Always use seed potatoes with eyes on them for better harvest. Seed potatoes are easily available at nurseries or gardening centers near you.
Or take some organic potatoes and place them in a brown paper bag for a few days and the eyes will start to sprout. Then follow the directions for planting.
Use big containers or poly bags 20-25-inch diameter poly bags with 18-20 inch depth are good enough for planting potatoes. Whatever you use for a container, make sure it has good drainage.
POTATO PLANTING TIME:
(MARCH – MAY) , HARVEST TIME- JUNE – OCTOBER
SOIL: 60% GARDEN SOIL, 40% COMPOST
Fill your pot with 4 to 6 inches of your growing medium. The entire bottom of the pot should be covered. Lightly pat the soil down with your hands.
Potatoes can be easily grown in any large container, from large pots of nursery containers to big garbage cans. Even trash bags or stacks of tires will provide good growing space.
You can plant 4-5 seed potatoes in a 20-25 inch diameter poly bag. Ensure that they are not touching one another or the edge of the pot. Do not overcrowd each pot planting more than the recommended amount of seed potatoes.
Place your seed potatoes in the soil with the eyes facing upward. Space them at least 6-8 inches apart.
After you have planted your seed potatoes, cover them with a couple of inches of potting soil.
Potatoes do best with soil that is moist, but not soggy. Water-logged soil can lead to the growth of fungus.
Position your potato pots so that they receive direct sun for at least 6-8 hours a day.
(In-ground potato seeds are planted in ridges and there is a gap of 10-12 inches between two ridges. Potatoes should be planted in rows about 12 inches apart and at a depth of about 3-4 inches. Normally after 110-120 days when the plants turn yellow and die back. At that point harvest all of the potatoes at once.)
After 15 days, your potatoes also need consistent watering. You want to keep the sun moist, but not wet. If the soil is too dry, the plants will die; if it’s too wet, the potatoes will rot.
After 35 days, Your potato plants have grown about 6-8 inches, you need to “hill” them. This is done by adding a couple of inches of soil mix around your potato plants. Be careful not to break the plants in the process.
After 45 days, Repeat the hilling process a few more times as your plants grow.
After every 25-30 days add organic fertilizer such as vermicompost, leaf mold, horse manure, etc to get good-sized potatoes.
After 115 days, Harvest your potatoes when their foliage turns yellow. This is the best sign that your potatoes are ready to dig up.
The easiest way to do this is to turn the poly bag over and dump it into an empty container.
You can then freely paw through the soil to find all of the potatoes.
You may find a few tiny potatoes but don’t chuck them. Those can be some of the best and sweetest potatoes of the year and they’re perfect for tossing whole into a stew.
For storage, begin by brushing off the dirt then let them let them dry for a day in partial shade. They’re best stored in baskets or paper bags that allow them to breathe.
