Potatoes in the ground? Check!

Today, I finally got around to getting my potatoes in the ground. In preparation for planting, I chitted the potatoes for a couple of weeks first. What is chitting you ask? It's a word that you should enunciate very carefully as to not cause confusion. Also, it is a word that describes the process of encouraging the seed potatoes to sprout before planting them. I do this by placing the seed potatoes in an empty cardboard egg carton and arranging them so that they are not touching. I put the egg carton in a sunny warm window until they start to sprout. I have now planted them in the ground, placing them about 3 inches deep, 12 inches apart, with about 24 inches between the rows. I hilled soil between the rows so that I can scrape it over top of the growing plants when they need their first hilling. This will probably be when they are around 6 inches tall. I have reserved additional garden soil and straw for when the time comes. I selected Norland and Yukon potatoes so that I would have versatile red and yellow potatoes that are quite productive and pretty good at storing.

I also have 3 russet potato plants in each of two 20 gallon upcycled nursery pots. I tend to not have as great success with container potatoes, but they still offer a reasonable yield for a small space. I am hoping that since I have not crowded them as much this year, that they will offer a heavier crop. Containers are a great way to add instant capacity to your garden without digging or tilling an in-ground bed (especially when you are working with rock hard clay in the absence of rain.