Growing potatoes - a quick guide

Growing potatoes - a quick guide

Potatoes are definitely among the world’s most used vegetables and are a staple for millions, which makes them a good income crop for anyon... 6:52:00 AM

Potatoes are definitely among the world’s most used vegetables and are a staple for millions, which makes them a good income crop for anyone with a good sized farm. This short article, will guide you on growing potatoes at your farm.

Seed potatoes

The great thing about growing potatoes is that if you do not have access to seed potatoes or seedlings from commercial nurseries, you can always pass by your local supermarket and buy a bag.

Any potato that has grown an ‘eye’ or a young sprout in the bag is a seed potato. Plant the seed potatoes whole or cut them into pieces - each piece with at least one eye. Smaller potatoes may be planted whole – a good rule of thumb is to plant them whole if they are smaller in size than a golf ball.

You can also make your own seed potatoes by planting seed potatoes with many eyes as these will produce many small potatoes.

Seed potatoes with fewer eyes will produce fewer but larger potatoes.

***Just allow the seed potatoes pieces to seal themselves over a day or two so that when you plant them they do not become infected by fungus or disease.

Season for planting potatoes

You can start planting your potatoes in early spring once the days start warming up - early September is a good time, just watch the trees around you and when they start sprouting their new leaves then you can plant your potatoes.

Planting potatoes

• Prepare the field and ensure that you remove stones and break large clods – in short have a field with fine soil.
• If you use chemical fertiliser, apply one handful per 1m furrow length. If you use kraal manure, apply four to six handsful of manure per 1m² before starting soil preparation, and work evenly into the soil.
• Prepare furrows 15cm deep and 1 metre apart.
• Plant the seed potato tubers about 30cm apart in the furrows, and cover them with enough soil to form a small ridge on top of the row.
• Water regularly (at least twice a week) from the time you plant until the young shoot appears above the soil surface. This can be anything from one week to three weeks after planting.
• When shoots emerge, the potato plants grow quickly. Cover the base of the plant with soil when the plant is about 30cm tall (cover about 20cm) to ensure that any potatoes forming under the ground stay there. If a potato is exposed to sunlight, it turns green and becomes bitter and inedible. During this growing period, water the potatoes regularly so they don’t hollow out inside.

Potato pests

Pests to watch out for include early blight, potato tuber moth and nematodes. Consult your farm supply store for advice on how to fight these pests.

Harvesting potatoes

Baby potatoes typically can be harvested 2-3 weeks after the plants have finished flowering. Try to remove the biggest new potatoes and leave the smaller ones in place so they can continue to grow. 

Otherwise, harvest the potatoes when the plants are completely dry. 

As soon as possible, get the harvested potatoes in a dark, dry and cool place.

While selling the produce, save the very best potatoes for planting next season.

Sources: Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and The New Complete Book of Self Sufficiency by John Seymour.