Potatoes are rarely found in the supermarket or at weekly markets in a wide variety of shapes, colors and flavors. Above all, old potato varieties offer an unimagined amount of variety and, above all, interesting taste experiences. Buttery, creamy, nutty - in blue-violet or even with a stripe in the flesh, they are highlights on the plate. And surprisingly easy to grow yourself with the right knowledge.
When preparing to grow your own potatoes - whether they belong to an old or a new variety, two steps are decisive. On the one hand the preparation of the bed and on the other hand the use of properly grown potatoes. Deep digging and enrichment with manure and compost are important for the bed and the substrate. It is best to do this in the autumn before you start growing.
In this way, the nutrients can settle and be processed and distributed by soil dwellers. Potatoes can be grown without these measures, but the yield is then lower and the susceptibility to diseases, pests and care errors increases.
It is important for the potatoes that they have already germinated. Although it is again possible to grow seed potatoes without pre-sprouting, existing green shoots shorten them Time until harvest and also make the potatoes less susceptible to diseases, such as the so-called Late blight.
Tip: In order to be able to fertilize in a targeted manner, it can be useful to carry out a soil analysis.
This maintenance measure is important so that the potato tubers are not exposed to sunlight. Because this radiation makes them green and slightly poisonous. Usually it doesn't have to be done more than once or twice to be ready for harvest.
It is advisable to mix the soil already mixed with ripe compost or a small amount of manure in order to carry out the piling and fertilizing in one step. When watering, great care must be taken not to allow waterlogging to occur.
The potatoes are ready for harvest when the plants are blooming. These are an indication that small tubers have already formed that can be harvested and consumed as baby potatoes. As a rule, however, the potatoes are only harvested when the green shoots wither and dry up. The tubers are carefully dug out, for example with a plant fork.
An unpleasant but necessary measure is helpful against the Colorado potato beetle: collecting by hand.
The typical maintenance errors are:
Your own growing of seed potatoes becomes varied and versatile through the choice of old potato varieties - both in taste and color. If you pay attention to the few important points of care and cultivation, you can enrich the variety in the garden and on the menu.
Old varieties
For reasons of economy, the selection in the trade was limited to a few types of potatoes. Above all, the varieties that are particularly productive and easy to grow can be found here. That is understandable but also boring in the long run. If you want to bring a little more variety into the bed and on the plate, you should take a look at the old potato varieties. Still available today and not only interesting in terms of color are among others:- Edzell Blue with blue skin and white meat, cooked slightly floury and ideal for mashed potatoes
- Shetland Black yellow flesh and a purple ring in it, creamy-buttery in taste
- Roseval has a slightly red grain and a particularly fine taste, ideal for baked potatoes
- Bamberg croissants are elongated and have a particularly spicy aroma, especially ideal for potato salad
- Sharon Blue are waxy and blue-purple on both the outside and the inside
- Hermann's blue is strong in color and taste
- Ackersegen is buttery, creamy and spicy at the same time
- Highland Burgundy Red is old but a real exotic, because it is red inside and out and also extremely versatile
Location
The potatoes thrive underground, but the green parts of the plant still need plenty of light. A sunny location is therefore ideal. If there is no sunlight, there is a lack of photosynthesis, as a result of which the production of starch is low and the storage organs - i.e. the potatoes - remain rather small. Full midday sun on the south side is not necessary, but it should also not be darker than light shade.Substrate
Potatoes can thrive in poor as well as nutrient-rich soils - but better yields can be achieved with nutrient-rich substrate. Manure and ripe compost are recommended for enrichment. In addition, the optimal substrate for growing the potato should meet the following points:- Easy to medium difficulty
- Profound
- Not prone to compression
- Damp but not wet and not prone to waterlogging
- Best enriched with natural fertilizers
preparation
When preparing to grow your own potatoes - whether they belong to an old or a new variety, two steps are decisive. On the one hand the preparation of the bed and on the other hand the use of properly grown potatoes. Deep digging and enrichment with manure and compost are important for the bed and the substrate. It is best to do this in the autumn before you start growing.In this way, the nutrients can settle and be processed and distributed by soil dwellers. Potatoes can be grown without these measures, but the yield is then lower and the susceptibility to diseases, pests and care errors increases.
