Now that you know how to plant seed potatoes in the ground, in containers or in straw, it’s easy to see which method is best for your space. Regardless of the technique you choose, an abundant harvest of potatoes is just around the corner. Just make sure you protect your plants from pests like Colorado beetles by covering the plants with a floating row cover. To plant seed potatoes in a container, start with the right type of container. When it comes to growing potatoes in pots, the bigger the better.
In addition to this initial feeding, use a diluted liquid fertilizer, such as fish emulsion, every two weeks as your potatoes grow. Potatoes grown in containers need a lot of water, which can filter nutrients from the soil. For this reason, plants grown in containers usually need more feed than when growing in the ground. According to the Michigan State University Extension, you should reduce watering once the potato plants have bloomed to harden the skin for storage. Carefully dig around the plants to detach them from the soil without damaging them. Nichols says to store potatoes immediately out of sunlight at a temperature of 45 to 60 degrees F for about two weeks so they can heal.
Stored potatoes will develop green spots if exposed to sunlight or fluorescent light. If your storage space isn’t completely dark, keep the potatoes in a box with a lid. Mounting soil or straw around potato stems protects developing tubers during the growing season. Wedge-shaped leafhoppers Kartoffeln im Topf anbauen feed on potato leaves, causing them to curl or crease and brown the edges. Flea beetles, which are small (1/16th of an inch), black and shiny, create white stripes on the leaves or small holes. If the pest is bad enough, it can cause some leaves to die off, which will reduce yield.
Whether germinated or not, leave the plant potatoes at room temperature in a single layer so that their cutting tissue can calluses. This prevents soil-borne diseases from entering the seed potatoes when planted.
Pour everything except the few centimeters (7.5 cm. bottom) of compost and roll the top of the bag down. Plant at the bottom of the bag and add compost as the plants grow. You can harvest new potatoes, usually about two to three weeks after the plants bloom. If the soil is loose enough, dig the free potatoes with your hands.
Use a shovel or digging fork or shovel and insert the tool 6 to 10 centimeters away from the stem of the plant. Gently loosen and pry on the ground, looking for and feeling tubers. Use pieces of seeds that are certified disease- and pest- and disease-free, and not from a named cultivar. Use tubers cut into pieces of 1.5 to 2 grams; make sure each piece has an “eye”. Store freshly cut pieces at room temperature for 1 to 3 days, which will allow the cut areas to heal and make them less prone to decomposition. There are hundreds of potato varieties to choose from, each with its own time period from plant to harvest.
Buying and planting certified seed potatoes is the only way to guarantee a “clean” crop. Certified seed potatoes are guaranteed to be disease-free and have not been treated with the anti-sprouting chemicals commonly used in supermarket potatoes. Start harvesting potatoes when they have reached the desired size.