Indeed, potatoes are the universal food, and they cover more than 6.42% of the food requirement of the whole world. I think there is no one in the US who does not like the potato crips or the tender fries. Potatoes are compatible with mixed vegetables, stakes, shallow-rooted fruits, rice, noodles, and nearly everything.
So, when you grow this amazing veggie and prepare a delicious dish with the harvest, that is surely an amazing experience. This statement is applicable to you if you are not a professional gardener. Every professional gardener has experienced this undoubtedly.
However, in this article, I want to share my very own experience about how to grow potatoes, along with tips for care and maintenance. So, stick with it and explore some fascinating facts and figures.
Why Grow Potato in Your Garden
Well, it is a prominent food source, and you like it; this is a very generalized reason to grow it. But other reasons will make you concentrate more on growing potatoes.
- Homegrown potatoes host superior taste and texture that you cannot find in commercially produced ones.
- Potato growing is very easy; even if you are a novice gardener, you can harvest potatoes well with little effort.
- It grows underground, allowing you to grow it between the rows of other plants.
- Potatoes are intertwined with human history. So, growing it every year means nurturing your ancestors’ heritage and tradition.
- Generally, the yield of potatoes is enormous.
Stepwise Guide on How to Grow Potato
The following is the guide that I use to grow potatoes in my garden. However, I must mention that I practice eco-friendly gardening in this case.
Step 01: Select the Right Variety of Potato
There are several varieties of potatoes. You must carefully select a particular one depending on your garden soil type, weather characteristics, etc. Consult the table below to choose the right variety.
| Potato variety | Requirements |
| Russet | 7-10°C, 8-10 hours sunny, sandy loam soil |
| Yukon gold | 8-15°C, 8-10 hours sunny, loose soil |
| Red potatoes | 12-23°C, 6-8 hours sunny, sandy soil |
| Fingerling Potatoes | 8-20°C, 6-8 hours sunny, loose soil |
| Irish Cobble | 8-15°C, 4-6 hours sunny or partial shed, loose-sandy soil |
Step 02: Soil Preparation
Upon selecting the potato variety, you must start preparing the soil for the respective portion of your garden. It is better to allocate the garden’s portion to a garden that has a good drainage facility.
Also, the respective must carry well-drainage properties and be exposed to standard sunny. After allocating a suitable space for growing potatoes in your garden, go for soil preparation. Start with removing weeds, debris, dirt, rocks, etc., which are unwanted items.
Following my eco-friendly gardening preference, I suggest you amend the soil using natural compost. You must fertilize one month before seeding. Finally, you must ensure the respective soil pH rating is 5.5-6.5. If the pH is low, use agricultural lime; if the soil pH is high, use elemental sulfur.
Step 03: Seeding
Before placing the seeds, you have to create raised rows in the allocated space; you can say, on the designated soil bed. Keep 10 to 15 inches distance from one row to another.
The formation of raised rows will automatically create shallow trenches, which you will use for irrigation later. Now, go for seeding by creating 3 to 6-inch deep holes in the raised rows.
It is essential to maintain 8-12 inches seed-to-seed distance. Once the holes are made, place the potato eyes in the holes, keeping the eyes upwards. Finally, cover the holes with soil gently.
Step 04: Watering
Until the seedlings come out, maintain the watering 1 inch per week. On average, water is 0.2″ per day. However, water the plants more if you reside in a very hot area. But you must ensure no water is logged; otherwise, the roots will be damaged.
Step 05: Caring Potato Seedlings
In general, the seedlings will come out within 13 to 28 days. As soon as you see the seedlings, increase the watering rate slightly.
Do side-dressing the seedlings with natural compost to ensure the plants get adequate food. Also, it is better to create small mounds around the seedlings to facilitate support.
Finally, you have completed the potato planting process. Now, it is time to learn about the caring processes.
Tips for Care and Maintenance of Potato Plants
The following caring tips for potato plants have proved effective.
Covering Shoots
Use a spade to cover the shoots as the potato plants gain some height. This will restrict the potatoes from becoming green. Also, this action will improve the production quality.
Fertilizing
If the seedlings are not growing as per the standard rate, you must do fertilizing. In this case, you can use natural fertilizers like coffee grounds, chicken manure, etc.
However, if you are uncomfortable with organic fertilizers, you can use inorganic ones. In my experience, phosphorus and potassium are the best inorganic items to boost the health of potato plants.
So, find the best NPK fertilizer that has a ratio of 5:10:10.
Hilling
You must go for regular hilling as the wind and your movement continuously make the created soil slide down. Do not ever think that the covering of the shoots during the early phase is enough to get a good yield. You have to do continuous hilling as the shoots’ sizes increase.
Weeding
To get a good harvest and quality potatoes, you must do weeding regularly. Handpick the weeds regularly if the allocated space for potato growing is not large. Still, if the allocated space is ample or the intensity of weed is very high, use a hoe to get rid of those.
Pest and Disease Control
In corporate, the following table is used to control pests and diseases of potato plants.
| Issues | Solutions |
| Rhizoctonia | Purchase quality seeds and plant shallowly into the warm soil |
| Bacterial soft rot | Chlorinated water |
| Beetle | Clean the weed |
| Leafhopper | Beauveria bassiana |
Harvest
After 60 to 80 days, when the foliage starts to become yellow, it is time to do the harvesting. You use a spade to dig around the base of the plant, go beneath the potatoes, and dig up. Be careful in this process; otherwise, the potatoes will get damaged.
Conclusion
I hope my guide on how to grow potatoes in an eco-friendly manner will help you a lot. Still, if you are not comfortable with the eco-friendly process, I have listed the most suitable inorganic fertilizers.
Again, the given tips are generated from my personal experience. By using those, I always get better results. I hope you will also get a substantial yield.
