Planting

Potatoes

Planting Time Potatoes are cool season workhorses, ready to get busy long before other crops even wake up. Plant seed potatoes two to four weeks before the last frost date. They love cool soil and crisp air, but freezing temperatures will nip their buds like a grumpy old ranch mule. Once planted, they take off like a cowboy chasing payday.

Depth & Spacing Cut seed potatoes into chunks with at least one good eye each and let them dry a day before planting. Plant pieces four inches deep and twelve inches apart in rows spaced twenty four to thirty six inches. As plants grow, hill soil up around them to protect developing tubers from sunlight-unless you want green potatoes that taste like trouble.

Soil & Fertilization Potatoes thrive in loose, well drained soil rich in organic matter. Heavy clay makes them misshape like grumpy cowboys forgotten in the rain. Add compost before planting and avoid heavy nitrogen. Too much nitrogen grows lush leaves but hardly any potatoes, leaving you with a beautiful plant and an empty supper plate.

Watering Needs Keep soil evenly moist, especially during flowering when tubers begin forming. Inconsistent watering causes hollow centers or cracked potatoes. Think steady and dependable-like a good horse on a long trail ride. Avoid soaking the soil, as soggy conditions invite rot and disease.

Sunlight Requirements Potatoes prefer full sun, soaking in six to eight hours a day. Sunshine helps build strong plants and plump tubers. Shade creates long, leggy stems and tiny potatoes that look more like missing ranch meals. Give them light, warmth, and room to grow, and they will reward you generously.

Harvesting New potatoes can be harvested when plants flower. For full sized potatoes, wait until the vine yellow and die back. Dig carefully with a fork or gloved hands-potatoes bruise easier than a cowboy’s ego. Allow them to cure in a cool, dry place for a week to toughen the skin and extend storage life.

Captain Greenhouse Tip For the biggest potato haul in the county, hill soil up around the plants several times during the season. This keeps sunlight off the tubers and encourages new potatoes to form higher on the stem. And plant a few extra-potatoes have a way of disappearing fast when neighbors find out you grow the good ones.