Archive for the ‘Planting’ Category

Growing Potatoes in Tyres

by Annette Welsford No Comments
Potatoes growing in Tyres

Potatoes growing in tyres Just when you thought it would be impossible to grow potatoes in your own backyard, someone tells you about the ingenious – although no longer new – idea of growing potatoes in old car tyres. What could be more sustainable than this? You get to find a use for what would probably ...

How Much Space do You Need to Grow Potatoes at Home?

by Annette Welsford No Comments
Field of Potatoes

Field of Potatoes Potatoes are an incredibly important commercial crop all over the world. They also, undeniably, take up a lot of space. If you look at farmers' fields of potatoes you will surely imagine they go on forever. This is probably why relatively few home gardeners bother with potatoes. Another reason is that they are ...

Potato Greens are Poisonous

by Annette Welsford No Comments
Potato Greens are Poisonous

NEVER eat potato greens. It may not seem obvious, but the green leaves of potatoes that grow above the ground are poisonous. Even eating small quantities of what we call "potato greens" can make a person very sick. Indigenous to parts of South America, including Peru, Chile and Bolivia, the potato has been grown ...

The Best Companion Plants for Potatoes

by Annette Welsford 1 Comment
Marigolds

There is absolutely no doubt that some plants grow better alongside others, and the potato is no exception. While not all companion planting is based on horticultural science, there are some quite significant scientific foundations for the concept. There are multiple reasons why certain plants do particularly well together. These reasons range from making certain plants ...

The Right Soil pH for Potatoes

by Annette Welsford 3 Comments
test soil pH

Soils with a pH lower than 6.5 are best-suited for raising potatoes; the ideal soil pH for potatoes is 5 to 6. In fact, potatoes are one of the few vegetable crops that can tolerate and thrive in more acidic soils — soils in the 4.8 to 6.0 pH range. Potatoes may not do well ...

Choosing potatoes for planting

by Annette Welsford No Comments
Seed Potato

  Planting potatoes is a wonderfully rewarding past time, and something which children love to be involved in, particularly when it comes to harvesting.      Do you plant old sprouted potatoes? You can, but you are much better off buying certified disease-free seed potatoes.  These are widely available from nurseries and produce stores.  Certified seed potatoes  are a far ...