, they will develop again the following year. Although it may seem like a simple method to grow tubers, it is never a good idea to exploit the same land for two consecutive years, because soil depletion favors the development of diseases. The best technique is to rotate the crop of all vegetables, including potatoes.
- You can get two harvests a year, one in the summer if you sow in the spring, and one in the early winter when you sow in the fall.
Warnings
- Do not eat parts or green potatoes, as in large quantities they are poisonous.
- The stony ground gives the potatoes strange shapes; remove all stones from the field if you want uniform tubers.
