This is the Potatoes section of the website where you’ll find articles about growing potatoes.
My family has been growing potatoes for generations and it plays a big part in daily life. There are many different things to learn when growing your own potatoes and I have tried to cover as many as possible in this section. If you need any help or have any questions please ask. Growing your own potatoes is rewarding and never gets old!
The spin digger or spinner was the first mechanised attempt at removing potatoes from the soil in which they grew to make gathering the potatoes easier. Prior to the invention of the spin digger, someone had to manually dig the soil and potatoes with a spade or a fork and spread the crop on the …
Harvesting Potatoes Using A Spin Digger: history and operation Read More »
The thought of storing potatoes long-term outside seems strange, but this is precisely how most people kept them for centuries in their fields and gardens. The mound they created was known as a “Potato Pit”. The funny thing about potato pits is that they are excellent at storing potatoes for a long time if made …
Storing Potatoes Outside: how to make a potato pit Read More »
The Superfaun potato harvester was first produced by Underhaug (correctly referred to as Underhaugs Fabrikk from Naerbo in Norway) and given the model name UN1700. Underhaug was bought by Kverneland ( another Norwegian company) in 1986, the most noticeable change was the machine was finished with Kverneland red paint instead of Underhaug orange paint – …
Underhaug Superfaun UN1700 Potato Harvester: history and operation Read More »
If you are growing potatoes in your home garden for the first time, you may be wondering if fertilizing your potatoes is a good idea. Like all living plants, potato plants need adequate nutrients to grow and produce large, tasty tubers. Namely, potatoes need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three nutrients denoted in the NPK …
Many people are surprised to learn that potato skins (aka peels) are packed with vitamins and nutrients and can also be a good source of fiber. Many regularly cook young, new potatoes peel-and-all and enjoy the health benefits the peel brings. Mature potatoes develop a tough skin that is typically removed before cooking — with …
Potatoes are a common staple in the American diet and are often grown in the home garden. These starchy tubers are used for fries, mashed potatoes, and in casseroles, soups, and stews. It may surprise you to learn that even though potatoes are vegetables, the potato tubers aren’t really the fruit of a potato plant. …
Potatoes need adequate nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to grow. Each nutrient plays a role in plant growth and the quality of your potato tubers. For example, phosphorus is vital for developing a strong root system and for promoting good tuber development. What is phosphorous fertilizer? Fertilizer contains the vital nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus(P), and potassium …
What Role Does Phosphorous Play In Potato Production? Read More »
Nitrogen is essential to plant growth as it helps to form the building blocks of proteins and other vital plant enzymes. It is also part of the chlorophyll molecule necessary for your potato plant to perform photosynthesis and produce energy for the plant. The excess energy made by your potato plant is stored in the …
What Role Does Nitrogen Play In Potato Production? Read More »
Fertilizing your potatoes during the growing season keeps them healthy and promotes a good yield. Many chose to apply granular fertilizer to the soil before planting them and side-dress the potatoes two weeks after planting them and then once a month up until two weeks before harvesting. But you don’t need to fuss with granular …
Liquid Fertilizer For Potatoes: pros, cons, and how to choose Read More »
You may have read about growing potatoes in compost and wondered if it was really a good idea. Technically, potatoes can be grown in compost alone, but it isn’t always the best choice. Amending your soil with compost or making a potting mix with compost and soilless mix for containers may be a better choice. …
Can I Grow Potatoes In Straight Compost: + how to increase its P and K Read More »
Many home gardeners enjoy growing potatoes and storing them for winter use. Potatoes are both nutritional and versatile, providing the makings for many recipes. To enjoy the fruits of your labor all year long, you will need to make sure your potatoes have a good skin set and have been appropriately cured before winter storage. …
Potato plants (Solanum tuberosum) produce leafy tops that grow to 40 inches tall, explains the International Potato Center. The tops perform photosynthesis and manufacture energy that is stored as starch in the underground tubers. Without the tops, your potato plants cannot perform photosynthesis, and tubers will not grow. However, there are times when the tops may …
Potatoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from tiny fingerlings to massive baking potatoes. The size of the mature potato tubers depends primarily on the type of potato you are growing, but other factors also affect their size. While many gardeners face the challenge of potato tubers that grow smaller than expected, sometimes …
The Colorado Potato Beetle, also known as a potato bug, is a common insect pest found primarily on potatoes in North America. This destructive insect devours the foliage (and blossoms) on potato plants and can strip them bare in a few days if action isn’t taken. Fortunately, there are ways you can keep potato bugs …
Identifying And Removing Colorado Potato Beetle From Potato Plants Read More »
Growing potatoes in the home garden is a great way to provide your family with healthy and nutritious potatoes all year, but it does come with its challenges. Potatoes should not be planted in the same spot yearly and must be rotated with other crops. Find out how to rotate your potatoes and what to …
Can I Grow Potatoes In The Same Plot Every Year? the importance of crop rotation Read More »
Growing your potatoes in the home garden and storing them for winter is a great way to provide your family with healthy and nutritious food all year. Following the best practices for harvesting, curing, and storing potatoes is essential to your success. Find out what curing means and how it affects the storage life of …
How To Cure Potatoes After Harvest: a step-by-step guide Read More »
Potatoes are easy-to-grow vegetables that will grow in nearly any soil. However, they do best in sandy loam with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Providing potatoes with good soil, adequate nutrients, and plenty of water will increase your potato yield and help prevent diseases. What soil type is best for growing potatoes? Potatoes will …
The Best Soil For Potatoes: what it is and how to get it Read More »
Growing your own potatoes in the home garden and storing them for winter use is a great way to provide your family with healthy, nutritious food. Knowing when to harvest them and get them ready for storage is important too. Find out what the experts have to say about harvesting, washing, and storing potatoes for …
Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are an annual vegetable in the Solanaceae or nightshade family. While the tubers are a healthy and nutritious addition to the diet, not all parts of the potato plant are edible. Like other plants in the nightshade family, some parts of the potato plant are poisonous. What are nightshade vegetables? Nightshades are …
I assume by the search for the title of this article that you have found a plant growing somewhere that you have not intentionally planted. I will show you a list of images of potato plants at various stages of their lifecycle to hopefully help you identify the plant as a potato plant or not. …
What Does A Potato Plant Look Like: images and descriptions Read More »
How many times have you forgotten about that bag of potatoes in your pantry only to find them covered in strange, bumpy growth? These growths are buds or sprouts which grow from the potato eyes, and they look rather unappetizing. Some people toss the entire potato thinking it’s no good, while others cut the small buds off before …
Growing potatoes in your backyard or garden isn’t difficult. With proper care, you can expect to harvest two to five pounds of potatoes from each plant, depending on the variety and growing conditions. Sometimes, problems arise, like the tops of the potato plants falling over. This can happen for several reasons. Find out why your …
10 Reasons Why Your Potato Plants Have Fallen Over Read More »
After months of careful planning and preparing seed, soil, and nutrients to plant your potato crop, the last thing you want to see are the leaves on the plants looking curled up, stunted, and knarly. There are many things that can cause your potato plants to have curled leaves. In this article, I will discuss …
Potato Leaves Curling: virus, herbicide, or drought? Read More »
If you have noticed chew marks on the leaves of your potatoes in the morning but can’t identify the culprit, you may have a problem with slugs or snails. These garden pests come out under the cover of darkness and slip out of sight when morning arrives. Look for glistening trails on the foliage as …
Slugs And Snails Eating Potato Plants: identification and removal Read More »
Potatoes are a popular vegetable in the home garden as many people routinely eat potatoes with meat and poultry dishes. According to Statista, the average American consumed 29.3 pounds of fresh potatoes in 2021. While many were purchased, many were also grown in the home garden. Growing potatoes involves planting either whole or cut sections …
Growing potatoes at home will provide you with the basis for many meals, from fluffy mashed potatoes to delicious home fries. These easy-to-grow vegetables do require plenty of room to grow. But when planted correctly, they will produce an abundance of large, fresh potatoes for your family. Is it important to plant potatoes at a …
