"How to Successfully Grow Potatoes: 5 Essential Tips for a Bountiful Harvest"
- mp50081
- Mar 30, 2024
- 2 min read
The potato is a starchy root vegetable native to the Americas. In many parts of the world, it’s eaten as a staple food.
Potatoes are a source of important nutrients, including vitamin C, potassium and vitamin B6.
Eating a potato a day can lower your blood pressure, support your metabolism and they’re good for your brain health.
Potatoes are healthy to eat everyday. Just as long as you aren’t deep frying them or topping them with butter and pairing them with unhealthy foods.
This popular staple has been going up in price. The supply chain for potatoes has been disrupted by bad weather and severe drought, along with geopolitical problems abroad.
Also the growing popularity of potatoes abroad has pushed up prices.
One solution is to grow your own potatoes.
Here are 5 tips for growing potatoes:
1. Choose The Right Potato:
It’s important to choose a potato variety that’s suited for the climate zone you live or the time of year you’re planting.
Some potato varieties are better for colder climates, while others thrive in warmer ones.
Here are some examples, if you live in a colder climate varieties such as russet or red potatoes work. Warmer weather varieties include Yukon Gold and Red LaSoda.
2. Prepare Your Soil:
Potatoes do better in soil that is loose, fertile and slightly acidic (pH around 5.8 to 6.8).
Before you plant, make sure you add organic matter like compost or aged manure into your soil to improve not just its texture but also its nutrient content.
3. Choose The Right Seed Potatoes:
It’s recommended that you select high quality seed potatoes from a reliable source.
Most people think that the best option to grow potatoes is to use store bought potatoes.
A huge difference between regular store bought potatoes and seed potatoes is that regular store bought potatoes are treated with a chemical called a sprout-inhibitor. That means that it prevents the potato’s “eyes” from growing while in storage or on the shelf.
That’s important because these “eyes” are the beginning of new potato plants.
Seed potatoes on the other hand aren’t treated with a sprout-inhibitor and the “eyes” are allowed to grow.
4. Properly Water And Mulch:
Potatoes are sensitive to drought conditions and at the same time they’ll rot in water logged soil.
During the growing season it’s important to mulch along with watering.
Straw, hay, shredded leaves as well as grass clippings from your lawn are good for mulching. They help retain moisture, suppress weeds and keep the soil temperature stable.
5. Apply Fertilizer:
Since potatoes are known as “heavy feeders”, you’ll need to regularly apply fertilizer.
The best fertilizer for potatoes has higher levels of phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen.
However when the potato plant is starting to grow more nitrogen is need but as the potatoes start growing, they need a ratio of 5-10-10.
This ratio refers to 5 Nitrogen, 10 phosphorus and 10 potassium.
Have You Grown Potatoes In Your Garden?
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