by Jennifer Poindexter
Potatoes are one of the most versatile plants to grow in your garden. There are multiple varieties, and they can be baked, fried, or boiled after harvest. If you enjoy eating potatoes, you should consider adding them to your garden space.
However, you should also be aware that there are common mistakes many gardeners make when raising this crop. Don’t be discouraged. I’m going to walk you through these mistakes and share with you how they can be avoided.
If you’re ready to begin your potato-growing adventure, check out this list to ensure you have a positive growing experience. Here are the mistakes to watch for when growing potatoes.
1. The Plants Didn’t Sprout
You can put seeds in the ground, but it doesn’t mean they will sprout. In fact, there are certain conditions where seeds won’t sprout.
Seed potatoes have specific conditions where they won’t form plants. Be aware of these conditions and try to avoid them as much as possible.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Potatoes are hardy vegetables. They don’t need extreme warmth to begin sprouting. However, the soil temperature must be 45-degrees Fahrenheit or greater.
If you plant them before the soil is warm enough, they won’t sprout. Also, if you plant your seed potatoes during a wet time, the plant may not sprout. Too much moisture can cause them to rot in the ground.
2. Failed to Provide the Basics
All plants have basic needs. If you fail to meet these needs, many times, the plants won’t prosper. Potatoes are no different.
Ensure you know what potato plants need, in a growing area, and provide those needs as closely as possible.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Potatoes should be planted in full sun. They also require well-draining soil. This is important because if the water can’t drain away from the plant, it’s left in a soggy state.
This can lead to rot and will ultimately reduce or stop your harvest all together. Be sure your potato plants have what they need to provide them with every reason to thrive under your care.
3. Failing to Hill the Potatoes
The first time I planted potatoes, I wasn’t sure what hilling meant. Thankfully, my husband had more experience than I did.
To hill a potato means you rake the soil up and around the base of the plant to ensure the stems are supported and the potatoes are covered. It’s a vital step in growing potato plants.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Be sure to hill your potatoes on a weekly basis. Depending upon their growth, you may need to perform this task more frequently.
It’s important to hill potatoes to keep the sun from reaching your crop. If the sun reaches your potato crop, the potatoes will turn green, and this will have a negative impact on your harvest.
4. Failing to Cure Cut Potatoes
Some people like to purchase seed potatoes. Instead of planting an entire seed potato, they cut it into multiple pieces.
In theory, each slice which has an eye, has the potential of producing a potato plant. It’s an easy way to increase the amount of potatoes you plant without spending more money.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
There’s nothing wrong with cutting seed potatoes and making them go further in your garden. It’s quite prudent of you.
However, be sure you allow the cut potatoes to cure prior to planting. If you don’t, they’ll rot in the ground.
5. Growing Store-Bought Potatoes
Many people assume you can purchase potatoes from the grocery store, plant them, and you’ll receive a harvest.
Though this can be done, it doesn’t work as flawlessly as some might imagine. If you have the ability to purchase seed potatoes, it might be a safer option.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Store-bought potatoes are sprayed with a chemical which is meant to discourage them from sprouting. Therefore, they aren’t the best option for planting.
However, some also feel, when you plant store-bought potatoes, you welcome more diseases into your crop because you don’t know what they’ve been exposed to. In short, seed potatoes are usually a safer option for your garden.
6. Hollow Potatoes
You planted potatoes, and they sprouted. You hilled them and cared for them properly. Now, it’s time to harvest your crop.
However, when you go to harvest them, you notice the potatoes feel funny. You cut into them only to find the inside is hollow. What has happened to your potato plants?
How to Avoid this Mistake:
It’s sad when you put in a ton of work only for things to not pan out. However, this is a mistake that you might have some control over the outcome.
If your potatoes have a hollow center, there’s a good chance they grew too quickly. Therefore, they were provided with too much water or fertilizer at one time. You can’t always control the rain, but do be mindful of the frequency fertilizer is being applied to your potato crop.
7. Ignoring Pests and Diseases
Gardening isn’t light work. It’s enjoyable work, but it can become overwhelming at times. If you have many plants, it might be easy for you to overlook some issues in your garden.
However, be sure you don’t overlook things for too long because pests and diseases can destroy your potato crop if left unattended.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Potatoes have many threats in the garden. It’s important that you pay attention to your plants and react to any threats you see.
The most common threats are potato beetles, aphids, flea beetles, spider mites, and leafhoppers. They can usually be handled with an insecticide. You should also be aware of mosaic virus, black leg, and black scurf.
There’s no treatment for mosaic virus. However, the impacted plants should be removed and destroyed. Plants impacted by a bacteria should also be removed from the garden area. Fungal diseases should be treated with a fungicide, and the growing conditions should be improved to avoid inviting further disease into the area.
8. Harvesting Too Early
One of the final mistakes many gardeners make is jumping the gun as harvest time comes closer. It’s exciting to grow a plant, and it’s normal to want the fruits of your labor.
However, if you try to harvest too soon, you’re cheating yourself. It’s important to wait until the ideal time to harvest your potatoes.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
You can avoid this mistake by knowing when your potato plants are ready for harvest. Potato plants shouldn’t be harvested until they turn yellow and die back.
Once this occurs, you can dig the potatoes out of the ground. If the plant is still green and thriving, it isn’t done producing.
9. Storing Your Harvest Incorrectly
It’s sad when you put in work to grow a crop, only to have it wasted because the storage method was incorrect.
When growing potatoes, be sure you know how to store your harvest for later use. This is equally important to all other parts of the growing experience.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Potatoes should be placed in the sun after harvesting for a day or two. This allows any excess moisture to evaporate prior to storage.
When storing potatoes, choose a cool, dark location. The potatoes shouldn’t touch one another to avoid the skin breaking down and leading to rot.
These are the top mistakes gardeners make when growing potatoes in their garden. It’s important to take note of each hiccup.
If you can avoid these mishaps, it will be to your advantage. This will help you avoid wasted time and effort. It should also help you achieve a delicious harvest you can enjoy all year long.
More About Growing Potatoes
https://www.canr.msu.edu/potatooutreach/potatohomegardening.pdf
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-potatoes
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenec6be.html
What can you use to kill potato bugs without using insecticide. Want to grow organic what can I use
“Potatoes should be placed in the sun after harvesting for a day or two. ”
Really!! This would be a great way to get green potatoes that you can’t eat.
Use “D.E.” Diatomaceous (die-uh-tow-may-shuss) Earth.
It’s a natural, fine particulate (you may want to use a mask when applying), which is harvested from ancient sea beds. Scatter the powder on your plants and soil. When insects crawl on it, the powder sticks to the body parts of the insects, then they quickly dry up and die without harming anything else. However, it will also kill pollinators, so it’s best to apply in the evening when after the good bugs have gone to bed.
I planted 8 small purple potatoes in one large container and only one is growing. What is happening t the other potatoes and are they rotting snide the container and if so are they rotting my growing potato?
I can’t get my seed potatoes to sprout. It’s very confusing. Some sites say leave them in a dry light area to sprout, and others say leave them in a moist dark area!! It sounds like nobody really knows how to do it.
Well, I can make it up myself. Then I’ll start a website on how to do it.