
And since grilling season is officially here with the Memorial Day kickoff, Briana, or Bri from Bites of Bri made these mouth-watering Garlic Bistro Fries out of russet potatoes. Who could settle for fast food fries after this? And these are baked, not fried my friends!
- Anyhow, plant seed potatoes (pieces of a whole potato) or a small whole potato with two eyes per piece 0-2 weeks after last frost. So yes, you are re-planting an actual part of the potato.
- Use only certified seed potatoes as grocery-store potatoes can harbor diseases that may ruin your entire crop. You can order certified seed potatoes from a catalog or buy them at a local nursery or garden center.
- Dust the seed potatoes with agricultural sulfur by putting a handful of sulfur in a paper bag, adding the potatoes and shaking them around. This protects against fungal diseases and other pests.
- An "eye" is a bud that grows into a brand new plant.
- If you are using cut up pieces of a potato to plant to plant do so 1 or 2 days ahead of time. This will give them a chance to form a protective layer, both for moisture retention & rot resistance. Using a whole small potato is probably best.
- Plant potato parts in organic compost in the bottom of a trench.
- Plant seed potatoes one foot apart in a 4-inch trench with the eye side up.
- Potatoes like well-drained, loose soil. They also like a cool climate, and need to be watched to prevent sunburn.
- Need Lots of moisture, water regularly when tubers start to form.
- When the plant is about 6 inches tall you'll want to "hill" them. You need to hill before the potato plants bloom.
On average, 1 pound of seed potatoes should yield about 10 pounds of potatoes.
I'm not planting potatoes this year. Space issues. And I know a great roadside stand that sells them cheap. But you can bet I'll be eating potatoes.