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How to grow potatoes
When one thinks of potatoes often what comes to mind is baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, along with a whole feast of foods. Growing potatoes is one crop that takes a good amount of time and effort so that you are able to grow them successfully. Even though most avoided potato crop will certain bear some type of vegetable, it\'s best to care for your potato crop carefully so that you\'ll be able to enjoy the full benefits of having nice, large and round potato plants.
If you want to learn how to grow potatoes and haven\'t done so before, the first thing you should do is to think about the purpose for which you want the potatoes grown. For example, if you just want them for potato soups or certain types of stew meals then you may only need to grow the smaller potatoes.
However, if you want how to grow potatoes and rich potato plants then you may need to systematically plan your way to a successful potato garden. Deciding on your purpose, though, is very crucial to deciding on which potato garden to have and how to go about planting and growing them.
How to Grow Potatoes - Soil Details
Choose a sunny position with as little shade as possible and is free from frost pockets.
Potatoes can be grown in virtually all soil types. Dig in plenty of well rotted compost or manure in the autumn if none has been added for a previous crop. This will lighten heavy soils and give body to lighter ones helping to prevent the leaching of nutrients.
Rake in a general fertilizer 2 weeks before planting potatoes. Do not add lime - growing potatoes like a soil pH of just under 6... slightly acidic.
Experienced gardeners who know how to grow potatoes don\'t plant them in the same ground in successive years but leave 2-3 seasons before planting potatoes again. This stops the build-up of pests and diseases which can affect the crop badly. This also applies to growing potatoes where tomatoes have been planted - the potato belongs to the same family.
Steps for how to grow potatoes
1.Take a piece of wire stock fence or similar sturdy wire fence. Make it about ten feet (approx. 3 meters) long, and roll it into a cylinder about 3 feet (approx. 91 centimeters) wide. Fasten the end to the fence with wire to hold it together. It should form a strong but easy to open cylinder that stands about four feet (1.2 meters) tall.
2.Prepare the soil. Loosen it, and add a bit of fertilizer. This will get the potatoes off to a good start.
3. Plant the potato seedlings as you normally would. Place them about three to four inches (approx. 7.5 cm - 10 cm) deep, hand tamping the soil around them.
4.Place the wire hoops so that they are standing upright. Place them around the planted seed potatoes, centering the future plants.
5.Keep the space filled. Your potato plants will soon be popping out of the soil; as they grow, fill in the space inside the fence with more dirt and compost. Do not bury the plants; only bring the soil level up inside the cylinder two to three inches (5 cm - 7.5 cm).
6.Continue to fill in the cylinder as the plants grow. The plants will use this extra soil to grow even more potatoes in. Soon, the cylinder will be filled with dirt, compost, and potatoes.
7.Harvest the potatoes when ready. When the plant tops dry and wither, the potatoes are ready to harvest. Simply undo the wire fasteners and pull away the fence.Your potatoes will be ready to harvest, without digging, right in the cylinder of soil
How to grow potatoes >
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