Potatoes are a veg plot staple with a diverse range to choose from. They are an easy and reliable crop to grow. Nothing beats the feeling of finding potatoes below the soil. It is like you have just discovered treasure.
As the plants get bigger, the soil should gradually be piled up around the stems to bury the developing tubers. Keep potato plants well watered, especially during warm weather as the soil dries out quicker.
Early varieties are usually ready to harvest in June or July, but wait until the flowers open before harvesting. These potatoes are delicious and small in size. They are best eaten the same day they are harvested.
Maincrop varieties are ready to harvest once the plant starts to die down. This variety produces bigger potatoes as they have been in the ground for longer. These potatoes can be stored in a paper bag in a cool, dark place for use over winter.
Potatoes should be grown in a different location each year to prevent the build up of crop-specific diseases and pests. Make sure to remove all potatoes, including tiny ones, to ensure no potatoes accidentally grow in the same spot the following year.
What are potato berries?
Potato berries look like small, green tomatoes and they contain the true seeds. Potatoes are normally grown from tubers, which are a clone of the previous plant. Whereas, a potato plant grown from a true seed is an entirely new variety and has unique characteristics. Despite them resembling green tomatoes, they are toxic and shouldn’t be eaten. Potato berries form only in favourable weather (when its unseasonably cool) and with sufficient pollination. Each potato berry contains several hundred true potato seeds.
You can either leave them on the plant for at least six weeks before picking or just wait until they fall off. Then, you just collect them from the ground. Leave the berries until they are fully ripe. You will know they are ripe when they are very soft. To get the seeds out, just squeeze the berries.
How to grow potato berries?
Potato berry seeds are grown in a similar way to tomato seeds. Sow true potato seeds inside about six to eight weeks before you plan to plant them out. Press seeds into a pot of soil and cover with a thin layer of soil. Keep the seeds in a warm place (about 18C) and keep the soil moist until the first seedlings emerge. Seedlings need to be kept under strong light for about 14 hours per day. When seedlings are four to six inches tall, they can be transplanted to their final location. Plant the seedlings into a hole eight inches deep and leave only the top set of leaves exposed.
Alternatively, true potato seeds can be sown outside in shallow soil at the start of June. They are best started in pots as the seeds are small and fragile. Soak the seeds in water the day before you plan to sow them outside. This will help them to germinate.
Seedling potato plants can be grown like any other full size potato plant. However, first year seedlings grown from true potato seeds usually grow for a longer period before they can be harvested. Like potatoes grown from tubers, they are ready to harvest when the tops die down. Or you can harvest early varieties when they are about the size of hen eggs. Just feel under the soil and harvest when needed.