How To Grow Potatoes: Planting, Types, When To Plant, Cultivation and Harvest

Over 1337 million potatoes are consumed each year by the entire human population. In the US alone, 140 pounds of potato are eaten per person every year!

Potatoes are a floury carbohydrate which are one of the main sources of food for humanity. Potatoes are in everything from mash, chips, crisps, baked potatoes, potato farls, roast potatoes, fried potatoes, hash browns, the list goes on. It is served as a side dish in so many meals, and everyone loves the potato for its tasty, floury texture that never fails to impress.

Whilst potatoes are eaten so much by the entire potato-loving population of humanity, prices of potatoes are steadily increasing and some of our favourite varieties are vanishing off the supermarket shelves. Don't believe me? It has been reported that the prices of potatoes have increased by 250%, say the media.

This is because of the extreme weathers caused by global warming from extreme flooding to extreme drought. In drought, potatoes die in the ground from lack of water whilst in cases of flooding, potatoes in overly wet soil will rot in the ground.

The only solution is to grow your own! They are easy to maintain and can be grown in bags if you live in a city or don't have a garden patch. This hub will guide you through all the steps to eating your own home grown potatoes. Enjoy!

You will need a few things before you start growing your potatoes. These should be relatively easy to find in your local garden centre or on Amazon. If you are living in the city and want to grow potatoes in a bag, buy a hardened shopping bag (the kind you find in the supermarket checkout that you buy if you have no bags) and pierce two holes at the end. Later on, I will cover this in more depth. But for now, here are the things you will need:

• Seed potatoes - These will be the 'seeds' that you will be planting soon. They are very small potatoes which are taken out of the ground very early, to promote sprouting. You can buy these in garden centres. Make sure to select the variety that you want. See below for more information about various potato varieties. Some potatoes are starchy, others are waxy, some are ideal for boiling, others not, potato varieties can be very different so select your preferred variety.
• Compost - This will be needed for adding nutrients to the soil and for earthing.
• Common Garden Tools - You will need tools such as a hoe, rake, watering can, small trowel and large shovel for activites like weeding, applying fertilizer, harvesting and planting. You may have these already in your garage or garden shed. If not, you will find them in a garden centre.

Once you have your seed potatoes, it is time to 'chit' them. This means allowing them to sprout from one of their 'eyes' before you plant them into the ground.

• Buy your seed potatoes. Select which variety you want from the table above.
• Leave your potatoes in a sunny area at about 8 to 10 degrees Celsius. The heat and light will speed up the germination process.
• You should see green to purple sprouts emerging from the 'eyes' of the potato.
• Once the potato has two to three strong sprouts, it is time to start planting them in soil.

You should start planting your potatoes from January to March for a good head start. To be more specific, consult the table above.

• Make sure your vegetable plot or patch is free of weeds and rake in some compost for added nutrients. Add some fertilizer to the soil before planting.
• Dig a trench 10 cm deep and make sure to place the removed soil on either side of the trench.
• Plant your potatoes about 35 cm apart, with the sprouts shooting upwards. Don't harm the shoots, they are very fragile so be careful.
• Cover the trench with a mix of soil and compost.
• When the shoots come out, cover up the shoots with extra soil to prevent light from getting down into the soil.

This alternative method is handy if you live in the city, tight of space or don't have a garden. The potatoes grow extremely well in bags, when filled with compost and sprayed for blight. You don't have to worry about weeds as much, and the bags don't take too much space. It is easy to harvest the potatoes from these bags also. Here is your step by step guide to growing potatoes in bags.

• Fill your bag with compost and spray with fertilizer.
• Then, dig a hole about 14 cm deep into the compost. Place two seed potatoes, with the sprouts facing upwards, into the hole and then cover up with soil. Water the compost.

You should see shoots come up after a week after planting. These shoots will continue to grow in the weeks to come. Make sure to spray with a little fertilizer and spray for blight also. You can buy anti-fungal sprays at your local gardening centre. Water well, perhaps every two to three days if in dry weather and pull any weeds that surround the plant.

Fifteen weeks later, the potato plants will flower, making lovely white blooms to appear. It is a couple of weeks after the flowering, when your potatoes will be ready for harvest. You should begin harvesting about 18 to 20 weeks after planting.

You can begin harvesting potatoes about 20 weeks after planting. Potatoes are harvested any time from June to September, where main crop varieties usually are harvested in September. Getting a spade, dig beneath the plant and pull upwards. You should have a sackful of potatoes in the ground, ready to be taken out.

Warning! Don't eat potatoes with a green tinge, these are toxic and must not be eaten! You should not have any green potatoes if you have earthed up the potato shoots. Only take healthy potatoes out of the ground, and enjoy them!

I hope you found this guide useful, please leave your comments below. I will be delighted to answer your comments, thoughts and suggestions!