When do you plant potatoes and what is the correct method for piling up potatoes? With us you will learn how to plant potatoes and grow them successfully.
Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are easy to grow in your own garden and are an important part of any self-sufficient garden. In addition to planting, piling up the potatoes is also an important issue. With us you will learn how to successfully plant potatoes and which tubers are suitable for this.
Origin and characteristics of the potato
The potato belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and is closely related to tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and eggplant (Solanum melongena) related. It originally comes from South America and came to Europe in the course of the 16th century.
But what does a potato plant actually look like? Potatoes usually reach a height of 60 to 100 cm. They form thick, juicy green shoots upwards from the underground, starchy tubers. The slightly to very hairy leaves are imparipinnate, 10 to 30 cm long and overhanging. In early summer from mid-June, the white, pink or violet blossoms of the potato plant appear in fives. From these, inedible, tomato-like, green berries with the seeds of the potato ripen until late summer.
Underground, the potato forms numerous small bulbs along with roots, which grow over the course of the summer. Depending on the variety and weather, a yield of 700 to over 1000 g per plant can be expected.
Seed potatoes and seed potatoes: Which potatoes can you plant?
What is the difference between regular ware potatoes and seed or seed potatoes? Basically not at all - and there is no difference between seed potatoes and seed potatoes. If you want to grow potatoes on a large scale, you have to buy the seed potatoes from the grower. The potato tuber falls under thatSeed Protection Act. This means that the tubers, which are intended for commercial cultivation, must be distributed in a controlled manner. On the one hand, this ensures the breeder that his variety will not be propagated without his consent and, on the other hand, that no infected tubers and thus potato diseases will circulate. Seed potatoes in all shapes and colors are available by the kilo in garden shops and from specialist growers.
Can you plant normal potatoes? With a hobby gardener, a potato can of course accidentally fall out of the sack with ware potatoes into the ground and form new daughter tubers there. However, many potatoes are treated with germ-inhibiting agents so that they do not start sprouting in the pantry. After application, the agent migrates into the tuber, so it cannot simply be washed off. Therefore, when buying potatoes, make sure that they are untreated. Such means are strictly forbidden in organic farming.
When do you plant potatoes?
Spring is the right time to plant potatoes - you can plant the potato tubers from the beginning of April to the end of May. At this point, the soil should be moderately moist to dry and loose. It is also important for cultivation to know the ripening time of the respective variety, i.e. whether the potatoes are early or late.
Planting potatoes: the right location
In order for the potato to grow well, its soil requirements should be met and the optimal location for cultivation should be chosen. Potato plants prefer loose, well-drained and nutrient-rich soil in full sun. Sandy soils and sandy loamy soils are ideal for this. But the potato also thrives in peaty and very loamy soil, as long as the water can drain off well. Waterlogging is not tolerated by her, because in this case the tubers quickly rot in the ground. A soil pH of 5.5 to 7.0 is ideal. The plants tolerate calcareous soils well up to a pH of 8.5, but additional liming should then be avoided.
Site and soil characteristics for growing potatoes:
- Loose, rather sandy, permeable and nutrient-rich soil.
- No soils prone to waterlogging, such as very loamy or clayey soils with poor drainage.
- Optimum soil pH between 5.5 and 7.0.
- Observe crop rotationand change location from year to year.
- Alternatively, cultivation in pots with suitable potting soil.
In general, potatoes should never be grown in succession at the same location. They are only allowed to return to the same location after four years. This prevents soil-borne potato diseases such as potato cancer (Synchytrium endobioticum) and one-sided soil fatigue.
Alternatively, you can plant potatoes in pots and thus also cultivate them on the terrace and balcony. A loose, permeable and nutrient-rich potting soil, such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil, is ideal for this.
Since the potato is a plant with a fairly high nutrient requirement, it is advisable to include legumes (Fabaceae) such as beans (Phaseolus vulgaris ) or peas (Pisum sativum). These plants are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil and increase the nitrogen content in the soil. Winter greening is also very suitable as a pre-culture for potatoes, as this brings a lot of organic matter into the soil. The combination with various other types of vegetables and herbs also has a positive effect on the soil quality and the yield of potatoes. You can find out more advantages and ideal planting partners for a mixed cultivation of potatoes in our special article.
