For me the middle of next month always brings with it a sense of cele-
bration: it’s Irish potato season. Woo-hoo! This is one of my all-time
favorite crops to grow… and to consume.
Potatoes are a cool season crop. They do very well if you plant them
in the late winter, around mid-February. You can then harvest them in
mid-to-late May, before the heat of the summer arrives. The perfect
soil temperature is 50 degrees.
Rather than seeds, potatoes come from seed potatoes. These contain
buds or ‘eyes,’ which then sprout into new plants. The seed potatoes
are cut into pieces. They should be no smaller than an egg, and each
must have an eye.
After cutting, allow the potato pieces to dry. This helps to stop them
from rotting. To protect them even more, you can dust them with wett-
able powder sulfur - a fungicide.
You will encourage new sprouts if you place the pieces in a dark place.
The top three seed potato varieties that do consistently well in the
Austin, Buda and Kyle area are: Kennebec (white), Red Lasoda, and
Yukon Gold.
As with most vegetables, the garden location should be well-drained,
and have lots of sunshine.
An important point: potatoes love loose soil. The looser the better.
Make sure you mix in generous amounts of compost, sand, leaf mold
and hay into the soil.
Plant your potato pieces 1 foot apart into a furrow 10 to 12 inches
deep. Cover with 3 inches of soil. When the new shoots reach the
height of 6 to 8 inches, pull more soil around them. This will encour-
age more tubers. Also, as they begin to grow, add plenty of loose
mulch to help conserve moisture and keep the growing tubers cooler.
In May, when the plants begin to wilt and fade, it’s time to harvest
your treasures. Unearth your new potatoes with great care, as damaged
potatoes do not store well. If your soil is loose enough, you should be
able to do this by hand.
This is where the fun begins! I guess it kind of reminds me of an Easter
egg hunt. The great joy of sifting through the soil and discovering
hidden potatoes… is what gardening is all about.
Happy Potato Gardening everyone!
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