Potatoes
Kids
love to start potatoes because you don't plant seeds - you plant EYES.
EWWWW!!!!
But don't worry. They're not REAL eyes. The "eyes" of a potato are the small
indented buds that are scattered around each tuber, and from which new potato plants
can grow.
Potatoes
are nutritious and come in many colors: white, brown, red, yellow, and even
blue and purple ones.
Keep
in mind that the ONLY edible part of a potato is the part that grows
underground - the "tuber." The stems, leaves and every other plant part is
poisonous - part of the nightshade family - so teach kids NEVER to eat anything
but the potato.
The
edible part - the tuber - is kind of like a refrigerator for the rest of the
plant. It stores the plant's food!
The
plant's leaves draw in the sunlight, water and carbon dioxide from above
ground, and converts them into energy. The energy is stored below as the
potatoes we like to eat.
Pulling
up the potatoes and separating them from the green parts of the plant will kill
the plant, but that's OK: we'll just plant new potato "eyes" next year and grow
some more!
Two
to four weeks before the date of the last expected frost, or in mid- to late
April in the Omaha
area, you can plant potato eyes. They will germinate most easily in soil
temperatures of 65 - 70 degrees, so planting them much earlier than this
probably won't pay off.
You
have to plan ahead to plant potato eyes, and mark a couple of key dates on your
calendar because potatoes require a couple of tasks later on.
Purchase
seed potatoes, which are marketed specifically because they will produce good
plants. You might get some plants out of store-bought table potatoes. But
you'll be happier with your harvest if you use seed potatoes. Potatoes are very
disease-prone, so it's best to use certified disease-free seed potatoes for a
good crop.
Two
days before planting, cut each seed potato into two-inch chunks, making sure
that there is one "eye" in each chunk. Let them dry on a paper towel indoors at
about 70 degrees, in high humidity so that the chunks don't begin to rot.
Make
trenches that are about six inches deep and six inches wide, and cultivate
well. Add a little compost.
Place
each chunk about 12" apart, and cover with 3" to 4" of soil.
One
week AFTER shoots emerge, mound the soil around the base, leaving a few inches
of the shoots exposed. This is called "hilling." It is important to prevent
your potatoes from getting exposed to the light and turning green in color.
Two
or three weeks later, apply fertilizer about 6" away from the plant, and "hill"
again, mounding up still more soil.
Your
potato plants may reach about 24" to 30" in height and will spread out about
24" in width. They may reach as deep as 18" under the surface, or even deeper
if you've dug down deep enough to loosen the soil and make it easy to grow
underneath.
HARVEST
during blossoming or about 10 weeks after planting, if you want small "new"
potatoes. Harvest about 17 weeks after planting if you want regular-sized
potatoes, when the vines have died back about halfway.
To
harvest, gently pull or dig out the potatoes with a garden fork. Always do this
in dry soil to avoid damaging the skin. If you decide they aren't large enough
yet, just pack the soil back and try again in about two weeks.
If
you intend to store the potatoes over the winter instead of eating them right
away, dig them near the first fall frost, when the plant tops have died back.
Dry them on the ground for a day or two, and then cure at 50-60 degrees in high
humidity for 10-14 days, out of the sun so they don't turn green.
Once
cured, store in total darkness in a single layer. You can try adding some English
lavender, rosemary or sage, which are thought to keep potatoes from sprouting
while in storage.
Good
companion plants: Beans, catnip, coriander, eggplant, flax, goldenrod,
horseradish, nasturtium, onion and corn.
Potatoes
are incompatible when planted near cucumbers, peas, pumpkins, raspberries,
spinach, squash, sunflowers or tomatoes.