Potatoes are a popular vegetable in home gardens. They are relatively easy to grow and produce well in average soil. How many potatoes each plant produces depends on how well their growing needs are met, the type of potato you are growing, and the weather conditions in your area. Typically, one potato plant produces 8 …
Many readers have told me of their concerns about growing potatoes in their clay soil. We all know the ideal soil to grow potatoes in is a free draining loam, high in organic matter with a pH of 5.5 to 6.0 – but not everyone has this perfect soil for growing potatoes in. To get …
Many articles revolve around getting our potatoes to grow to the best of our ability, but once we have got our crop to grow well and have harvested them, if we don’t provide them with the correct environment during storage they will quickly go bad. I will provide a checklist of points along with a …
It’s the time of year again when we begin to think about next years potato crop. We may have already decided where we will grow them, what variety we will plant, and how much potato fertilizer we will apply. One aspect which can make a massive difference to the speed our crop establishes and the …
How Deep Should I Plant My Potatoes: why seed depth is important Read More »
If you have ever planted potatoes and watched with joy as the tops appear through the soil, it can be quite disheartening to see those potato tops continue to grow and grow and then finally fall over onto the ground before they have had a chance to fully ripen. Let’s look at why this happens …
Potato harvesters are a great way to save manual labour during potato harvest. Before the invention of the potato harvester, most people dug their potatoes from the ground using a fork or a spade. Then they lifted the potatoes from the ground and placed them into a basket before tipping them into a hessian cloth …
Maris Piper is a versatile potato variety that is excellent for making chips and roast potatoes. They are the most widely grown potato variety in the UK – accounting for 16% of the total area grown in 2014. They are a golden-skinned, cream fleshed maincrop potato which has an excellent taste and is capable of …
Potato Variety Maris Piper: origin and characteristics Read More »
Rooster is the most popular potato in Ireland – In 2004 It accounted for 40% of the total potato crop grown. They are a dull red-skinned, yellow-fleshed maincrop potato that has an excellent taste and high yields. They are highly versatile- they can be boiled with skins on, mashed, chipped, roasted, steamed and baked with …
Potato Variety Rooster: origin and characteristics Read More »
Russet Norkotah is the second most popular potato in the US. They are a russeted, brown-skinned early to medium maincrop potato. They are very attractive potatoes with excellent processing abilities. They can be boiled and mashed but their main market is for baked potatoes or processing for French fries. Origin The Russet Norkotah were bred …
Potato Variety Russet Norkotah: origin and characteristics Read More »
Desiree is a red-skinned early maincrop potato. They are slightly waxy potatoes with a distinctive taste. They can be boiled, roasted, chipped and used cold in salads, they are versatile potatoes and are suitable for pre-packing and general ware. Origin Desiree was bred in the Netherlands in 1962. Yield and dry matter Expect high yields …
Potato Variety Desiree: origin and characteristics Read More »
Kerr’s Pink are the second most popular potato in Ireland. They are mainly cooked as boiled potatoes but are good for roasting and chipping also. They are suitable for pre-packing and general ware. Origin Although thought to be an Irish bred potato when it was introduced in 1917- it was actually J. Henry of Cornhill …
Potato Variety Kerr’s Pinks: origin and characteristics Read More »
Russet Burbank potatoes are one of the most popular potato varieties in the United States. They were bred by the US plant breeder Luther Burbank (Massachusetts) in 1902 in a bid to improve the disease resistance of Irish potato varieties being used at that time. Beginnings Russet Burbank potatoes were not an immediate success when …
Potato Variety Russet Burbank: origin and characteristics Read More »
Roast potatoes can go well with several dishes, ranging from barbecued chicken to pot roast, among others. While seasoning makes a tremendous difference, you should also consider the type of potato you’re using. This is especially the case since they don’t all roast the same. So, which potato types are the best for roasting? What …
Which Are The Best Potatoes For Roasting?- Top UK and US varieties revealed Read More »
Blight is a common fungal disease that affects potatoes. It can destroy the entire crop in less than a week if left unattended. Unfortunately, there is little you can do to save your potatoes once they have been infected with blight. This makes prevention key to raising healthy potatoes. While the best prevention for potato blight …
Copper Sulphate As A Potato Blight Spray: what is it and is it good? Read More »
