Red Potatoes ( How To Grow Red Potatoes )

               Good day to you all, we hope you all are having a great day, this is Ken and Marilou with you today on Garden The Easy Way.        

               Today we would like to talk about Red Potatoes, they are one of the easier vegetables to grow and take care of. Growing potatoes is great for beginning gardeners, but we all should be growing potatoes, they are so good for us. Potatoes are America's most popular vegetable, you can bake, boiled, fried, microwaved, roasted, steamed. They are quite low in calories and loaded with nutrients.  

               Today we would like to share with you all how to plant red potatoes, they are so easy to grow but there are some things you need to know.    

1.  Plant the whole potato or cut the eyes of the potato off  2 to 3 eyes is best, the cut should not be bigger than a chicken egg. If your cut has only one eye your vine will not produce as many potatoes, but the potatoes will be bigger potatoes, if your cut has 2 or 3 eyes your vine will have a lot more potatoes and they will be a smaller potato. So if you want huge giant potatoes plant your cut with only one eye. Important after cutting your potato eyes, lay them out to dry, do not pile them up lay them out side by side to dry 24 hours before planting.

2.  Make your rows, use garden tiller deep 10 to 12 inches, pick out all the rocks and grass roots out, ( plant in full sun ).  

3.  Add 1 1/2 to 2 inches of aged manure ( cow or horse ), mix well with garden tiller. Money Saving Tip, if you go and see your local farmer he will probably give you all the manure you will need for ( Free ), Most farmers are so kind and willing to help out anyway they can, and they are glad to get rid of the manure, our local farmer will even go and get his tractor and load the manure for us, 3-big scoops with his tractor and we have a big pick-up load on the best all natural organic fertilizer money can buy for ( Free ). Go see your local farmer, don't forget to ask for Aged Manure.

4.  Add 2 1/2 to 3 inches of compost, mix well with garden tiller.

5.  To make your row straight, drive a stake into the ground at both ends of your garden, and run a string from one stake to the other, that will tell you where your row will be.

6.  Mound soil up with your garden rake, about 6 to 8 inches high on the sides, and 12 inches across the top. Make rows 24 inches apart.

7.  Plant potato eyes, 2 to 3 inches deep, ( always plant with the eyes up ). Plant your row 10 to 12 inches apart, water well after planting.

8.  Never let your soil dry completely out, gently add 2 inches of mulch on top after the vine is 3 to 4 inches tall. The mulch will help hold the moisture in, and will help to keep the weeds out.

9.  Harvest new potatoes when the plants bloom. Wait until the leaves turn yellow and the plant starts to die back in  the fall to harvest fully mature potatoes.  

Things You'll Need:

Sharp knife
Garden tiller
Compost
Fertilizer: Aged cow or horse manure
Shovel
Garden rake
Hoe
Pitchfork, to dig your potato with in the fall
Organic mulch  

            Well that's it for today, here on Garden The Easy Way, we hope to talk here again tomorrow. Until then this is Ken & Marilou wishing you all Happy Gardening Always.