The Cornucopia Corner Potatoes

By Steffie Littlefield

After studying the exhibit in the Museum at the Missouri Botanical Garden a few years ago, I had a renewed interest in growing potatoes. I was amazed at the diversity of tubers that come from the same genus and that they could be found independently from each other all over the world. “What, not all potatoes are from Ireland?” OK I’m not trying to take the romance out of these orbs filled with creamy white flesh, but just point out that there is a lot more diversity of flavor, color and growing environments than expected. You might do some fun light research and find one that appeals to you.

When thinking of growing potatoes the first thing many people say is that most potatoes are relatively inexpensive to purchase, but freshly dug potatoes from your own home garden seem to have a flavor unmatched by store-bought potatoes. Some people are surprised that potatoes are not grown from seed but from seed potatoes, which sprout underground and grow more tasty tubers. Knowing this you can imagine that after you harvest you might try to save some potatoes for the next growing season.

Potatoes, according to my grandmother, should be planted when the dandelions start blooming and other sources agree that they should be planted two weeks before the last freeze. Traditionally this turns out to be near Saint Patrick’s Day, which is fairly easy

NEED A SPEAKER for your Garden Club or Group?

Master Gardener Speakers Bureau volunteers are available to speak to garden clubs, church, civic and other groups. Choose from 53 programs, including A Dark Side to Winter Damage, Backyard Composting, Soil Preparation, Daylilies, Orchids, and more.

Explore the complete list of topics at www.stlmg.org. Look for the Speakers Bureau tab in the top margin.

(A $50 fee funds Master Gardener programming in our community.)

to remember, since a common name for the favorite baking russet potato is “Irish Potato”! There are more than 100 varieties of potatoes commonly sold, generally divided into three categories: russets and long, white potatoes, which work well for potatoes that will be baked, boiled, or fried; round white potatoes, which are most commonly used if you will boil potatoes or use them to make potato chips; and red-skinned potatoes, which are frequently used for boiling, baking, mashing, or in potato salads. There are many heirlooms with different colored flesh as well, such as blue or gold, and different shapes.

Some tips to grow potatoes successfully:

1) To extend your potato growing season, choose an early variety as well as a late-season variety. You plant these at the same time, but the late-season variety will be harvested several weeks after the early season potatoes.

2) Buy certified disease-free seed potatoes. Attempting to plant potatoes purchased from the grocery store could result in a disease problem or no potatoes to harvest, since they are often treated with a growth inhibitor to keep them from sprouting in the grocery store.

3) Don’t plant potatoes where tomatoes or eggplant were grown the year before. These vegetables are in the same nightshade family as potatoes and can attract similar pests and problems.

Planting potatoes can be done in several ways, each calling for soil or compost to be added as they grow to increase the depth of the tubers to keep them out of light and evenly moist and to support the stem of the main plant. A traditional potato planting method is the trench which involves digging a shallow trench about 6 inches deep and placing the seed potatoes in the trench, eyes facing up, then covering the potatoes with a couple of inches of soil. As the potato plant grows, the soil is continually hilled up along the sides of the plants. You can stop hilling up soil when the plants begin to flower. Some gardeners prefer a simple scatter method, basically laying the seed potatoes right on the soil and then covering them with a few inches of mulch. You can continue layering mulch as the plants grow. If you have a rodent problem, this method is probably not your best choice. Like many other veggies, potatoes don’t have to be labor intensive, and can be grown in pots for those utilizing small spaces. I’ve even had volunteer potatoes grow from scraps that ended up in my compost. I was able to harvest those volunteers and eat some delicious fresh tubers. You can even plant potatoes from your pantry, but make sure to use organic ones.

Steffie Littlefield is a St Louis area horticulturist and garden designer. She has degrees from St. Louis Community College at Meramec and Southeast Missouri State and is a member of Gateway Professional Horticultural Association, Missouri Botanical Garden Members Board and past president of the Horticulture Co-op of Metropolitan St. Louis. She is part-owner of Edg-Clif Winery, Potosi, MO. www.EdgClif.com, and teaches a class on viticulture at SLCC-Meramec.

Potatoes love full sun to bolster top growth, which will encourage the growth of more roots. They can handle part shade, but it’s the lush top growth that feeds the tubers underground. The more sun, the better—at least six to eight hours per day. Grow your potatoes in soil with an acid PH, when grown in soils with a higher pH the tubers seem prone to scab, which produces rough spots on the potato. Best to have a good amount of organic matter in the soil. If you have heavy clay soil, you will need to amend it with compost to the depth where the potato tubers will grow. Make sure the plants receive at least one inch of water per week. They are sensitive to drought conditions, especially when they flower, as that is when the potato tubers are forming. Adding compost or mulching around the plants can help retain moisture. You can fertilize your potatoes with an organic slowrelease fertilizer when you plant them and every couple of weeks, give them a feeding with diluted liquid fertilizer or fish emulsion.

You can start harvesting “new potatoes” (small, immature potatoes) in about 4 weeks once the plant reaches about one foot in height—about 50 days after planting. When the plant is in flower, the new potatoes are generally ready to harvest. Explore in the soil near the base of the plant and gently lift them out. Expect to wait two to four months (up to 120 days) for potatoes to reach their full size. The entire crop is ready to harvest once the tops of the plants die back. You can leave the potatoes in the ground for a few weeks longer, if the soil is not wet. Finally harvest carefully by hand or with a shovel turning the soil over slowly to reveal the round or oval treasures. The tubers can branch out, and digging in with a fork is a sure-fire way of piercing a potato or two. Damaged potatoes are still edible, but they won’t keep for long. Enjoy your well-earned fresh potatoes with your other early spring vegetables!