How to Grow La Ratte Potatoes

Cut the La Ratte seed potatoes into 1- to 2-inch pieces, approximately three days before planting. Make sure each piece has an eye, which is the small raised area from which roots will grow.

Loosen the soil at the planting site to a depth of 10 to 12 inches using a tiller or garden fork.

Make rows, using a garden hoe, leaving a space of 1 1/2 to 2 feet between each.

Incorporate 10-20-10 fertilizer with the garden soil, at a rate of 1 tablespoon for every 10-foot row.

Use the side of the hoe to make 3-inch-deep furrows.

Plant the La Ratte seed potatoes in the furrows and cover them with 3 inches of soil. Leave a space of 6 to 8 inches between each potato.

Water the site until the soil is lightly moist right after planting. Continue to provide supplemental moisture when less than 1 inch of rain falls in a one-week period.

Add a 3-inch layer of mulch around the La Ratte potato plants when they are 3 inches tall. Keep the mulch approximately 3 to 4 inches from the stems.

Broadcast 34-0-0 fertilizer beside each plant six weeks after planting. Apply the fertilizer at a rate of 5 tablespoons for every 10-foot row. Work the fertilizer granules lightly into the surface of the soil with a garden hoe.

Heap 3 to 4 inches of soil around the base of each potato plant after blooms have formed. This helps to protect potatoes near the soil's surface from sun damage.

Use a spade fork to dig and harvest the La Ratte potatoes after the plants have started to wither and die. Be careful not to damage the potatoes when digging.