Planting Potatoes

Planting Potatoes
In February I began planting potato chits in 3″ pots. A potato chit is a sprout that has developed on the skin of the potato. I cut off the chits as we used the potatoes for other purposes and laid them in a 4″ saucer to form a callus. The photo below is a potato chit ready for planting.

I planted them in 3″ pots filled halfway up with soil, then covered them by filling the remainder of the pots. It takes the potato about 2 – 3 weeks to sprout. I placed them alternatively under the plant lights or in the greenhouse, depending upon the outside temperature. They will not stand frost.

By late April I have 3″ – 4″ tall growing in the pots. Since the extended weather forecast does not indicate any frost for the next 10 days, I chanced it and planted them out. If we do get a light frost, the hoops I installed on the raised beds will allow me to cover them with a row cover to protect them.

To plant I dug 3″ – 4″ deep holes in the soil about 10″ apart in the bed.

After digging the hole, I removed the plant from the pot and inserted the growing potato in the hole.

After placing it in the hole, I backfilled the hole, leaving a 2″ – 3″ tip of the plant exposed.

In a 2′ X 4′ bed I have 24 potato plants with about a 2′ section left. I have started some more chits in pots and when they are ready, in a couple of weeks, I will fill in with those. I will place mulch over the beds as the potatoes grow, to prevent weeds and cover the developing potatoes to keep them from turning green, rendering them inedible.

This week I also planted some snow peas, started about 3 weeks previously, in the garden as well as some lettuce, radishes and carrots.

In the greenhouse the lettuce is growing nicely, with a few heads ready to harvest. I also have some early cabbage, cauliflower, radish and some other odds and ends growing. On the one end there are also some early snow peas which are beginning to bear pods which are ready to harvest.