Garden Vegetable - Potatoes

Botanical Information

Starting

Notes:

Succeeds in most soils, preferably in a sunny location. Dislikes wet or heavy clay soils and prefers a slightly acid soil. The tubers are subject to scab on limy soils or those deficient in humus. Yields are best from plants grown in rich soils with plenty of organic matter. The top-growth of this species is not frost hardy, though the tubers will tolerate a few degrees of frost if left in the ground.
Potatoes are very widely grown throughout the world for their edible tubers and there are many named varieties. The potato is one of the main staple foods, it is very high yielding (50 tonnes or more per hectare), stores well and can be available all year round. The potato probably arose through cultivation from several wild species that can still be found growing in S. America. Many of these wild species can be used in breeding programs for improved disease resistance etc.
Does well when grown after a crop of rye, Secale cereale. Grows well with legumes, sweet corn, cabbage, marigolds, horse radish, flax and nasturtiums. Grows poorly with tomatoes, sunflowers, members of the cucumber family and raspberries. Potatoes should not be stored with apples because the ethylene gas released by the apples will cause the potatoes to go soft and develop a sour taste.

Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent locations after the last expected frosts. If started early it is possible to get a reasonable crop in the first year though the normal way of growing potatoes is from tubers. Seed from named varieties will not breed true to type but will usually give a good crop.
Division of tubers. Harvest in the autumn, store in a cool frost free place overwinter. Chit the potatoes to encourage the growth of sprouts in the new year and and plant out in spring.