How to plant irish potatoes at home

Learning how to plant irish potatoes at home using sacks can open up a whole new world of opportunity for you. As an extremely easy vegetable to grow, potatoes offer a high-yield for very low input – they’re a great choice if you’re new to growing your own food.

However, to learn how to plant irish potatoes at home, requires skills and lots of patience. But while many might have the patience, the skill has remain far fetched from them. This is why i have taken it upon myself today to educate you on the best way to grow potatoes at home.

But before i dive deep on the steps, Let me tell you why you should consider growing your potatoes with sac bags. Growing potatoes in containers prevents it from spreading into all the soil available with their tuberous roots. It eliminates the difficult that comes with harvesting it in raised beds or borders.

Therefore, knowing how to grow potatoes in a bag offers one of the best options for growing your own, both in terms of ease of harvest and versatility. ‘You can even have potatoes in a tiny rented plot. Grow them in a potato bag or sack and you’ll be able to move house without unearthing your sack.

Basic Requirement on how to plant irish potatoes at home:

There are three things that you will need before starting to learn how to grow potatoes in a bag for your garden.

1. Sac Bag Or Plastic Bucket

You will need a bag or a plastic bucket. Yes, you can use a bag or a bucket. It should be a large bag. When it comes to how to plant irish potatoes at home, the choice of your grow bags or container determines your success. Grow bags come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, and can be used to grow a wide variety of plants indoors or outdoors. Choose those within 18 inches wide and 30 inches long. There are several different kinds of grow bags. Some are designed for smaller plants, like seedlings or cuttings, while others are made with larger plants in mind. You can find one that is perfect for your potato needs.

2. Compost

You will need compost. You will add the compost to the bag as the potatoes start to grow , Please get slightly moist compost for better result. You can use fowl or cow dung. If you choose to make your own compost, then consider burying coffee or banana peels and other cores from fruits and vegetables. You can also bury kitchen wastes and cover them with chopped leaves or soil. This will nourish soil microbes and animals, boosting soil fertility.

3. Fertilizer

Get about 45gram of organic potatoes fertilizers that you will sprinkle in the bag after placing your potatoes. Though you can grow your potatoes without fertilizers, get some fertilizers if you can. Your fertilizers should be rich in phosphorus and potassium. They should also contain nitrogen. Atleast any product with an NPK ratio of 5-10-10 is perfect for your potatoes.

Now that you know all the stuff you will be neding, Lets dive into the planting steps i had promise you. Shall we?

Check out: 10 Benefits of Growing Vegetables in Sacks and Containers.

1. Chit your potatoes

Chitting potatoes helps to accelerate their growth. Stand the seed potatoes in egg boxes and place in a light and cool, but frost-free, place. Light is vital so a windowsill in a porch or outside in a glass greenhouse are an ideal place to place your potatoes to chit. Keep an eye on your potatoes whilst they chit and wait for strong, short green shoots to appear (4-6 weeks) about 2-3cms long from the eyes of each tuber. If you chit your potatoes in a heated room, it will speed up the process. However, it is likely to make your potatoes sulk if your soil is not similarly warm when you plant them.

Step 2 : Prepare the bag or container

Prepare the bag by filling it with a portion of the compost which you have brought earlier. If you are planting directly to the soil, you dont have to worry. You have buried yours in the previous step. Make sure the compost is moist but not wet. They are two different things. The aim is to not drown your potatoes and stop them from decomposing. So, please stick to this garden tips or instruction.

Join our fast growing farmers community: Brilliant Tech Faermer’s Hub for more garden tips.

Step 3: Take your potatoes and cut them

Yes, take your potatoes and cut them into pieces. The size of an egg. It is very important each pieces contain atleast one sprout. As this is where the plant will grow from. So, make sure you take note as you cut. This step is similar to the cutting up yam for planting purpose. The sprout will be on the body. You can see the sprout in step 1 garden tips above. Please look out for it.

Step 4: Place the potato pieces on the compost

Place the potato pieces on the compost in the bag, at the depth of about 15cm and a distance of about 30cm apart, Cover the potatoes with another layer of compost. Do not put too much compost. It should be just enough compost to cover the top of the potatoes and shade them from the sun.

Step 5: Sprinkle the fertilizer

Potatoes have a relatively shallow root system with most roots located in the top 1.5 to 2 feet of soil. Sprinkle the organic potatoes fertilizer on the top of the compost layer. Just sprinkle not pour. Please stick to instruction.

Step 6: Add more compost as it grows

Add more compost as the potatoes start to grow, making sure the plant is never exposed to direct sunlight. Apply compost or fertilizer every two weeks until they are ready to dig up. Use organic compost like fowl and cow dungs. But ensure you allow them to compost for one to two weeks before application to your potatoes. This will ensure that the heat from it doesnt burn your plant.

