If you are a dedicated vegetable gardener, you may agree with me that potatoes are one of the most satisfying crops to grow. There is something almost magic about turning over loose, rich soil and having potatoes come tumbling out, needing only a rinse and simple cooking to provide abundant nutrition and taste. If you haven't tried growing potatoes, I can wholeheartedly recommend it -- it is my idea of major fun in the garden.
How to get started? First you need seed potatoes. Some folks like to buy potatoes from the market, cut them into pieces with an eye or two per piece, cure them and then plant. Though that may be the least-expensive method, be aware that store potatoes are often treated with an anti-sprouting agent. And if you shop for organically grown stock to avoid this treatment, even organically grown may not be disease-free. And if those potatoes introduce blight into your garden, you may be fighting the problems for years to come, especially worrisome since potato diseases can affect tomatoes and peppers as well.
So what's the answer? Buy certified disease-free seed potatoes, available now in your favorite garden center. And most will even be organically grown.
Here's how to plant. Choose a site with full sun, good soil and excellent drainage, preferably where potatoes or their relatives haven't been grown for at least several years. Dig a shallow trench 6 to 8 inches deep. Plant the potatoes about a foot apart in the trench. Cover with 3-4 inches of soil. As the plants sprout, the stems will elongate; when they are about 8 inches tall, fill in the rest of the trench with loose soil gently snugged around the stems. As the stems continue to grow, continue to hill soil around them, always leaving some leafy stem exposed. Another hilling should be done in another two to three weeks and another probably two weeks later. All this hilling is essential for a good crop since the tubers will form between the seed potato and the soil surface -- the more loose fluffy soil around the plants, the more tubers will form. Continue adding soil as needed to keep all tubers from being exposed to light, which causes them to turn green and bitter.
When to harvest? When your plants begin to bloom, you can feel gently under the soil with your fingers and probably begin to harvest tender new potatoes. Avoid injuring your plants. Or you can wait until the tops die down to find full-sized tubers. Either way, nothing beats the flavor of your own potatoes harvested directly from your garden. For detailed information on potato growing, visit www.irish-eyes.com.
What kinds of potatoes might you find available? Here are just four of the many possibilities:
'Island Sunshine': Extremely productive with excellent flavor. The grower says it resembles but may supplant vigorous old favorite 'Yukon Gold.' Very resistant to late blight [a dreaded disease that can reduce your yield and cut down your plants prematurely].
'Red Thumb': A fingerling type that is fairly new and still rather rare. It has reddish-pink flesh and bright red skin. Uniformly shaped tubers come out of the ground spanking clean. Abundant yields.
'Rose Finn Apple': Fingerling with rosy-buff skin and deep yellow flesh blushed with red. Plants produce lots of finger-shaped tubers. Excellent roasted or in potato salad. Vines are vigorous and tubers store well.
'German Butterball': Yellow in both flesh and skin. Buttery flavor with heavy yields of medium, mid-season tubers. Stores well.
