How to Care for Potato Plants

Potatoes are used to make many delicious and nutritious dishes

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Potatoes have served as one of the food staples of the world for years. They are most commonly known for being high in carbohydrates, but they also contain almost every vital vitamin and mineral except vitamin A and are a great crop for cooler regions of the United States and other areas of similar latitude. When growing your own potatoes, make sure that they are planted in moist soil and that there is no risk of any more frost, as potatoes that are frozen and then thawed after they are in the ground are at risk for potato rot. Once they are planted, take some simple steps to insure that they thrive so that you will have a bountiful harvest.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Hoe
Mulch

Step1

Mulch the crop immediately after the plants emerge from the soil. This will help keep the soil warm early in the season and keep it cool as the weather warms. Mulch will also help the plants get plenty of nutrients and can discourage weeds from growing in the middle of the crop.

Step2

These ridges help reduce the number of "sunburned" potatoes--potatoes that are green and hard--in your crop Hoe the soil into banks that will shade the potatoes from the sun. Each day, push the soil in between the rows of potatoes into mounds. As the height of the mounds increases, they will shelter the potato plants from the sun. The ridges will be about 6 inches high by the summer.

Step3

Aerate the soil regularly. You can do this as you hoe the rows of potatoes. The soil needs to be broken up to prevent weeds from taking hold and also to give the potatoes room to develop evenly. If their soil becomes packed or "cramped," then potatoes develop unevenly and can be extremely misshapen.

Step4

Pull any weeds out by the roots. It is very important to remove the entire weed, as otherwise the plant will often simply grow back from the pieces that remain in the soil.

Step5

Water daily by irrigation. Potatoes need moist soil, but if you water them with large volumes of water all at once, then they will likely rot or be stunted. Intead, give them a steady, light stream of moisture--you can even mist them if you wish--for several hours each day.

Step6

"Hopper burn" is caused by leaf hoppers eating the potato plant foliage and causing the edges of the leaves to turn brown Check daily for pests like flat beetles and leaf hoppers. It is unlikely that you will see either one of these insects, which are quite small, lively and camouflaged, but if you notice curled leaves, white streaks in the vegetation or wilted plants, then you will need to treat your crop for an infestation. Since you are going to eat the potatoes, make sure that you treat your crop with something that will not harm humans.