Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Each chunk of seed potato has at least three eyes, so it will grow well.
Dig a trench and plant your potato chunks 9 to 12 inches apart at about 4 inches deep. You want
your potatoes to be planted about two weeks before the last frost so that the frost-tender vines will
emerge to perfect spring weather. As the vines grow, be prepared to hill the potatoes in, or dig the
dirt up around the plants.
The potatoes form on root nodules above the seed potato you planted, so as the vines reach at least
4 inches tall, dig them in. Each week, walk down the rows with the hoe and cover an inch or so of
the vine with soil. Never cover more than a quarter of the vine at any one time, but do generously
cover the vines and build up your potato hills.
Covering the growing vines with soil will give the potatoes more room to grow. It also makes sure
that the sun is blocked from reaching exposed potatoes, which will make them green and inedible.
Continue hilling up the potatoes as the vines grow until the vines stop growing and begin to fall
over. We make sure to put a layer of loose mulch at this point just to help block weeds and sun.
When the vines turn brown and die the potatoes are ready to harvest. Dig your potatoes carefully
to keep from cutting them accidentally. Any potatoes that you cut with the shovel are the potatoes
you'll want to put in your kitchen bin for eating fresh.
Potatoes for storing need to be cured before going into long-term storage over the winter months.
Spread the potatoes out in one layer on a sheet or newspaper (we use feedsacks ripped open and laid
flat) until the skin is dry.