It is important for the potatoes that they have already germinated. Although it is again possible to grow seed potatoes without pre-sprouting, existing green shoots shorten them Time until harvest and also make the potatoes less susceptible to diseases, such as the so-called Late blight.
Prefer
In order for the seed potatoes to germinate, the following factors are crucial:1. Four to six should be scheduled for bringing forward.
2. The seed potatoes need temperatures between 10 and 15 ° C and a bright room.
3. In the area and between the potatoes, care should be taken to ensure that the humidity is low. This is not absolutely necessary, but high humidity increases the risk of mold growth.
4. Checks should be carried out at least once a week in order to identify mold and rot at an early stage and to be able to sort out infected potatoes.
Planting
Potato cultivation can begin between April and May, depending on the region. A floor temperature of 9 ° C is important. If this is the case, the steps in the following instructions are required:1. The soil is loosened again and embankments with a width of about 60 centimeters are piled up. In these, the soil warms up more easily. In addition, the harvest is simplified.
2. Grooves eight to ten centimeters deep are made in the dams. Alternatively, plant holes can be pressed in from this depth.
3. The seed potatoes are now placed in the ground at a distance of about 30 centimeters and covered with the substrate.
4. The dams are tapped lightly all around with the hands to prevent the erosion of soil during rain or watering.
5. The substrate is moistened.
to water
Potatoes like moist substrate, but not waterlogging. Water is therefore only poured when necessary, when the earth is dry or there has been no precipitation for a long time. Care should be taken, especially at the beginning, not to wash the earth off the dams by watering.Fertilize
If the soil was prepared for the cultivation of the potatoes with horse manure and compost, the later effort for fertilizing is very low. About four weeks after the potatoes have been planted, a little more compost or manure or horn shavings can easily be worked into the surface of the substrate.Tip: In order to be able to fertilize in a targeted manner, it can be useful to carry out a soil analysis.
Pile up
As soon as the above-ground, green shoots of the seed potatoes reach a height of about 25 centimeters, it is time to pile them up. More soil is raked and pushed onto the dams until only about ten centimeters of the shoots protrude from the substrate.This maintenance measure is important so that the potato tubers are not exposed to sunlight. Because this radiation makes them green and slightly poisonous. Usually it doesn't have to be done more than once or twice to be ready for harvest.
Cultivation without a garden
It is entirely possible to grow potatoes without a bed. Large sacks or plastic bags are well suited for this. The seed potatoes are placed in the bags with a little substrate and the edges are rolled down so that the green shoots receive sufficient sun and warmth. The higher the shoots grow, the more substrate is introduced.It is advisable to mix the soil already mixed with ripe compost or a small amount of manure in order to carry out the piling and fertilizing in one step. When watering, great care must be taken not to allow waterlogging to occur.
harvest
The potatoes are ready for harvest when the plants are blooming. These are an indication that small tubers have already formed that can be harvested and consumed as baby potatoes. As a rule, however, the potatoes are only harvested when the green shoots wither and dry up. The tubers are carefully dug out, for example with a plant fork. storage
Moderately dry, cool, airy and dark - this is the ideal way to store potatoes. So that no rot or mold can form, the potatoes should be as dry as possible Harvested weather and dry for a few hours in the air and in the sun before storage to be allowed to. Damaged or discolored tubers are sorted out.Diseases, pests and typical care mistakes
Late blight and Colorado potato beetles are typical problems when growing potatoes. As already mentioned, the risk of late blight can be reduced by preferring the seed potatoes. If it breaks out anyway, leaves with brown spots and white coatings should be removed and destroyed and the plants treated with an appropriate fungicide.An unpleasant but necessary measure is helpful against the Colorado potato beetle: collecting by hand.
The typical maintenance errors are:- Insufficient preparation and loosening of the soil
- Lack of nutrients in the substrate
- Persistent drought or waterlogging
- Omit piling
- Lack of controls for disease and pest infestation
Your own growing of seed potatoes becomes varied and versatile through the choice of old potato varieties - both in taste and color. If you pay attention to the few important points of care and cultivation, you can enrich the variety in the garden and on the menu.