growing potatoes is a pretty simple chore. you can grow a whole field, grow them in a garden, or grow them in a bucket. i love the process, i love harvesting, and i wanted to share the joy and simplicity of potato growing with you.
you know how when you reach into the back of the cupboard and the potato has shoots coming out of it, and now you're bummed because it's old and you were craving a potato? well, stick in in the ground and within months you'll have a whole new supply of potatoes!
it's important to grow mound dirt over the top of your potato when you plant it, and to check it throughout its life.
the soil keeps the sun from hitting the potato and creating solanine, a toxic compound.
if you ever see a green potato, don't eat it! solanine is poisonous to humans and animals. this is why it is important to keep the buried while growing, and store them in a dark place after harvesting.
one of the things that i love about potatoes is how nifty the leaves are! they grow nice and big, and give the underground potato shade. what a cool design!
before the foliage pokes through the dirt, you may forget you stuck a few potatoes in the ground, so be sure not to lose them with our plant stakes.
you will want to harvest your potatoes 2-3 weeks after the flowering stops, and when the foliage has completely died, it's time for the treasure hunt! dig deep because potatoes will grow all over in a bigger cluster than you would imagine.
this is one reason i love growing them in a filter fabric bag, or our steel boxes. it's easy to keep them watered, it's easy to harvest, and it's easy to make sure i keep my potato dirt separate from other things. if you do reuse your potato dirt for other plants, you will probably have little volunteer potatoes from time to time. they're easy enough to pull right out of the dirt, though.
after harvesting, keep your fresh potatoes in a dry dark place away from apples [proximity to apples will create ethylene gas and make both produces rot faster] and be sure not to wash them until you're ready to cook. the dirt and scabbed layer keep the potatoes fresh for an incredibly long time.
happy harvesting,
