Preparing for the potato

March is the best time for potato planting in the Heartland. If you haven't yet, you might want to go out and pick up seed potatoes. You can find local seed potatoes in your locally owned family hardware store, or create your own with grocery store bought {though this is a gamble}, or catalog orders. There are over 1,000 species of potatoes to choose from.

There are several ways to plant and grow your potatoes. We tried the common in the ground method, but it failed us two years in a row. We decided on using the lazy bed last year and had great results.

To start, make sure you are not planting in the same area as tomatoes or eggplants did the year before. Potatoes do not like rich soil, so no fertilizing! Or if you are going for the container method; Plant your seed potatoes in the bottom of a tall container, like a clean garbage can or barrel. Place about 6" of soil in the bottom first and then spread out your seed potatoes, usually you will use about five seed potatoes for this. Keep adding soil or mulch as the plants get taller. {I have done this in an old bassinet}

Potatoes like water, so make sure they stay hydrated, about an inch a week.

You do not want to allow the tubers to be exposed to sunlight. Exposure means green skins that can be slightly toxic. DO NOT EAT THEM!

To keep your recently cut up seed potatoes from rotting in the ground, keep them out overnight to callus.

Once your plants have flowered and the stocks have dried up and died, it is time to carefully dig them up. If heavily mulched in a barrel or lazy bed, you can winter store them where they lay.

preparing new potatoes for canning

Have any growing suggestions? Or what species of potato are you growing this year? I am going with several types, my favorite of which is the Yukon golds.

Update on my father; he is going into open heart surgery this morning.