Growing your own potatoes, your potato success in 9 steps

Grabbing potatoes with the whole family a few times a year… that almost feels like a ritual to me. As soon as the potato fork or spade pick lifts a lump of earth and beautiful, full potatoes emerge from underneath, euphoria strikes. The children cheer with joy, as if they have discovered a hidden treasure. Because they also help plant the seed potatoes, they learn a valuable lesson: what you pay attention to, grows! The taste of our own organically grown potatoes is so intense and rich that we always watch with a bit of nostalgia as the last crate is emptied. Buying potatoes again after that? That is still a bit of a swallow.

Growing potatoes is not difficult at all. With good soil preparation you can go a long way. The information in this article is applicable to all potato varieties.

When to plant potatoes:

• Early potatoes : Plant outdoors from early March to early April; harvest from mid-June to early July.
• Mid-early potatoes : Plant outdoors from mid-March to end of April; harvest in August.
• Mid-season potatoes : Plant outdoors in April; harvest in September.
• Late potatoes : Plant outdoors from April to mid-May; harvest from mid-October to early November.

• Latin name : Solanum tuberosum
• Crop group : other
• Family : nightshade family ( Solanaceae )

• How deep to plant potatoes : 8-15 cm (about twice the height of the seed potato)
• Height of the plant : 30-75 cm
• Planting distance : early varieties 30 cm between plants, 50 cm between rows. Later varieties: 50 cm between plants, 70 cm between rows.
• Growth cycle : 70-120 days after planting

For a good start, let the seed potatoes germinate on a windowsill for a few weeks before planting them out. Place the potatoes with the mini-sprouts facing up. Boxes or egg trays are ideal for planting them in. Check with your supplier or on the packaging when they can be planted out.

• Early cultivation : plant potatoes between early March and early April, harvest mid-June to early July
• Mid-late cultivation : plant potatoes in April, harvest in August/September
• Late cultivation : plant potatoes between April and mid-May, harvest mid-October to early November

• Location : lots of sun
• Water requirement : high
• Good neighbours : marigold, garlic, cabbage, kohlrabi, corn, nasturtium, mint, broad bean, sunflower
• Bad neighbors : cucumber, pumpkin, celery, tomato
• Frost resistance : slightly frost sensitive
• Root depth : 45-60 cm
• Soil requirements : pH 4.5-6.0, rich soil with compost, good drainage

Potatoes are real potassium eaters. Adding potassium twice (organic allowed) is a must:

1. First gift : when planting
2. Second gift : after earthing up

This ensures stronger plants, a higher yield and less susceptibility to diseases.

• Potato blight (Phytophthora)
• Colorado beetle
• Wire needles

Potatoes are ready for harvest when the foliage is brown and withered. Use a potato rake, spade, shovel or spade to gently loosen the soil and dig out the potatoes.

• Energy : 86 kcal
• Fat : 0 g
• Carbohydrates : 20 g
• Proteins : 2 g
• Fiber : 2 g
• Sugar : 3 g
• Vitamins : B6, C
• Minerals : Potassium

From the beginning of March you can pre-germinate your seed potatoes. I place my early varieties with the eyes facing upwards in egg cartons or a seed tray with 4 cm wide holes. I do this in a cool, light place, such as a south-facing window in a fresh room or a garden shed. A temperature of 5-15°C in combination with plenty of light ensures strong, short and dark sprouts – exactly what you want!

In the video below, Ruud tells you everything about growing your own potatoes.

It is a much-debated topic among vegetable gardeners. Proponents swear by it, because pre-sprouting gives potatoes an advantage over their non-sprouted counterparts. Opponents point to the risk of fragile sprouts that can break off during planting and put their complete trust in the power of mother nature – according to them, potatoes always find their way to a strong plant. So do you have few or no sprouts on your seed potatoes? Don't worry, they'll be fine!

If you don't have a cool, light space, keep them even cooler at 4ºC - 6ºC (but not in the fridge)! This will slow down the sprouting and prevent long, white shoots.

Do you have long shoots because your potatoes were in too dark a place? Then you don't have to throw them away immediately. If the shoots are not too long, you can try to plant them carefully and not damage the shoots, but they often still break off. If you have really long shoots of 7 cm or more, then you can simply break them off and plant the potato without the shoots. Usually the tuber still has enough energy to start over.

In loose soil potatoes can grow well without deformities and grow fat without any worries. Growing potatoes in compact soil, no matter how nutritious it is, will not give good results. So... dig away!

Potatoes love compost – lots of it. In the autumn before you start growing potatoes, you can add fresh compost to the airy soil in the bed where you will grow potatoes next year. Simply put a layer of 5 to 10 cm on the bottom. A wheelbarrow per 2 m² is not an unnecessary luxury.

On top of that, it is best to place a layer of straw (5 to 10 cm). The soil life and the weather elements will then get to work on this 'lasagne' of loose garden soil at the bottom, a compost layer in the middle and straw on top. Soon all the animals and micro-organisms will start to break down the compost into bite-sized food for your potatoes. The straw layer also functions as a blanket against frost in your potato bed to be. After all, no soil life can be active in a frozen compost layer.

Did you not enrich your soil with compost in the autumn? Then use well-rotted compost just before planting. This is immediately available as food for your greedy potato plants. A mulch layer of straw is also a good idea here. In the spring, this does slow down the warming of the soil, but it creates a true paradise for soil life. Do you want super early potatoes? Grow them in a greenhouse, garden house or tunnel without straw and use a fleece in case of early frost.