Illustrated Tutorial on Growing Potatoes How to Grow Potatoes

Potatoes are a nutritious staple food. If you are more accustomed to eating potatoes, you might as well grow some yourself, because potatoes grown at home are much more delicious than those bought in the supermarket. . One plant will constantly produce new, nice-sized potatoes, so you'll have enough to share with friends and family. This article will introduce you to the best time to plant potatoes, the most suitable environment for growing potatoes, and tips for harvesting as many potatoes as possible.

Illustrated tutorial on growing potatoes. This manual DIY tutorial includes: preparation before planting, planting potatoes, caring for potatoes, and harvesting potatoes. If you want to learn how to grow potatoes, read this article in the production department Learn the illustrated tutorial on growing potatoes!

Preparation before planting

1Potatoes are a nutritious staple food. If you are more accustomed to eating potatoes, you might as well grow some yourself, because potatoes grown at home are better than those bought in the supermarket. Much more delicious. A single plant will constantly produce new, nice-sized potatoes, so you'll have enough to share with friends and family. This article will introduce you to the best time to plant potatoes, the most suitable environment for growing potatoes, and tips for harvesting as many potatoes as possible.
- If you live in a cooler climate, plant after the first frost in spring.
- If you live in an area with a warmer climate, you don't have to worry about frost. You can plant them in autumn, because high temperatures in summer are not conducive to potato growth.
2Choose a suitable planting location. Potatoes are tubers of plants that grow underground and have a stem with green leaves on the ground. When looking for a planting site in your garden, look for the following characteristics:
- Adequate lighting. Although potatoes should not be grown in an environment where the temperature is too high, sufficient sunlight is still essential. Therefore, the location you choose mustMust have access to sunlight most of the day.
- The soil is fertile and loose. Potatoes grow best on hillsides, so you need to prepare the soil to resemble a hillside. In addition, clay soil is not suitable for growing potatoes.
- Drainage is smooth. Potatoes cannot be planted in soil that easily accumulates water, otherwise they will rot. So, find a location with good drainage. In addition, make sure that there is not too much moisture in the soil when the potatoes are planted.
3Purchase seed potatoes. Seed potatoes are potatoes that have sprouted. You can either order virus-free seed potatoes or buy potatoes directly from a farm supply store.
- Do not use supermarket-bought potatoes as seed potatoes, as these potatoes may be diseased, which will affect the growth of the crop.
- Choose your favorite potato variety. The following varieties of potatoes are more suitable for home cultivation:
  - Yukon gold potatoes, a medium-ripening variety.
  - Superior potatoes, medium-ripe varieties.
  - Red Pontiac potatoes, a late-maturing variety.
  - Kennebec potatoes, a late-maturing variety.

Growing potatoes

1Processing seed potatoes. A week in advance, place the seed potatoes in a warm, sunny place at home to help them germinate.
- A few days in advance, cut larger seed potatoes into 4 cm long pieces. Each piece must have at least 2 buds; small potatoes can be planted directly.
- Potatoes that can grow smoothly will slowly harden at the incision, so that when they are planted in the soil, this hard shell will protect them.
2Treat the soil. Use gardening tools to loosen the soil where the potatoes will be planted and remove rocks and roots.
- In order to make the soil more suitable for potato growth, some organic fertilizer should be mixed into it.
- Dig trenches. First dig a trench 10 cm wide and 15 cm deep, and then dig the same trench several dozen centimeters apart.
- Dig a pit. If you don't have enough space to dig rows of trenches, you can dig a pit 7.5cm wide and 15cm deep.
3Plant seed potatoes. Plant the seed potatoes into the trench you just dug, leaving 30 centimeters between them.
- If it’s a ditch, go across it one by one; if it’s a pit, go in circles.
- Cover the seed potatoes with 10 cm of soil, but do not fill the trench. The place where the potatoes are planted should sink.

Take care of potatoes

1Water. Potatoes should be watered frequently, but not too much, and the soil should always be kept slightly moist.
- Water should be done in the morning, so that the water on the leaves can evaporate before dark, otherwise the potatoes may become sick.
- Pay special attention to watering when the plants are blooming.
2Pile soil. After about 5 weeks, the potatoes The stem will grow several centimeters above the ground. At this time, you need to pile up the surrounding soil along the stem. You can cover the entire stem with soil, or you can leave a little bit on top. This way , fresh potatoes will begin to grow from the mound, on top of the seed potatoes.
- If you plant potatoes in a ditch, you can connect the mounds to form a long small "ridge"; if you plant potatoes in a hole, you will build a large mound of soil.
- As the potato stems grow, mound up the soil again every 2-3 weeks. With each additional layer of soil added, new potatoes will begin to grow beneath the new layer of soil.

Harvest potatoes

1Harvest the newly grown potatoes. After 2-3 weeks, the potatoes begin to bloom. The potatoes harvested at this time are still very tender and not yet mature.
- Carefully dig up the mound. Then pick out the largest potatoes, leaving the smaller ones to continue growing.
- Repack the soil.
- While the potatoes are growing, you can dig them up and pick them at any time.
2Harvest mature potatoes. When potato leaves begin to turn yellow and wilt, potatoes stop growing.
- You can stop watering at this time and wait a week for the potatoes to dry in the soil.
- Carefully dig up the mound, being careful not to damage the potatoes, and then pick the ripe potatoes one by one.
3Let the potatoes air dry. Mature potatoes need to be dried for several days before they can be stored. In this way, a hard skin will form on the outside of the potatoes, ensuring that the inside will not rot within several months.
- Put the harvested potatoes on the soil to air-dry for 1-2 days. Do not wash them before they are completely air-dried.
- If it rains constantly, you can also put it indoors to dry.
4Eat potatoes, or store potatoes. Wash the potatoes and store them in a dry, cool place, or eat them fresh.

Tips

If you don’t have a back garden, you can also plant potatoes in bags. The potatoes grown in this way may be smaller in size, but they taste just as good.