Seed Potato Planting Instructions:
- Soil Preparation
Make sure that you plant in a location that is full sun with good soil drainage. It is ideal for soil pH to be between 6.0 and 6.5. Potatoes will tolerate a pH as low as 5. A balanced garden fertilizer can be applied at a rate of 0.5 to 0.75 pounds per 10 foot row or as recommended. - Seed Potato Preparation
Cut potatoes into pieces with one or two eyes per piece. Let the cut pieces air dry for a day “Scab” before planting. Rest the pieces with the cut side exposed. - Seed Potato Planting
Plan to plant the seed potatoes when the soil is dry and the soil temperatures reach 45 degrees F. The calendar is a good reference point for planting, but what trumps the calendar is the conditions of the soil and the upcoming forecast. Dig furrows in your soil 6 inches deep and plant the seed potato pieces approximately 12 inches apart. Plant the seed piece with the eyes facing up. Then cover with 2 to 4 inches of soil.
The spacing between furrows should be 2 to 3 feet apart. - Potato Growing
About four weeks after planting you will want to start hilling up your potatoes leave 4 to 6 inches of the plant top exposed. At this time you will want to side-dress approximately 0.15 pounds of actual Nitrogen per 50 feet of row incorporating it in the soil as you go. Repeat this same process approximately 2 weeks later as the plant grows. You can do this process one more time. Keep the potato plants well watered and free of weeds. - Potato Harvest
Handle potatoes gently to avoid bruising. For harvesting new “baby” potatoes harvest when the potatoes are an inch in diameter and when the plant is still green. Harvest mature potatoes 2 to 3 weeks after the plant has dried down. Clean the potatoes after harvest by either brush or washing off the soil.
For best storage result store in a dark humid place at 45 to 50 degrees
Use this information as a basic guide. Be sure to check with Universities and the Master Gardeners in your area for more advice. Remember to experiment, that is a big part of growing. What works for someone else may not work for you and your soil. We are constantly testing and experimenting. This is needed to produce a better yielding and higher quality product each year, with that comes failure and success.