Blight is a fungal disease that can affect tomatoes, potatoes and other members of the nightshade family. Early Blight is caused by the Alternaria solani fungus while late blight is caused by the Phytophthora infestans (p. infestans) fungus. Late Blight was responsible for the Irish Potato Famine between 1845 and 1849, destroying nearly 80 percent of Ireland’s potato crop. This …
Blight Resistant Potato Varieties: background and examples Read More »
Potatoes are an easy-to-grow vegetable that can be planted in the early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. They typically produce well and provide you with an abundance of tubers. While they are generally disease-free (as long as you buy certified seed potatoes) they are not immune to all diseases. Tobacco Rattle …
Eelworm is a parasitic nematode that lives in the soil and feeds on plant roots. Its host plants are nightshades and they particularly like potatoes and tomatoes. If you’re growing potatoes, it is extremely important to educate yourself on eelworms. If you like to grow a lot of potatoes and tomatoes, you’ll definitely want to …
Eelworm In Potatoes: what is it and how do I remove or prevent it? Read More »
There is nothing quite like the creamy texture of a homegrown potato. The difference in taste between homegrown and store-bought is so dramatic, that I try and grow most of my potatoes. What month I plant potatoes in is key to how many potatoes I can harvest. Since potatoes store easily for the rest of …
What Month Do You Plant Potatoes?: explaining when and why Read More »
Potatoes are one of my favorite crops to grow in the garden. They grow easily, give bountiful harvests, come in fascinating varieties, and are much more delicious than store-bought potatoes. Let me share with you some secrets to growing potatoes, so you can enjoy homegrown potatoes as much as I do. This classic garden crop …
Potatoes grow under the soil – this means it’s not convenient to look at them to see when they’re ready to harvest until you actually harvest them. This is not an issue if you have a full garden or field of them. But it can be an issue if you have only one or two …
What Do Potato Plants Look Like When Ready For Harvest? Read More »
If you love tasty new potatoes as much as I do you’d probably do nearly anything to improve their taste and yield. That’s why you owe it to yourself to try using seaweed fertilizer to grow bigger and tastier potatoes this year. Is seaweed fertilizer good for growing potatoes? Yes, seaweed fertilizer provides potatoes with …
How To Make Your Own Seaweed Fertilizer For Growing Potatoes Read More »
So you live in an apartment and you want to know the best way to store your potatoes. Let’s take a look at the options. What are the ideal conditions to store potatoes? Let’s set out the rules for good potato storage: The temperature at 8 degrees Centigrade – 46 Fahrenheit. Much warmer will promote …
How To Store Potatoes In An Apartment: keeping them fresh Read More »
Do you know what size potatoes are when the plant begins to flower? Many people believe that when a potato plant begins to flower the potatoes are ready to dig up. I have dug a test hole in some potatoes I have which have just started to flower to show you their size. What size …
What Size Are Potatoes When The Plant Begins To Flower Read More »
If you’re looking for a crop to add sustenance to your vegetable garden, look no further than the mighty potato. Potatoes have been a dietary staple for centuries because they are easy to cultivate and give high yields in small amounts of space. Discover later in this article what is the recommended soil pH for …
What Is The Optimum Soil PH For Growing Potatoes Read More »
How long do potatoes take to grow? It’s safe to say that gardeners love to watch their crops grow. We wait patiently for each sprout to mature and produce perfectly ripe fruit or vegetables. But when it comes to root vegetables, we can’t just watch and wait. We have to time the harvest just right. …
French fries are one of my favorite foods and something I’ve come to make regularly at home. Restaurant portion sizes sometimes just don’t cut it and not everyone feels comfortable asking for six sides of fries with nothing else. Before you try making your own, make sure you have the best potatoes for French fries …
If you’re new to growing potatoes, at some point you’ll ask yourself, “Why are my potato plants turning yellow?”. Most likely, this is a natural part of the lifecycle, and means the plants are mature. But sometimes it can be a sign of disease, nutrient deficiency, or over-watering Potatoes are an amazing crop to grow. …
Did you know that there are whole grading systems to classify potatoes by quality and size? These classification systems vary around the world but have been introduced to standardize the sale of potatoes. But how can you tell visually how much does a medium potato weigh? In general, all potatoes will be categorized by quality and …
For most varieties of potatoes you should expect to harvest between 8 to 14 potatoes per plant. The size of these potatoes will vary due to how well you have met the growing needs of the plant. Lets examine the background details to the question “How many potatoes per plant? Your yield will be a …
