The potato plant rules O.K.
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The potato plant comes in many varieties to suite your needs for season, taste and kitchen: salad potatoes, boiled, baked, chips, whatever... grow by organic methods and they taste even better.
This page covers the growing season, introduces some marvellous varieties and explains how and when to chit (sprout) the tubers, plant them, earth-up and maintain garden potato plants. Find information about site and ground preparation here, with links to pages on growing by containers and raised beds, and harvesting potatoes. |
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THE MYSTERIOUS UNDERWORLD OF POTATO PLANTS Unlike any root, the underground potato has buds (or eyes) that sprout into new leafy stems. It is a stem tuber. The main stems grow special hook tipped side stems under the soil that swell into the new stem tubers that make your potato crop. It is important to earth-up or hill around the growing stems. Compare with alternative methods of growing in potato bins and under sheeting. |
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BUYING SEED POTATO TO GROW Potato plants are grown directly from the tubers known as 'seed potatoes'. There are several reasons why it is important to obtain these from 'certified seed potato' suppliers. Shop bought potatoes may unseen, be contaminated with disease, rarely as obvious as the sunken areas on the tuber shown. Destroy completely if discovered. Instead start with virus / blight free 'certified seed potatoes' ordered from good suppliers like those listed on my pages. Also, culinary potatoes may have been treated with an inhibitor to prevent them sprouting. This allows them to be stored longer but it doesn't help the gardener. Another reason to obtain 'seed potatoes' from gardening suppliers is that you have a great choice of variety to suite your needs and taste. Why not choose something a little special. 
Red, White and Blue Potato Collection
The range of potato variety is vast - your choice can speak something of character. But mostly your choice will be for practical needs. Potatoes are rated from 1 to 9; 1 for waxy potatoes: that's moist, firm, retains shape in cooking and good for salads. 9 for floury potatoes: drier and good for mash. Most potatoes lie somewhere in the middle. Changes from smaller 'new potatoes' to mature tubers adds to the possible uses. The latest amazing potato varieties come from Hungary - 'Sarpo Mira' and 'Sarpo Axona' with good blight resistance. Choose 'Mira' for salads and 'Axona' for a floury texture. 'Golden Wonder' is by all accounts an impressive variety worth growing with the highest score 9 for dry matter suitable for frying and boiling. |
Organic Seed Potatoes for garden growing Raised Beds, Potato Bins, Fertilizer etc... - Everything you need in one place Red, White & Blue Potato Collection 
Best value Seed Potato Plants - even bigger savings on bulk buys
Seed Potatoes tubers to sample more varieties as you buy in handy 1Kg bags about 10 tubers - the excellent Sarpo mira & Sarpo Axona are here.
Seed Potato Plants a wide range but order early... from Dobies of Devon Seed Potatoes & information from Thompson & Morgan |
The Blue skinned potatoes in North American share the nutty flavour which comes from the Andean subspecies and crop later in the season as they inherit short day sensitivity.
This year I'm choosing:-
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SPROUTING POTATOES OR CHITTING The growing buds are usually concentrated at one end of the potato tuber - the "rose end". Potatoes get a 'head start' if planted with strong healthy shoots already growing. With 'earlies' and 'second earlies' lower outside temperatures could delay shooting. Shoot sensitivity to short day length may also be important. Chitting makes no difference to 'maincrop' seed potatoes. Similarly it is better to plant 'early' seed potatoes as whole tubers. With a maincrop you can cut the tubers into 2 or 3 sections each bearing small buds (potato eyes). Allow the cut to heal for a few days before planting out directly. To chit the seed potatoes stand in day light (e.g. a window ledge) where there's sufficient warmth for continuous growth. An egg box or seed tray is an ideal container for chitting seed potatoes. Don't use a dark airing cupboard, shoots shouldn't become thin or translucent. In light the potato transfers nutrients to swell and harden the shoots. When shoots are ½ to 1" (1.5 to 2.5cm) long they are ready for planting. Handle with care as they easily break off. |
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Potato plants are heavy feeders so a good dose of well-rotted manure plus organic fertilizer is called for. Don't overdo nitrogen fertilizer as this makes lots of leaves and no potatoes.
A month to 6 weeks before planting fork about a 4"/1.3cm depth of manure into the top 6"/14cm along your intended potato rows. Also, work in a band organic fertilizers: rock dust (for phosphate), and seaweed meal or comfrey leaves (for potassium). Nutrition makes a difference from day 1 and doing this now gives the organic fertilizer time to become available to plant roots.
Then use a draw hoe to make a trench about 5"/13cm deep and work just a little more organic fertilizer into the bottom of the trench.
Planting distances range from:
30cm (12") apart in rows 60cm (24") apart for earlies
37cm (15") apart in rows 75cm (30") apart for second earlies
45cm (18") apart in rows 75cm (30") apart for Maincrop.
Planting is described below.
Potato plants can be grown in well-rotted garden compost trenches as long as they are not saturated. Fresh compost risks an attack by soil pests like millipedes or slugs.
POTATO PLANTING, EARTHING-UP OR HILLING
Prepare the potato bed with a furrow as described above. Use a trowel to submerge the seed potatoes in the furrow with shoots uppermost. Gently cover the shoots with about 1"/3cm of soil.
Planting depths can vary in dry soils and shallow soils. I would plant potatoes deeper in very light dry soils e.g. with shoots 2"/6cm below soil level. But you really need to improve moisture retention for the potato plant to do well.
Planting distances range from:
30cm (12") apart in rows 60cm (24") apart for earlies
37cm (15") apart in rows 75cm (30") apart for second earlies
45cm (18") apart in rows 75cm (30") apart for Maincrop.
As the shoots grow continue to draw soil back around them and so form a hill about 6"/15cm high. Add untreated lawn cuttings to your 'maincrop' potato trench and in layers as you earth-up (hill) the potatoes.
Get the big picture with related web pages:
harvesting and storing potatoes,
potato bins and grow bags, and
organic fertilizer.
