Time needed: 90 days

Grow potatoes for profit and for pleasure

1. Fertilise and compost

   No dig – Amend your beds with an organic fertiliser/compost
   For chem fertilisation (which we do not promote), use 250g/ 0.5lbs or one handful per 1m length of a furrow. For kraal manure and organic compost, you can apply freely from as little as 1kg/ 2lbs upwards per square meter. 3kg/6lbs per square meter is advisable.

2. Prepare the ground – Tilling

   Plough the soil – Harrow after ploughing for a smooth finish. Remove rocks, stones and break up sand clods into smooth soil. Prepare furrows 15cm/ 6 inches deep and 1m/ 3 feet apart.

3. Plant seed potatoes

   Purchase seed potato tubers and plant seed potatoes about 30cm/1 foot apart in the furrows that you have prepared. Cover seed potatoes – form a ridge or hill on top of the seed potatoes.

4. Watering Week 1-3

   Water daily – sprouts should show after. 7-14 days depending on the depth at which you planted the seed potatoes

5. Week 3-12

   Potato sprouts will grow voraciously if they are not diseased, well-watered and receive full sunlight for at least 6-8 hours per day. When sprouts reach 30cm/ 1 foot cover 2/3 of the plant to protect potatoes/spuds from being exposed to the sun. The exposed potatoes will turn green and become inedible.

6. Week 12+ Harvest

   It is time to harvest when your potatoes/spud plants die. Do not waste any time, get them out of the ground making sure to avoid bruising the potatoes and place them into storage with their soil jackets. This means that you should resist the urge to clean the harvested potatoes.

7. Grow potatoes in containers and in GroBeds

   Follow this link to our friends at The Spruce to read more about growing potatoes in containers.

8. References

   Farmers Weekly, University of Pretoria(Onderstepoort), Potato Seed SA

9. For more info

   Email potatoes@grospace.co.za
   Phone/Whatsapp 0713344556