How to Grow Potatoes from Eyes | A Beginner’s Guide

There are different ways to grow potatoes, but growing from its eyes is one of the easiest and simplest way to cultivate. Every gardener wants to grow potatoes which is why I recommend to grow it from their eyes because it is one of the easiest processes and you will definitely get successful.

The process is also considered reliable because it can increase production if you take care of your potatoes. Almost every other gardener uses this method, which is why I recommend you to try this process in particular.

Below blog we will go through the complete process form selection potatoes to harvest then, if you are new and don’t know how to grow a potato from an eye then follow along.

What is Potato Eyes:

Potatoes’ eyes are small buds that can be found on their surface. Each of these birds has the potential to grow into a plant. They are also called eyes because they look like potatoe’s eyes. Due to the ability of grow into a new plant most people grow their potatoes form these eyes and that’s what I’m going to tell you in this blog.

How to Plant Potatoes From Eyes:

Growing potatoes from the eyes is a lengthy process when I learn it. But for you to understand it clearly, I divide the process of planting potatoes from eyes in differnet steps and explain each of the step in proper details, so let’s get to it.

Choosing Potatoes:

To grow potatoes from the eyes, you have to choose a type of healthy potato, which means that they should be disease-free because they have a high chance of maximum growth. If you have potatoes from previous growth, you should use those instead of getting new ones, but if you don,’t, then you should get them from a trusted source, and trust me, it is important if you want to get high amount of harvest.

Identifying Healthy Eyes:

Now after choosing healthy potatoes, you have to choose again and select those with healthy eyes. Now what is healthy eyes, well those who look well formed and doesn’t show any sign of shriveled or weakness. You can also identify weak eyes with discoloration.

In this process of choosing potatoes, you should also consider their variety because some varieties like red Pontiac, and Yukon gold can grow very well form eyes.

Preparing Potatoes for Planting:

After choosing the right type and variety of potatoes, you must prepare them for planting. The preparation of potatoes means you have to cut them into small pieces. While cutting, make sure that each piece has at least one to two eyes so if one of the eyes can’t grow, we have another to grow into a new plant.

After cutting it into pieces, now it’s time to cure it for a couple of days. Some gardener says to me that curing process isn’t important but trust me it is and it prevent those potato pieces form rotting after planting it.

Condition and Time for Planting:

Potato is a seasonal plant that grows only in a specific season. Potatoes grow in the spring season under temperatures of 40 to 45F. The temperature may be change depend upon your area atmospheric condition.

Planting Potatoes:

Planting potatoes requires proper and well-drained soil with pH levels of 5 to 7. You also have to prepare that soil properly with proper and well-rotted manure to increase its fertility. You can also use fertilizer in the soil before planting to prepare it.

Planting Potatoes with Proper Spacing and Depth:

Now, let’s get to process of how to grow potato from eye. After preparing the soil, I first water that planting area a little bit, which makes it easy to make rows. You can make as many rows as you like, but make sure to make it 30 to 36 inches apart. That spacing between is really important because it well give proper space for potatoes to grow below in the roots.

Now take one potato piece at a time and plant it about 3 to 5 inches deep and 12 inches apart form next potato piece into the soil. Repeat the process and plant all the potatoes with proper spacing.

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Caring of Potato Plants:

Now it’s time to take care of your potatoes and plants, which can be done by following a few steps.

Watering Schedule:

To water, you have to water those planted potatoes immediately. But for regular watering, the potatoes should be watered once or twice a week. The amount of water needed per week depends upon the temperature and weather of your area. If it’s hot, then you should water the potatoes more than usual. It also depend upon the type of soil you have.

Related: How to Grow Avovado

Hilling Potato Plants:

When the plant starts to grow, the first thing you should do is soil the potatoes. Hilling is a process in which a pile of soil around the potato plant is made after mulching it. It is important because when the plant starts developing potatoes in its root, those hilling protect it from sunlight because the sunlight turns green, and then it becomes toxic. The hilling protects the young potatoes, also called tubers, from insects and pests.

Managing Diseases and Pests:

Every plant faces different diseases and pest attacks. Just like that, potatoes face diseases and pest attacks in which aphids, beetles, Late blight, Flea beetle, Potato leafhopper, Potato tuber moth, Spider Mites, etc are common ones. So for that can you use different pesticides that will protect you potato plants. Some of the common pesticides inlcude carbaryl, malathion, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, pyrethrins, etc.

On the other hand it faces some diseases which include, Bacterial Ring Rot, Black Dot, Calico, Charcoal Rot, Common Scab etc are the common ones which need proper care for preventing it to happen in first place.

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Harvesting Your Potatoes:

For harvest potatoes you need to take care of few important things which I don’t know at the biggening but I learn it the hard way, lets me share it with you so you don’t have to go through what I been through.

When to Harvest Your Potatoes:

The harvesting times of different potatoes are different from one another. You start harvesting once your potato plant’s foliage dies. It occurs 80 to 100 days after planting it. These days can be different due to your potato varieties.

How to Harvest Potatoes:

When it gets ready, first of all, you need to dig one potato plant and see if they are ready. There are alot of way to tell a potato is ready and one of the most common one is by it’s size, means if they are the size of the potatoes when you planted then they are ready.

If it’s not ready, then give them a week or so, but if they are ready, use a garden fork and start digging up the potato plants along with potatoes with that fork, but try not to damage the potatoes.

How to Store Potatoes:

For storing you can keep it any place in the kitchen but make sure that place is dry, cook and dark. You also make sure that place is out of reach of any insects like ants because they can damage it.

Some of the considerable place include closet in the kitchen or some dry place in the basment. You can use those potatoes for weeks if its in good shape.

Here is a video demonstration of how to store potatoes.

Conclusion:

Growing potatoes from eyes instead of seed is a very straightforward process listed in complete detail in the above blog. I explain this process simply and easily so everyone can follow it, whether they are seasonal gardeners or just starting.

I hope you understand the process, but if you still have any confusion or questions related to the topic, then feel free to ask them in the comment section or just contact me at admin@gardencrafting.com.