Making Potatoes a Garden Priority

In the past growing potatoes has been a bit of an afterthought. Last Fall while thinking about seed I heard that seed potatoes may be short in Spring 2023, so I committed. Nothing like something being rare to motivate interest.

As it turns out United Potato Canada is reporting seed potato inventories on January 11, 2023 at 10.6 million hundred weight. This is 5.2% above the 3-yr. average and 3.5% over last year at the same time.

Glad I committed early though, to get the varieties of my choice.

Here are tips on growing your own potatoes this year from West Coast Seeds:

• Potato plants are cool soil and frost tolerant (soil temperature 6 degrees C+)
• Well-drained, loamy soils rich in organic matter are preferred
• When the plant is a foot tall, “hill up” around plants with soil, straw or grass
• No irrigation between planting and sprouting to avoid disease
• Don’t let the soil totally dry out
• Irrigate while plants are flowering

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