If you are still seeing green from your St. Pattie's Day celebration, stay in the festive spirit by planting some potatoes.
It has long been gardening folklore that Irish potatoes have to be planted on St. Patrick's Day. Unfortunately, the less-than-cooperative weather is making that time-honored tradition hard to fulfill. Nevertheless, the gardening season is upon us and here are some tricks to ensure potato crop success.
Gardeners can choose from several potato varieties. Common red-skinned varieties to look for include Red Norland, La Roughe, La Soda, Viking and Reddale. White-skinned varieties include Superior, Forchip, Crystal, Kennebec and Iris Cobbler. Russet-skinned varieties include Norgold and Norkotah.
The key to success with early season planting is soil temperature. To date, the sun has been scarce and the snow and rain seem to be coming on a regular basis. Potatoes will not sprout until the soil temperature is consistently 45 degrees.
Before planting, check your soil temperature at a 3-inch depth to ensure it has warmed sufficiently. If the soil is still too cold and wet, your seed pieces will rot and not grow. At last check, soils around here were just a bit too cool for planting.
Select firm seed potatoes that can be cut into seed pieces. Each piece should weigh about 2 ounces. As a general rule, an average-size potato can be cut into four pieces, while a larger one can be cut into six.
It is a good idea to cut the pieces two to three days before you intend to plant them. During this time, store the cut seed at room temperature to allow the exposed surfaces to heal.
A chemical called suberin will be produced on the open surfaces. Suberin is a protective material that helps prevent the seed piece from rotting.
When properly healed, pieces will be shriveled and have a slightly powdered appearance. Plant seed pieces about 1 inch deep, a foot apart, in rows 3 feet apart.
Although many people think potatoes form on the roots, they actually form along the plant stem. To maximize yields, plants should be mounded as they grow. Let the plants grow 3 to 4 inches tall, then mound 3 to 4 inches of soil around the plant. Do this several times until the soil "hill" reaches about a foot high.
Potatoes are fairly heavy feeders and require quite a bit of fertilizer to produce abundantly. However, don't apply the fertilizer all at once. It's better to side-dress or sprinkle fertilizer along the row several times throughout the growing season.
Growing potatoes is easy and fun. The reward comes later this season when you pull back the soil and there lie the spuds, like diamonds glistening in the sand.
No matter how you like to prepare them, home-grown potatoes add a certain pizzazz to any home-cooked meal. So prepare to plant, monitor the soil, cut the seed pieces and hope that we all have the luck of the Irish this gardening season.
Bruce Chladny is horticulture agent at K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County. For more gardening information call the Master Gardener Hotline, 843-7058, between 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday or Friday.
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