Here in Idaho, potatoes are a no fail crop. They are tremendously easy to plant and grow. Start with a few pounds of seed potatoes. You can find them at quality nurseries. I always buy anything that I REALLY want to succeed at Greenhurst Nursery. Yes, it's more expensive and the service is rather (I hate to say it) ... snobbish -- but you get what you pay for and quality pays for itself in the end.
Buy potatoes with several "eyes" and cut them into pieces. Try to make sure that each piece you cut has an "eye" on it. Potatoes grow best when grown in mounds. I make rows of mounds first (just far enough apart that I can use my small rototiller in between). Then I walk along, cutting the potatoes and dropping them about 6-10 inches apart at the top of the mound. I usually have a helper (a.k.a. son or daughter) come behind me and push the potato pieces about 3 inches deep into the dirt.
After the row is completed, I rake dirt over the top of the potatoes and then tamp the dirt down to make a flat surface on the top of the row. Having a flat surface will help keep the cutworms from getting at those first leaves.
You don't have to plant as many potatoes as I have to have success. I've done very small beds as well as large ones like this. They have never failed to sprout and produce a LOT of potatoes for me when harvested in September. Look for seed potatoes that store well and you'll most likely be able to keep them in the fridge until well into January. This year Joe and I will be experimenting with the Irish way of storing potatoes outside. I'll keep you posted how this turns out! Happy planting!
Buy potatoes with several "eyes" and cut them into pieces. Try to make sure that each piece you cut has an "eye" on it. Potatoes grow best when grown in mounds. I make rows of mounds first (just far enough apart that I can use my small rototiller in between). Then I walk along, cutting the potatoes and dropping them about 6-10 inches apart at the top of the mound. I usually have a helper (a.k.a. son or daughter) come behind me and push the potato pieces about 3 inches deep into the dirt.
After the row is completed, I rake dirt over the top of the potatoes and then tamp the dirt down to make a flat surface on the top of the row. Having a flat surface will help keep the cutworms from getting at those first leaves.
You don't have to plant as many potatoes as I have to have success. I've done very small beds as well as large ones like this. They have never failed to sprout and produce a LOT of potatoes for me when harvested in September. Look for seed potatoes that store well and you'll most likely be able to keep them in the fridge until well into January. This year Joe and I will be experimenting with the Irish way of storing potatoes outside. I'll keep you posted how this turns out! Happy planting!
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