Most of us cannot imagine potatoes not being a part of our dietary consumption. They are incredibly versatile and can be incorporated into a myriad of recipes. I personally love new, freshly dug potatoes and I think most would agree with me.
As a child growing up new potatoes were boiled, sauteed in some butter with fresh chopped parsley and served with cottage cheese. Its still one of my favorites. Another childhood favorite was perfect mashed potatoes, fresh creamed spinach and a fried egg on top. I could go on and on but I must stop or I will be getting up from this chair off to the kitchen to do something about it.
GROWING/ PLANTING POTATOES
Potatoes are heavy feeders so soil preparation is important. They will consume up to 170 pounds of nitrogen per acre and over 1/3 of the available phosphorus, potassium and sulfur.
They prefer a sandy loam with a pH between 5.5 and 6.0. They can do well even in a heavy clay soil as long as the soil has thoroughly warmed up before planting.
Crop rotation is important and ideally potatoes should follow a legume crop. Where you planted peas, beans etc. the year before would be a good spot for spuds the following season. In the fall after the legumes are done dig the bed, apply a good amount of finished compost and cover crop with fall rye. The rye will take up the left over nitrogen and hold it making it available to the growing potatoes next season.
Mycorrhizal fungi are soil organisms which form symbiotic relationships with plants. Our forests are totally dependent on them. These connections are significantly disturbed when the soil is tilled/ cultivated. These fungi can be purchased in a dry form and be used to inoculate the potato tubers with spores at planting time. If you are fortunate enough to live with naturally decomposing areas around you can take a few handfuls of the forest humus and mix it with some soil in a bucket and add a small amount to each planting hole with each potato.
Purchase good quality certified tubers. Certified tubers are deemed to be free of viruses etc. that can devastate potato crops. They will be about the size of a hen's egg. Place them in shallow trays, rose end up to sprout. The rose end is the end with the most eyes. Place in an area with good air circulation. Once the sprouts have grown about 2 inches or so they are ready for planting. If many sprouts have appeared dis bud all but 2 or 3 of the strongest shoots at the rose end. These shoots give you a 2 - 3 week head start on the growing season. Be very gentle handling the tubers so as not to break off the shoots or it sets them back.
Prepare V- shaped furrows about 4 inches deep, ideally the furrows should run north - south, Early potatoes can be set in furrows about 1 -2 feet apart, late potatoes need a good 2 or more feet between rows. Tubers should be spaced a foot or slightly more apart. Place the tubers gently, rose end up, in the furrows and cover with not more than 3-4 inches of soil.
Early potatoes can be planted out from mid-March through April here at the coast but will still depend on how wet the soil is. This year (2011) we have been fortunate to have our first potatoes planted in mid- March, one of our earliest attempts. The soil was sufficiently dried out.
Cover tubers so there is a slight ridge over the furrows. As soon as the first new growth shows through the soil hoe the soil snugly up around the the new shoots. This is especially important if there is still potential risk of frost. The frost can cause significant damage and delay growth. When plants attain a height of 8 inches or so the real work of hilling up the soil begins. Hoe the soil up around the plants to a height of 6 inches or so. Do Not make the hills too steep or the tubers forming underneath may be exposed to light and turn green. Remember that the new potatoes will form ABOVE the planted tuber, NOT below it. Lower hills will also retain moisture better.
The work of hilling the potatoes will be done about every three weeks , 3 times or so total. Repeated hilling may be dependent on rainfall too. Heavy rains cause compaction and tuber exposure. You may have to hill the tubers after heavy rain to protect the plants. As you are hilling you are also keeping the weed competition to a minimum. Too many weeds can definitely affect yields. BUT also keep in mind that each time you hill you can be pruning the roots of the potatoes. Too much pruning of the roots robs the plant of it's ability to supply nutrients to the growing tubers.
You do not want to plant your potatoes much later than June. Potato growth is dependent on the amount of sunshine hours available. As the accumulation of heat units drops off markedly by midsummer and sugar storage declines so does the potential yield.
Oh the temptation of those first baby spuds ! With early varieties it is possible to dig for new potatoes when the plant is in bloom. Once the plants have finished blooming and begin to brown off it is best to cut off the plants and compost them BEFOREThe blight lurks and lives in the soil just waiting to infect the next crop of potatoes. Its also why good crop rotation is so important. Here on the coast the temperatures just don't get low enough to kill off these spores. We have special, separate compost piles for plant matter that is infected with various afflictions. If these piles are properly and adequately heated/ composted they will pose no further threat.
Here at Ironwood Farm we are mostly growing potatoes that are not suitable for winter storage. We do not have the capacity or controls for holding potatoes so grow mostly for fresh market eating. We eat our fill when the time comes and thoroughly enjoy them for the time we have them available.
Potatoes are probably one of the more labour intensive crops to grow but so worth it. They definitely require some time and attention but hey anything worth having is worth some effort.
There is a lot more that can be said about potatoes but for now I think its enough. If you have further questions about potatoes let me know and lets see if I can answer them.
Good Luck and good wishes for a bountiful harvest !
