Garden Supplies For Growing 100 Pounds of Potatoes
Potatoes are an easy to grow tubular that requires a little attention and can be grown in a small area. Many claim the harvest over 100 pound of potatoes from a 4 square foot gardening area. All the care required is to add soil to the mound as the plant grows.
Garden seed potatoes aren’t really seeds. They are full-size potatoes that are allowed to start producing shoots in the potato eyes. You’ve probably seen this happen when you’ve stored potatoes in the kitchen for too long. Planting potatoes from the grocery store is a gamble. Some individual potatoes are treated with a growth inhibitor to keep them from sprouting so you need to wash them. Buying bulk potatoes usually don’t have growth inhibiters.
A week or two before you plant your potatoes you’ll want to sprout your seedlings. Put them in a warm location with 60 to 70 degree heat and in the sunlight to accelerate the sprouting process.
The day before planting you will want to cut up the seed potatoes. Cut a 1-1/2 to 2 inch cube containing at least 2 eyes. Leave your cut potatoes open to the air overnight. A callous will cover the cut part and will prevent the seed from rotting in the ground.
Potatoes don’t like a particularly rich soil. If you have some organic matter and the pH is good, the potatoes should be happy. What they do rely on is a steady water supply. If the spring and summer rains don’t offer enough water, water them at least an inch a week.
Gardening accessories like a crib containers, used tires or just mounds allow for gardening to be done in a small space. Dig out a shallow circle 3 to 4 foot in diameter. Amend the soil with compost and peat moss as done in the trench method. Plant 6 to 8 seed potatoes evenly around the circle and cover with 4 inches of soil. Three weeks later cover the vines partially with soil or mulch; run mulch all the way to the leaves and allow it to actually touch the leaves . Continue until the vines bloom.
Potato sprouts will appear in about 2 weeks. When they get about 2 or more inches high (this will take about 3 weeks) add soil to partially cover the growing vines. Do this again 2 weeks later. This process is called “hilling”. Add an inch or two of soil every week so there is enough soil above the developing potato garden to prevent them from sticking out above the soil line because the potatoes will turn green
Harvest carefully, by hand or with a shovel. Generally, you can harvest from 2 to 4 months after planting. Turn the soil over and search through for potatoes at the bottom of the mound. The tubers can branch out and gentle digging at the bottom layer of your container will yield a potato or two. You can harvest the entire crop when the tops die off. All the sprays and fertilizers to grow healthy potatoes: Gardening Accessories
