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This is an easy way to get great yields, clean potatoes, and save your back and knees from the "side effects" of planting your seed potatoes in the ground.
The picture is courtesy of the Seed Saver Exchange-an example of their potato seed sampler.
Let's start with a quick recap on preparing your seed potatoes for planting. By using the term planting in, I'm actually referring to planting on top of the ground. A week or two before your planting date, set your seed potatoes in an area where they will be exposed to light and temperatures between 60-70 degrees F., this will begin the sprouting process. A day or two before planting, use a sharp, clean knife to slice the larger seed potatoes into smaller pieces. Each piece should contain at least 1 or 2 eyes or buds. Smaller potatoes may be planted whole, a good rule of thumb is to plant them whole if they are smaller in size than a golf ball. In the next day or so, your seed will form a thick callous over the cuts, which will help to prevent it from rotting. Potatoes that you buy in the grocery store will sprout, but most have been treated with chemicals to help retard the growth process and I do not recommend using them. Potatoes do best in full sun and prefer well drained slighty acidic soil. Potatoes are highly adaptable and will usually give you a good crop even if the soil and weather conditions are less than perfect. For the best harvest, though, it's good to provide well drained soil, rich in organic matter. "Work" or shallow till your planting area. We use 3 ft beds to make it easier to plant and reach around the bed without stepping on the prepared soil. You can at this point add commercial fertilizer if your soil is less than ideal and work that in as well. Water throughly. Start laying your potatoes on the ground. Once they are all "planted" water them well and then add a 2 inch layer of leaves, oak is best, but any leaves will do. We also use recycled screens weighted down to keep the leaves from blowing away. As the potatoes begin to flower add another layer of leaves, water well. Continue to add leaves as the potatoes continue to bloom. You want to be sure and cover the blooms completely and water regularly. After the potatoes have stopped blooming, you can start "robbing" the pile a bit. Before you do, I do suggest "whacking" the leaf pile with the flat side of a rake, just in case you have had crawly friends using the area for a shelter. Baby potatoes can be "robbed" about 2-3 weeks after the potatoes have finished flowering. They should be used the day they are dug. Yummy! Potatoes that are going to be used for storage should not be harvested until 2-3 weeks after the foliage dies back. Gently lift off some of the leaves to check the foliage. Once you have determined that the foliage has died back, remove all the leaves with a rake and DH uses a snow shovel as well. The leaves go to the compost bin. Leave those lovely, clean potatoes to cure for 2-3 days. This curing step allows the skins to mature and is essential for good storage. If the weather during harvest is wet and rainy, allow the potatoes to cure in a dry protected area like a garage or covered porch. Do make sure your wheelbarrow is empty, you'll need it. STORAGE: The ideal storage area should be well ventilated, dark, and cool. The ideal temperature is between 35 and 40 degrees/F. Some varieties are better keepers that others. Varieties like Red Gold and Rose Gold are best used in the fall, and others like Carola and Russets are exceptional keepers. Google root cellars for great tips on creating a storage area for these types of crops. SAVING SEED STOCK: We normally plant some of each variety, simply because we like to experiment with different varieties and tastes. Using this method it's easy to select several different varieties and get great results. You will be surprise at the increased size of the potatoes that you harvest. We had one Idaho that weighted n at slightly over 4 lbs. Sorry I didn't get a picture, but it sure tasted good. It's very important to rotate the location of your potatoes yearly. Potatoes should be rotated in the garden, never being grown in the same spot until there has been a 3-4 year absence of potatoes. Your potato seed can be saved and replanted for several generations. Save the very best potatoes for planting. You may find that after several years the size begins to decrease; this is typical. Potatoes are very susceptible to viruses. If you are looking for maximum yields it is best to start with fresh, USDA Certified Seed Stock every year. We have found this to be a quick and easy way to plant and harvest a great crop of potatoes. Little to no weeding and we've discovered potato beetles, a real problem in this area, are repelled by oak leaves, so we have little problem with insect pests. No fork thru the tater, oops, either. And no back and knee pain! We did have a problem with mice, hence the snake. A regular rack "whacking" of the top of the pile seems to have solved that problem.
About Catherine Smith
Hubby and I have been doing Organic Gardening off and on for over 25 years. Just finishing the Virginia Master Gardening classes at the end of Nov 07. I love talking and teaching gardening to anybody that will listen.