The purpose of this article is to teach you the skills required to make a quick assessment about how to tell if a potato is bad or not just by looking at it. How long do potatoes last? There are a variety of factors which determine the shelf life of potatoes. It depends on the …
There is much controversy as to whether potatoes are a vegetable or fruit, and why! This article outlines exactly what a potato is, whether they’re one of our 5 a day, and if the starch within them is good for us. What is the definition of a vegetable The difference between fruits and vegetables is …
Often you’ll come across recipes which don’t state how many potatoes you need, but the weight. This can be frustrating if you don’t know the weight of a potato without using scales. It is really handy to know how many potatoes in a pound. By the end of this article, you’ll know this answer just …
Home gardeners are sometimes shocked to see something quite unusual on their potato plants: fruit! While we may often notice small blossoms in July or August, few people have seen the fruit that look like green cherry tomatoes at the top of the plants.So, should we remove potato fruit from our plants? Well, if you …
Eaten by cultures the world over, potatoes are a staple in most diets. They provide a plethora of important nutrients. Fiber, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins such as C and B6 with a relatively low caloric content. Their complex carbohydrates provide plenty of slow-burning fuel for your body. But are potatoes as beneficial to our canine …
Can Dogs Eat Potato Skins: raw or cooked answers Read More »
They are one of the most versatile and widely used root vegetables in the world. Because they are inexpensive and fairly easy to grow in rich soils worldwide, potatoes have long been a staple food for many cultures. In fact, in the mid-19th century, most farmers in western Ireland and parts of the Scottish Highlands …
The Nutritional Value Of Baked Potatoes: the facts Read More »
The length of time potatoes last is mostly dependent on the temperature they are stored at. In normal home cupboard conditions the temperature will be roughly 60 fahrenheit / 15 degrees centigrade. At this temperature the potatoes will remain firm for up to two weeks. After this time they will start to soften or begin …
How Long Are Potatoes Good For: storing and eating Read More »
Potatoes are typically categorized into three main categories according to their days to maturity. They are classed as: early, mid-season, and maincrop potatoes. They may also be referred to as earlies, second earlies, and long-season or maincrop potatoes. While early and mid-season potatoes are typically harvested and eaten as new potatoes, late-season or maincrop potatoes …
When To Harvest Potatoes: dates and descriptions Read More »
The season is almost over, autumn is around the corner and the cool temperatures at night are really starting to set in. Even with all the fun of growing a garden, it is still a lot of work and you are ready to reap the rewards. Grabbing your trowel and gloves, you head out into …
At times, history classes may not have been easy to pay attention to, yet we have all heard of the potato famine that took place in Ireland. A disease that wiped out much of the population of the country is definitely worth taking a second look at. Each plant and vegetable has its own personal …
Potatoes grow best when they have a steady supply of 2-3 inches of water per week without fully drying out. Potato plants should be watered deeply, especially if it gets very hot and dry. The soil should be moist 8 to 10 inches underground. Make sure not to overwater the potatoes for 2 weeks after …
When we start thinking about our gardens, great green bushes are pictured, along with healthy harvested onions, and beautiful bushy herbs. In this article, we will take a look at what an aphid is, aphids in potatoes, what to look for and how to avoid or manage them. What we don’t always think about is …
Aphids In Potatoes: what are they, what do they do? Read More »
To feed a family of four, start off by planting 40 potato plants. This will provide you with a potato based meal 2 to 3 times a week. The 40 plants will provide up to 6 months worth of meals. If you find 40 plants provides you with too many potatoes you can plant less …
Can you grow potatoes indoors? Well in a word – YES! Read on to discover how to grow potatoes indoors- it’s not as difficult as you might think! Everyone waits with bated breath as the months draw away from winter and towards the coming spring. We all want to get out there and plant our …
In this article we will discover how to plant potatoes from eyes. A potato plant will grow again from a potato, a sprout will emerge from one of the “eyes” – a small dimple on the potato surface. When the conditions are right a full new potato plant will grow from this sprout. Do potatoes …
How To Plant Potatoes From Eyes: finding the eyes Read More »
What is “hilling up” potatoes Gardening is always thought to be simple and easy, looking from the outside. This is the idea: Plant the seed in the ground Water. Plant grows. Pick your fresh produce. However, once I got started, I realized very quickly that it just isn’t that easy. Different plants need different amounts …
