Gardening Tips, Informative
We Love Seed Potatoes!
Seed potato planting advice from Busy Bee’s gardening guru Brian.
Always use certified disease-free seed potatoes, guaranteeing a disease-free harvest – certified seed potatoes will always have a better start with tolerances to certain diseases.
For a good harvest use only the healthiest and strongest seed potatoes, make sure to look for soft spots, bruises, cracks or signs of rotting and discard if any have them.
To ensure you get the best harvest you will need to Chit the potatoes. Do this by placing them in a cool spot with bright lighting, this will make the sprouting grow thicker, sturdier and greener.
Place the seed potato upright in an egg box with the shoots facing up for about 6 weeks.
2-3 weeks prior to planting I recommend raking or mixing by hand, a potato feed to ensure a larger yield.
Plant gently, making sure not to break off any shoots and plant with shoots upward facing.
Lastly cover lightly with at least 2.5cm of soil, Alternatively you can use a potato planter.
When you see the first shoots breaking through the soil its time to start ‘earthing up’ the soil. Gently scoop the soil in to mounds in rows this will make sure the tubers are not exposed to sunlight which will turn them green and make them poisonous as well as protecting from frost.
4-6 weeks after you have ‘earthed up’ you can sprinkle about a handful more potato feed on to the rows to encourage a better yield.
Depending on what crop you have planted First Earlies, Main Crop e.c.t you will be able to harvest between June and October.
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