Maximizing Potato Production in a Garden

Increasing Potato Production

• Factors that increase potato yield in the home garden are ensuring the ground is well prepared prior to planting potato seeds, fertilizing the growing plants well, weeding and checking for disease regularly and hilling the growing crops. For the highest yields, potatoes should not be dug until two weeks after the vines have died down. Potatoes need a growing season of 90 to 120 frost-free days and grow best in areas with cooler summers, as hot weather reduces tuber growth.

Soil Preparation

• Prior to planting potatoes, your garden soil should be well prepared and have plenty of nutrient-rich organic matter added. Ideally, soil should have pH levels of 5.0 to 5.5. Soil should drain easily, as potatoes will not thrive in flooded conditions. Potatoes are heavy feeders, so add a high phosphorus fertilizer (10-20-0) to soil prior to planting, using 1 tablespoon of fertilizer per 10-foot row. Seed potatoes should be planted at a depth of 4 inches, 12 to 18 inches apart and in rows 24 to 36 inches apart. The best planting time for potatoes is when soil temperatures reach 45 degrees Fahrenheit, as cold soils may increase seed potato decay or delay sprouting. It's possible to plant early, mid-season and late varieties of seed potato in March or early April and continue mid-season and late variety plantings up to the beginning of July.

Care

• Fertilize your potato plants for larger yields, using 3 pounds of 8-16-16, 10-20-20 to every 100 square foot. Weed by hand around growing plants, since chemical weed killers are not recommended around food crops. Common pests include Colorado potato bugs, leafhoppers and flea beetles, which can be treated with carbaryl insecticide applied at a rate of 5 teaspoons per 1 gallon of water applied over 500 square feet. Aphid infestation can be treated by hosing off the aphids with a strong spray of water or with products containing malathion, mixed at a rate of 1/2-ounce per gallon of water per 1,000 square feet.

Hilling

• As the potatoes are only planted to a depth of four inches, it is necessary to hill the plants as they begin to grow. Adding the soil from between the rows to the top of the potato row protects the tubers and sprouts as they begin to emerge. If you allow the tubers to grow in sunlight they will turn green and the potato crop will become inedible.