How to Grow Your Own Potatoes? Here Are the Simple Steps to Consider
Healthful Vitality | 09/02/2021 | By Guest Contributor | How to Grow Your Own Potatoes?
Growing potatoes from your home are one of the best ways to have healthy and nutritious vegetables in your diet. If you have a sunny balcony or patio, you can grow your own potato in large pots.
However, you have to take care of them properly to ensure that the plants remain healthy. Here, we will look into the different factors to consider while growing potatoes in your home.
Conditions to Grow Your Own Potato
As mentioned, growing potatoes in your home can be an excellent way to obtain the benefits of this vegetable. However, you have to consider the variety of potatoes first. Charlotte, Anya, and Maris Peer are different potato types that you can plant. Ensure that you use multipurpose compost to enhance the plant.
Besides that, you have to purchase the seeds from the right place. However, you have to make sure that they are disease-free seeds. When it comes to the time of planting, you can opt for spring, fall, or during mid-May and mid-June. You can even plant it thrice a year and reap the benefits from it. The ideal temperature to grow your own potato is between 15 to 20 degrees celsius.
Soil Type and Taking Care of Potatoes
When it comes to the soil type, it is best to opt for soils that have a pH between 4.8 and 5.8. Other than that, you have to ensure that it is well-drained soil. It is best to opt for soil that is rich in nutrients as well. Sunlight is essential for potatoes to grow. Hence, it is best to plant them in sunny areas to reap the maximum benefits.
As part of taking care of potatoes, you have to remove weeds and take necessary measures to reduce pest infestation. In case of pests, it is beneficial to opt for organic and natural methods to remove them from your home garden. While growing potatoes, adopting crop rotation as a strategy can enhance the yield.
While watering the plant, you have to ensure that there is plenty of water during the flowering period. You have to continue the same after the flowering period as well. Through this, you can increase the crop yield. And, you have to continue watering the plants till harvest time.
Harvesting Potatoes
Moisture retention of the soil plays a significant role while harvesting potatoes. The harvest time for potatoes would vary depending on the type of potato you are selecting. Baby potatoes would be ready to harvest after two to three weeks of planting potatoes. However, it is best to harvest them after they flower.
You can opt for harvesting potatoes when they are young to acquire their freshness and goodness. Other than that, you can understand that potatoes are ready to harvest when the top of the plant dies. If the weather is wet when you are harvesting, ensure that you provide potatoes the opportunity to dry. Besides that, you have to store them in a dark and well-ventilated place.