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Potatoes are one of the most versatile types of vegetables a gardener can grow. They can be boiled, baked, fried, mashed, sliced, diced, and the list goes on. Potatoes taste great and I can eat them prepared every way imaginable. Potatoes, a cool weather vegetable, are as an important a staple to the human diet as is wheat, and grows the best when the soil temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. White potatoes or ‘Irish potato’ so known because of the great Irish famine, are members of the tuber family.
When to Plant
Early potatoes can be planted as early as late March or early April as they can tolerate a light frost. Late potato varieties should be planted no later than the first part of July. These late varieties are the best to use for winter storage, as they will keep longer.
How to Plant
A potato plant is started from a slice of a potato that has at least one eye on it. These are referred to as seed pieces. Small whole potatoes can also be used as a starter piece. Some garden center and nurseries sell certified seed potatoes and gardeners consider them excellent for growing potatoes, not wanting anything else. If using sliced potatoes to start your plants, plant as soon as possible after slicing. The potato pieces should be spaced approximately 10 inches apart, in rows two to three inches deep. Rows should be about two feet apart.
Soil
Potatoes will do their best in well-drained, loose soil. After plants have emerged, mulch can be applied. The mulch will help retain moisture in the soil and keep it cool, and help keep weeds down. Plastic sheeting can be used over the rows to warm the soil to promote early grown of the potato plants. Once the plants break through the soil, this plastic sheeting should be removed.
Caring for the Plants
To ensure a bumper crop of potatoes, till or hoe the rows in order to build a ridge of loose soil along each row side. Potatoes do best when the soil is loose and well aerated, and weeds are kept down. Keep potatoes watered throughout their growing season.
Harvest Time
Potatoes are ready to harvest with a spade or potato fork after their vines have died. Gardeners usually dig early potatoes in July and later potatoes in August or September. In order to keep late potatoes through the winter months, place them in a dark area of a garage or basement where the temperature stays between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Foes
Some insects that may cause problems when growing potatoes are the Colorado potato beetle, the Flea beetle or the Leafhoppers. Disease that may affect potatoes are Blight disease, identified by yellowing or dying leaves and Potato Scab disease (a rough scabbed area on the potato), which develops because the pH level of the soil is lower than 5.6.
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Author Bio Box: Agnes Farside
 http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/110407/agnes_farside.html
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