In this article i will walk you through the steps and list the materials required to show you how to grow potatoes in a bucket- a great way to introduce yourself to the wonderful experience of growing your own potatoes. There are few vegetables more versatile than potatoes. They can be baked, boiled, fried or …
Potatoes grow best when they have at least 8 hours of sunlight every day. They don’t need full sun to thrive and too much heat is not ideal – discover the facts in this article.. Spring is here! It’s time to begin planning your vegetable patch. Careful planning is crucial for the success of any …
Learning how to properly store your potatoes once they have been dug from the garden is an important part of your potato growing season. Potatoes should be stored in a cool dark room with good ventilation. The potatoes should be harvested dry or dried before entering the store- this will help to prevent rot and …
Your potato plot should be sprayed with broad spectrum herbicide 6 weeks before ploughing or digging and tilling. The planted area should be sprayed again with a broad spectrum herbicide before the potato plants come through the ground -this is known as pre emergence. The spray should have residual activity – meaning it continues to …
No matter how you slice, dice, or mash them, potatoes are delicious. A staple food for many cultures across the globe, they are a vegetable which would be difficult to live without. Although store-bought potatoes are tasty, nothing beats the flavour of a freshly-unearthed tuber from your own garden. I will help you pick the …
The Best Tasting Potatoes to Grow: variety selection Read More »
Potato blight is caused by a fungus, of which there are two different types – Alternaria solani in Early potato blight and Phytophthora infestans in Late potato blight. For a gardener, there is very little that is more heartbreaking than pouring time, energy and money into a crop only for it to fail. Some pests …
What Causes Potato Blight: what you need to know Read More »
Have you ever wondered how do farmers grow potatoes? Many farms use the following equipment when growing their potatoes: A crop sprayer – used to protect the crop from diseases. A plough to begin field cultivations. A rotovator/rototiller used to make the soil fine before planting. A seed potato planting machine to position the seed …
In this article, I will show you how to make two homemade potato blight sprays. One is called Bordeaux formula– made with lime and Copper sulphate. The other is called Cornell formula– made with dishwashing liquid and oil. Over 150 years ago, a fungal disease unknown to scientists invaded Ireland. Potato blight destroyed crops throughout …
With more and more people living in cities with limited space outdoors for gardening, many urban gardeners are turning to container gardening. This practice is great for herbs and other shallow-rooting plants, but root vegetables do not always grow well in containers. Potatoes need plenty of fertilizer to grow well. Learn how to make your …
Do you want to know how to grow a really good crop of potatoes? This article is the definitive guide! Growing potatoes can be summarised in the points below: To begin you should remove all weeds, grass and other green foliage from the soil. Next you should dig the soil over at a depth of …
To answer the question “When to plant early potatoes?” this all depends on where you live and climate. Where I live in the UK the earliest we usually plant early potatoes is in the middle of February. This is when the outside air temperature starts to heat up the ground to at least 10 degrees …
Potatoes can be planted as soon as the ground becomes workable in early spring. Usually, by mid-February you can get out and prepare the soil for planting. Potatoes will not grow until the soil temperature has reached 45F so when you plant them you will need to be patient until the soil warms to this …
How Late Can You Plant Potatoes: seed to harvest Read More »
Today I will show you how to get potatoes to sprout eyes. I do this a few weeks in advance of planting, which can mean your potatoes will be ready up to 2 weeks earlier than usual. So you have decided to plant some potatoes, but if you are unsure what steps to take to …
How To Get Potatoes To Sprout Eyes: preparation for planting Read More »
Choosing the best place to plant your potatoes will be different for everyone. We al have different areas available to grow things in. Some people may have a large vegetable garden. Others may only have access to grow potatoes in a large bag. And some may choose to grow potatoes in a tyre, raised bed …
Have you grown potatoes in the past and they turned out very small? If the answer is yes, then there will likely be a few reasons why this happened. One of the most important questions will be how much fertilizer was applied. But do you know what is the best fertilizer for growing potatoes? The …
What Is The Best Fertilizer For Growing Potatoes? Read More »