Step 7: Water it regularly

Make sure you water it regularly. But not so much that you fload or drown it. Keep it simple. Morning and night is okay. To facilitate tuber bulking, provide 2 to 2.5 inches of water each week by irrigation and rainfall. Recall that developing healthy potatoes with fewer faults requires continuous hydration. Watering should be adjusted according to temperature and rainfall, and soil moisture levels should continually be monitored.

Step 8: Be patient

Be patient. Good things take time. Remember, it takes approximately 90 to 110 days for Irish potatoes to reach the harvesting stage after planting. You have got to wait for approximately 10 to 12 weeks before harvesting you potatoes. I advise you to be patient.

I hope you find this helpful? Please, do me a favour to share this guide with your friends and other farmers.

FREQUENTLY ASK QUESTIONS:

Q1: Are potatoes easy to grow?

Yes. Potatoes are easy to grow. As a child i use to assist my mum grow potatoes. And i can say they are very simple to grow. All you need to do is ensure that your land is properly prepared, get adequate sunlight, and add fertiliser as needed. Selecting the appropriate type of potatoes is also essential to make things easier because it will ensure your success right away. The have the capacity to reproduce which makes it easier for them to grow and spread immediately the first set you planted takes off.

Q2: What are the uses of Irish potatoes?

Here are some of the uses of Irish potatoes: They are used to treat diabetes. Irish potatoes heart disease, high blood pressure, indigestion (dyspepsia), and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to

Q3: What do i need to grow potatoes at home

The basic thing you need to grow potatoes at home are: The potatoes itself, grow bags or container, fertilizer and the right knowledge to grow it. Alot of persons might have the potatoes, grow bags and are able to purchase fertilizers but lack the technical know-how on how to plant irish potatoes at home.

Q4: Is irish potatoe the same as irish potato plant?

Yes. Irish potatoe is the same as irish potato plant. However, depending on context, one can be said to be the food, output or fruit while the other could be said to be the crop.

Q5: What are the uses of irish potato?

one thing with knowing how to plant irish potatoes at home is taht you get to leverage it rich nutritional benefits to cure different ailment. Irish potatoes has alot of uses. They are a good source of dietary fibre which ensures that food digest easily in your body system. Irish potatoes has proven to be a good cleanser of the gut and cure for constipation. Irish potatoes is also made up of iron, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, and zinc which makes it qualify as a good body builder and bone health improver.

Q6: How long do irish potatoes take to grow?

It takes approximately 90 to 110 days for Irish potatoes to reach the harvesting stage after planting. Depending on the location and other variables, it might change. However, many potatoes, especially Irish potatoes, only stay for this minimal amount of time. Additionally, you should wait for your potatoes to reach maturity rather than harvesting them as soon as they reach 110 days.

Q7: How do you know when potatoes are ready to harvest?

Potatoes are ready for harvest once their foliage dies. However. before you start harvesting your potatoes, use your thumb to feel the skins of the potatoes to determine their level of ripeness or readiness for harvest. This is why you must learn how to plant irish potatoes at home. Because, if the skins of your tomatoes pill off when you pressed it with your thumb if the back pills off, it is not ready but if it doesnt pill off, then your potatoes fruit is fully ripe.

Q8: How many potatoes can you get from one plant?

For every potato you plant, you should get at least five to six new ones. When you master how to plant irish potatoes at home, you can get each plant multiply in this manner and give you the best harvest you might have not experience.

Q9: Which fertilizer is best for Irish potatoes?

When it comes to learning how to plant irish potatoes at home, the best fertilier to use for your potatoe fertilization are those that are rich in phosphorus and potassium. They should also contain atleast nitrogen. I wont be mentioning brands, but any product with an NPK ratio of 5-10-10 is perfect for your potatoes.

Q10: Where can I sell my potatoes?

Now you have learn how to plant irish potatoes at home and harvested them your fruits. What next? Where to sell your potatoes right? The first place you should look toward is within your neighborhood. Check grocery stores and local market around you. Thre are thousands of people around you who would buy your harvest and even turn to returning customer if you can keep meeting their supply needs. Another place to check out is resturant and food oulets around you. Additionally, you can leverage social media and niche community to sell off your harvest.

Final Thought.

Knowing how to plant irish potatoes at home is one of the most efficient way to grow your own food while saving cost. It is the best method to go for if you dont have access to farmland and want to use containers and bags. Just get some containers and grow bags and follow these steps above and in a few months, youwill have your own potatoes to enjoy and serve your family. Do you have more questions about how to plant irish potatoes at home? Drop it in the comment section below.

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