Potatoes — FarmPal
High-yielding staple crop. Grow varieties you can't find in stores.
Sun
full
Water
moderate
Spacing
12 inches apart, rows 30-36 inches apart
Days to Harvest
New potatoes: 60-70 days. Mature: 90-120 days
Planting Depth
4 inches deep initially, hill as plants grow
Companion Plants
Beans
Corn
Cabbage
Horseradish
Marigolds
Avoid Planting Near
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Squash
Sunflowers
Common Pests
Colorado potato beetle
Wireworms
Aphids
Flea beetles
Diseases to Watch
Late blight
Early blight
Scab
Blackleg
Verticillium wilt
Growing Tips
- •Use certified disease-free seed potatoes
- •Cut large seed potatoes into pieces with 2-3 eyes each
- •Let cut pieces cure 1-2 days before planting
- •Hill soil around plants as they grow to prevent green potatoes
- •Green potatoes contain solanine toxic, do not eat
- •Rotate crops don't plant where nightshades grew for 3 years
Harvesting
- •New potatoes: harvest when plants flower
- •Mature potatoes: wait until vines die back completely
- •Cure in cool, dark place for 2 weeks before storage
- •Handle gently bruised potatoes rot quickly
- •Don't wash before storage
Storage
Cured potatoes store 4-6 months at 38-45°F, 85-90% humidity. Complete darkness essential.
Varieties
Yukon Gold
Yellow flesh. Buttery flavor. All-purpose. Good storage.
Kennebec
White flesh. High yield. Excellent for frying. Great storage.
Red Pontiac
Red skin, white flesh. Good new potatoes. Moist texture.
Fingerlings
Small, elongated. Gourmet varieties. Roast whole.
Purple Majesty
Deep purple inside and out. High antioxidants. Striking.