GROWING YOUR OWN SPUDS

Growing potatoes in your garden can be lots of fun. With the variety of types and colors available, planting potatoes can add interest to your garden. Learn how to grow potatoes and when to plant potatoes in your yard with these simple steps.

When growing potato plants (Solanum tuberosum), it is important to keep in mind that potatoes are cool weather vegetables. The best time when to plant potatoes is in early spring. Planting potatoes two to three weeks before your last frost date will produce the most satisfactory results, but they can be planted any time until mid-June on Long Island.

What are Seed Potatoes?

Seed potatoes are grown specifically to be used for planting, and it is a good idea to use USDA certified seed potatoes. This will be the most direct route to a healthy, disease free crop of spuds, but these seed potatoes can also be quite pricey.

Although a cheaper idea, attempting to use supermarket potatoes for seed is not always successful, as they are usually treated with chemicals to prevent sprouting during storage; hence, they may not sprout after planting. But hey, why not give it a try if you can’t find seed potatoes?

A growing potato is an undemanding plant. They need very little other than mild temperatures and soil, which is why they have been a historic food staple. Planting potatoes normally starts with a seed potato. Seed potatoes can be prepared for planting by either planting whole or cutting up the seed so that there are one or two buds or “eyes” on each piece.

There are many ways to plant potatoes:

Straight in the ground – Farming operations and large plantings of potatoes are normally planted this way. This method for growing potatoes means that seed potatoes are planted 1 inch under the soil. As the growing potato plants get larger, the soil is mounded up around the plants.

Straw– Growing potatoes in straw may seem unusual but it is very effective. Lay out a loose layer of straw and put the seed potatoes in the straw. When you see the growing potato plants, cover them with additional straw. Harvesting Potatoes Much like when to plant potatoes, the best time to harvest potatoes is when the weather is cool. Wait until the foliage on the plants has died back completely in the fall. Once the foliage is dead, dig the roots up. Your growing potatoes should be full sized and scattered through the soil. Once the potatoes have been dug up from the soil, allow them to air dry in a cool, dry place before storing them.

Read more at Gardening Know How: How To Grow Potatoes: When To Plant Potatoes https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/potato/how-to-grow-potatoes-when-to-plant-potatoes.htm

So, yes, you can save your own seed potatoes for planting the next year. Commercial growers tend to use the same fields year after year, which increase the chance that diseases will infect the tubers. The home gardener using their own seed potatoes would be wise to rotate their potato crops, or any member of the Solanaceae family ^[2] (among these are tomato ^[3] and eggplant ^[4]) if at all possible. Maintaining a weed-free area around the plants will also aid in retarding disease as will sowing in organic rich, well draining soil.