Gardening Supplies For Growing 100 Pounds of Garden Potatoes

by Scott Moore

Potato gardening is simple. You don't need many gardening accessories. The potatoes we eat are starchy tubers that grow underground very naturally, swelling and getting larger as the top half of the plant matures. Many claim to grow 100 pounds of potatoes in a small 4 square foot gardening area as they cover their emerging crop in layers of soil as it matures.



First off you need garden seed potatoes. These are potatoes you've seen in your kitchen that have sprouted shoots. Individual potatoes that are sold at grocery stores sometimes have growth inhibitors sprayed on them, but bagged potatoes that you see sprout are good seed potato candidates.



Before you plant your 'seed" potatoes, you'll want activate their spouting. By simply keeping them in a warm place in bright sunlight, you'll activate this process. Some use egg cartons or baskets as temporary holders.



Prepare you potatoes the day before by cutting them into golf ball size portions with each cube having at least 2 eyes. You'll want to keep them exposed to the air overnight which hastens a callous covering the cut part. This callus prevent the seed potato from rotting in the garden.



Potatoes need full sun and loose, well-drained soil. If your soil is full of clay make sure to add compost and lots of peat moss so the vines can grow easily. Make sure they get about an inch of water a week.



One can use build a potato box or automobile tires as a garden accessory and plant place 6 seed potatoes inside filling the tire or container half way with soil. When the vines grow about 6 inches high place another tire on top or add boards to your container and cover the vines half way with soil. Keep adding soil and tires until you reach the desired height. Tires can be stacked 4 to 8 levels high.



Potato sprouts will appear in about 2 weeks. When they get about 2 or more inches high (this will take about 3 weeks) add soil to partially cover the growing vines. Do this again 2 weeks later. This process is called "hilling". Add an inch or two of soil every week so there is enough soil above the developing potato garden to prevent them from sticking out above the soil line because the potatoes will turn green



Harvest carefully, by hand or with a shovel. Generally, you can harvest from 2 to 4 months after planting. Turn the soil over and search through for potatoes at the bottom of the mound. The tubers can branch out and gentle digging at the bottom layer of your container will yield a potato or two. You can harvest the entire crop when the tops die off. All the sprays and fertilizers to grow healthy potatoes: Gardening Accessories

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