Posted by Jennifer Dixon on 22nd Jun 2017
Growing Potatoes
Potatoes are probably one of my favorite vegetables to grow. They aren't too fussy and under great conditions can produce pounds of food. If you are able to dedicate even a small area of your homestead to growing potatoes you won't be disappointed. There are many different wonderful varieties to choose from. Although we don't currently sell certified seed potatoes a quick search online will turn up some great suppliers. We like to grow Kennebec, Yukon Gold, and Russet, but these are just a few you can grow.
Potatoes like well drained soil with a fair amount of rich organic material. You will probably want to give the soil a good deep till and make sure of course to plant them in full sun. Keep the soil moist and you can even put hay around the plants to help retain moisture and minimize watering. Now from year to year I recommend doing a crop rotation with potatoes to keep down disease issues.
Potatoes are generally planted in early spring and harvested in early to late summer depending on which variety you are growing and when you planted them. A true indicator that your harvest is ready is when the tops begin to yellow and die. You'll want to make sure you pick a good dry day to harvest your potatoes. Remember to be careful when harvesting your potatoes, not to pierce them. And you may want to dig down a bit to make sure you haven't missed any.
Once you've harvested your potatoes they will need to cure. Make sure to store them somewhere out of direct sunlight because they will begin to turn green and can not be eaten. Also resist the urge to clean them because the skins are easy to bruise since they have not had a chance to cure. We put them in partially open cardboard boxes and store them in our home where they can fully cure. Now you can place them in crates or in boxes under a sheltered porch or in a garage. And any potatoes that are too small to eat you can use for next year's seed potatoes. In the fall we move our seed potatoes outside to our barn because it stays cooler in the barn than inside the house and they seem to keep longer doing this.
Well this just about sums it up. If you haven't tried growing potatoes perhaps next season you could growing these wonderful plants in your garden!