There’s nothing better than the freshness and flavor of freshly harvested organic potatoes. Planting potatoes at home allows you to enjoy a wider variety and eat them at their peak of freshness. And it’s very simple – all you need is a pot. With less space- compared to when it’s planted on a big plot of land-, we need each potato plant to give us its maximum production, and for this, it needs a little help.
Potato planters are specially designed to get maximum potato production in as little space as possible. A small patio, balcony or corner on the garden deck is more than enough for more than decent production. Don’t know how to proceed? In today’s article, we will tell you how to do it!
What Materials Do You Need?
- A potato planter or a textile pot of approximately 40 liters.
- Universal substrate or a good compost.
- Organic potatoes.
When to Plant Potatoes?
The best time to plant potatoes is from the beginning of February (in Mediterranean areas), until the end of March. For the Cantabrian areas, it is advisable to wait a few weeks.
Steps to Follow to Plant Your Potatoes
- Place the potato tubers in a bright, airy place.
From February to mid-March, place the potato tubers you want to plant in a bright, airy place so they will sprout (use organically grown potatoes, as they do not contain compounds that prevent or delay sprouting).
- Choose the best sprouts.
After three weeks, choose the three tubers with the largest shoots.
- Prepare the pot to plant the potatoes.
Unfold the bag, put it in a sunny place.
- Add substrate and place the tubers.
Place a layer of about 30 cm of universal substrate or compost (it will occupy about 1/3 of the bag) and place the sprouted tubers on it separately. Make sure to place them with the buds up!
- Finish covering the potatoes and watering.
Cover them with a layer of substrate or compost and water until all the substrate is moist. It is important to just cover them and not fill the substrate to the top of the pot. You will need that vertical space later.
- Add more substrate as the plant grows.
As the plant grows, apply more layers of substrate or compost, about 10 cm thick (nothing happens if you bury a few leaves but you still have to leave leaves on top). This way the plant is forced to grow more vertically and generate more roots and therefore more potatoes.
- The harvest begins!
When it’s time to harvest, you can empty the contents of the bag to collect everything or lift the side lid to take them one by one.
How to Water?
We will water every time it is necessary to keep the soil always humid but avoiding water stagnation (for this, textile pots are very good, because they drain perfectly the excess of water). A flooded soil will only bring us problems of fungus and other diseases.
Tip: The volume of substrate in the pots is generally not very important, so water evaporates more quickly. A good practice is to use an organic mulch, which will keep the soil moist longer and whose decomposition will provide nutrients to the plant.
When Are Potatoes Ready To Be Harvested?
The potatoes will be ready when the plant starts to bloom; we usually recommend the harvest around May. But, you can check the quantity and size by opening the side cover to be more sure.
You see planting potatoes at home is very simple, a few seasons ago I included them in my urban garden and since then they have always been a staple. How about you? What is your staple in your organic garden? Tell us everything in the comments below!