Pre-sprout potatoes
Seed potatoes can be pre-germinated on a bright and warm windowsill for four to five weeks from the beginning of March. This method ensures a two to three week earlier harvest and also allows the cultivation of mid-ripening varieties. In this way, they can usually be harvested before the dreaded late blight (Phytophthora infestans) starts to wreak havoc. However, you should make sure that the sometimes long shoots of the sprouted potatoes do not break off when planting them in the ground.
Potatoes at a glance:
- Sproute the potatoes from the beginning of March in a bright place and at room temperature.
- Allows earlier harvest; can be a helpful method against late blight.
- Be careful when planting out the sprouted potato tubers: Do not break off any shoots!
Tip for dividing potatoes: Potato tubers can also be divided. However, this must be done before drivingso around the end of February. It is best to cut up potatoes with a sterile, sharp knife and allow the wound to dry thoroughly. It is important that both halves have eyes - i.e. tiny buds. The shoots will later form from these eyes. If you divide the tubers in good time, the potato has enough time before planting out for the wound to heal and no pathogens to settle in.
Planting potatoes: distance and depth
The first question to ask when planting is: how deep do you plant potatoes? Plant and row spacing also play an important role in bed planning. The optimal planting depth for potatoes is 6-10 cm, the planting distance between potatoes is 30-40 cm. The distance between the individual rows should be 60 to 80 cm.
Planting and Planting Potatoes: Instructions
Potato planting season starts from April to May. Use a planting shovel to dig suitable holes for the tubers. Alternatively, use a garden hoe to make a long furrow and place the potatoes in it one at a time. Pre-germinated tubers are planted with the existing shoot on top. Now cover the tuber with soil and water. After a few weeks, the first green shoots will sprout from the ground.
pile potatoes
It's time to cover the potato plants with soil when the foliage has already developed and reached a size of about 20 to 30 cm. After all, the tubers should not turn green and bitter from sunlight. In addition, the yield can be increased slightly by piling up the potatoes. The heaped up soil also forms roots along the shoot and thus improves the absorption of water and nutrients. It is best to combine piling up with weed hoeing between the rows. Especially when cultivating potatoes early, when the ground is still freezing, earthing up is done early if necessary to protect the foliage. Basically, it is advisable to carry out the mounding in the evening hours, because then the foliage has aligned steeply upwards and the mounded soil does not weigh down the plant. Here's how to pile up potatoes.
Step by step: piling up potatoes
- Right time to pile up: When the shoots have reached a size of approximately 20 to 30 cm (early cultivation is also possible).
- Umpull the soil lying on the potato plant towards the plant with a rake so that a heap forms.
- Mound soil around the potato plant so that the sprouts are covered and only the tips of the sprouts are sticking out.
- Remove weeds to stop competition for nutrients and water.
- The stacking can be repeated if necessary.
Sowing potatoes: Can you grow potatoes from seeds?
In principle, potatoes can also be grown from seed, but in practice only breeders do this. Sowing potato seeds does not result in any advantages for the hobby gardener. On the one hand, there is a high probability that the varieties were mixed during pollination. The next generation from the seeds is therefore probably not pure. On the other hand, seedlings need significantly longer to form tubers. The tubers harvested are quite small in the first year after the seeds have been planted in February and therefore hardly yield anything. Only when the harvest from the first year is planted out in the following spring is the harvest quantity approximately comparable.
Is the potato plant poisonous?
All green parts of the potato are poisonous to humans and animals. Green spots on the tuber are also inedible. They contain the alkaloid solanine, which triggers typical signs of poisoning such as nausea, vomiting and drowsiness and can even lead to death in high doses. However, potato tubers without green spots are completely harmless and can even be eaten raw.
After planting and piling up, regular care of the potato plant must now be tackled. We give you tips on weed control, watering and nutrient supply.