Soil Requirements
Growing your potatoes allows you to choose varieties normally not commercially available. They come in a rainbow of colors from white, red, blue & gold. Seed potatoes are called tubers and are usually sold by garden retailers at the appropriate time of year for growing in your area. Potatoes found in the local market are usually treated with a chemical which discourages sprouting, and may carry disease so growing these tubers is not recommended. It is best to purchase certified tubers. Potatoes require loose, rich, well drained sandy soil with liberal amounts of organic composted matter incorporated into the soil for best results. 

It is not recommended to use animal manure in soil for growing potatoes. Manure will enhance the possibility of developing potato scab disease. 

Potato Tubers must be prepared a week before planting into the beds. Try to select large tuber with ample eye formation. Avoid tubers that have already sprouted showing stems growth. Cut the tuber into smaller 1½" thick pieces containing at least two eyes per piece. The potato tuber should then be healed by placing in a brown paper market bag containing lime and agricultural sulfur to minimize fungal disease and potato beetle. Cover all cut surfaced and allow to dry in a cool ventilated area.

Planting Suggestions
Plant tubers 4"to 6" deep and spaced about 10" apart. Plant two rows equally space in your 36" wide beds. Press the tuber into the bottom of the hold to maximize the tuber contact with the soil. Pour a small amount of water into each hold an allow to soak into the soil before covering the holes with soil. When the tops appear gradually hill the tops with loose soil pulled from both sides of the row forming a trench between the two row. Do not allow the trench between row to extend beyond the end of the wide bed. Continue this until the hills are 10" to 12" tall. There should only be about 3" of tops above the soil at this point. 

Cover the entire bed including the trench with leaves or straw mulch. This will conserve moisture attract worms and reduce the growth of weeds in the beds. Any weeds that do germinate are easily removed be hand or light cultivation. Ideally the leaves or straw mulch should be shredded for maximum contact with the tops. Continue adding mulch to tops as they continue to grow. When it is time to water your plants simply apply a moderate amount of water into the trench between the row you formed earlier. Do not apply water to quickly as you may wash out soil holding the water. The water will slowly soak deeply onto the root zone. Using this method your plants will always have adequate moisture to perform well. Have a great potato crop!

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