With grocery prices rising everyday, I try to find every possible way to save on our food budget. I had a few potatoes which were starting to sprout, so I cut them up according to where they were sprouting and planted several hills of potatoes from just a few potatoes that were soft and sprouting. To make it even more fulfilling, I asked my 7 year-old grandson to help me plant them. We had so much fun this afternoon as he dug and harvested some of the "crop" along with his sister, who is a toddler. They were both so excited at finding the buried "treasure" and I had to cook them right away so they could eat them. I plan to save a few and plant another crop.
Some of the potatoes that you buy in the grocery store are treated with something to prevent sprouting. You can not use them for seed. Also, there are some fancy hybrid potatoes that do not grow well from saved potatoes. Seed potatoes are nothing special. They are usually slightly smaller potoatoes, although that is just because people eat the big ones first. Any potato that is sprouting should do.
You need at least one eye on each piece of potato that you plant, as that is the part that produces the sprout. You do not have to cut up the potato, but you may. It really makes no difference. The main reason for cutting up potatoes is to make each one go farther, as you usually have several eyes on each one. If I choose to cut them, I usually cut them so there is two eyes on each piece. But often I don't bother.
You plant one potato or piece of potato in each hill, but you don't hill them when you plant them. Some people dig holes with a hoe, but I just shove a shovel in the ground, toss in the potato, making sure that it is about 1 or two inches in the ground, and take the shovel out. Then I step on that spot and tromp it down a bit while I plant the next one. They need to be spaced about a foot apart, but they aren't very fussy. It depends on how much garden space you have. People with loads of space plant them a little wider apart so they can run a tiller between the rows. I hoe mine, and have a tiny garden spot now, so about a foot is good between the rows.
When the plants are about 8 inches high, you can hill them, which is just hoeing the dirt up around the plant to cover the base of the plant with a small mound of dirt. This is to keep your growing potatoes from coming up to the surface and turning green, as potatoes tend to grow near the surface of the soil. But again, you don't have to get fancy with this, and if you neglect to do it, all that will happen is that you will have few potatoes that will have turned partially green, which is not flavorful. You end up having to cut that part off.
Potatoes usually have small potatoes under them when they have blossomed. You can dig underneath them with your hands and check. They are best for eating as "new" when they are about the size of a golf ball and no bigger than a baseball. I like the ones that are just slightly bigger than a marble. You boil these whole, and eat them with butter. If you want to go gourmet, you can make a sauce with cream and dill, but just butter is the best in my opinion. When the tops start to droop and dry up, it is time to harvest your potatoes.
I have grown potatoes for 30 years, and if there is anything else you want to know, just ask. Up here in northern Sask, everyone grows their own potatoes. We have very few insects that bother the plants, so that might be a concern in the southern climes.
My granddaughters and I have started sweet potatoes in boxes. I got free boxes from Lowe's. they are tall ones. I searched online for growing potatoes in boxes. I had a couple of sweet poatoes that had sprout and just cut them up with the sprout pieces i several of the chunks. Put about 6 inches of dirt in the bottom and planted the chunks with the sprouts upwards. As the sprouts grow above the dirt you add another 6 inches of dirt. Today I noticed there are sprouts above the frst layer of dirt. My granddaughters are thrilled!!
\Good idea for potatoes. I take the bottoms from the green onions (scallions) places them in a flower pot of soil on my kitchen window sill. I have green onions when ever I want them. I have also planted the bottom part of my leeks, which does well. Plant the top of the pineapple that you slice off. Soak it in water for a few days them plant it in the garden. I have wonderful pineapples,l small but very sweet.
Interesting. I thought one had to plant special potatoes called seed potatoes. Great Idea! How many eye pieces did you plant in one hill and how did you do it. Close together, spaced a certain amount? Thank you for your feedback. I've really been wanting to do this.
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