Prepping:
Choose a garden area that gets several hours of direct sun. Potatoes like to be planted in sandy or loamy, loose acidic soil. To prepare for planting, loosen the soil to a depth of 6-8″. Remove rocks and work in compost or soil building conditioner and fertilizer/amendments higher in phosphorous and potassium than nitrogen. Test your soil pH and add ammonium sulfate prior to planting to lower the pH if needed to about 6. If your soil is heavy, also consider adding some sand to the mix.
Planting:
Cut seed potatoes into sections containing at least two “eyes” each. Let them dry for a couple of days before placing them cut side down about 2” beneath the surface of the soil. Sections should be placed 12” apart.
Growing:
During the growing season, water plants when soil is dry. Periodically remove lower leaves from vines and add compost or soil. This is called “hilling” and will lead to more potatoes. Always leave several inches of vine intact and uncovered.
Harvest:
When the potato vines begin to flower, you can dig for smaller “new” potatoes. A week or two after the plants flower and begin to die back, scoop mature potatoes out with a garden fork. Cure in a cool dry place for a week before storing in burlap sacks in a dark cool location.
Caution:
Green potatoes and potato shoots/leaves/flowers can be toxic if ingested.
