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March 14, 2022  |  By Rob Shoffner In What's Growing At KCCG

How To Grow Great Potatoes

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Are you looking to add potatoes to your garden? Good choice! Potatoes are a great crop to grow and provide many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium. They are a good source of folate, niacin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese.

Let's get started!

Planting

• In the Kansas City area, plant between March 10th and April 10th.

• Cut a sprouting potato into approximately 4 pieces, each about the size of a ping pong ball.

• Make sure each piece has a sprout on it.

• Lay each piece out at room temperature for 24 hours on a newspaper or drying pan.

• Dig holes 9-12” apart and 5-6” deep.

• Place the potato piece in the hole with the sprout point up.

• Cover with loose soil and compost (if available).

Care

• Water when the top 1 inch of soil dries out.

• When plants sprout, mulch with 1-3” of straw.

• As plants grow 3-4”, mound the dirt around the stem of the plant by gathering soil around it.

• Mound soil 2 or 3 times until plant is fully grown.

Additional Care

• Potatoes need at least 1” of water per week either from rainfall of deep watering.

• Continue to mound with soil, mulch or straw throughout the growing season. Potatoes do not like light. This practice will help reduce the amount of sun the developing potatoes receive.

• Too much sun makes the young potatoes turn green and cause a build up of toxins making them unfit to eat.

Harvest and Storage

• Potatoes are ready to be harvested when plants start to die. The green plants should be about 1.5 - 2 feet tall and the top leaves will start to brown.

• When this happens, use a garden trowel to pull the plant out of the ground.

• Then, use the trowel to dig around the plant, approximately 8” from base of the plant. Make sure to dig deep!

• Store plants in a dark, cool, dry place and allow them to breathe.

KCCG Varieties and Member Pricing

Per 1 lb. bag:  Green - $0.60   Yellow - $0.80   Blue - $1.00
Per 5 lb. bag:  Green - $3.00    Yellow - $4.00     Blue - $5.00

Purple Majesty $1/lb. & $5/lb. - All Cards

Kennebec

Kennebec-potato

Russet potato with early to medium maturity. White flesh with tan skin.

Red Norlund

Red-Norlund

Early maturing potato with red skin and white flesh. Smaller in size and great for boiling and potato salad.

Yukon Gold

Yukon-Gold

Medium maturing potato with golden tan skin and yellow flesh.

Norkotah

Yukon-Gold

Please Note: Norkotah Potatoes are currently unavailable.

Russet potato with early to medium maturity. White flesh with tan skin.

Purple Majesty

Purple-Majesty

Early maturing purple skinned potato with purple flesh. Smaller in size and slightly nutty flavor. Stores well.

If you would like to download and print out our potato growing guide, click here.

Happy gardening!

potato
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Recent KCCG Blogs

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  • Cool Season Plant Sale 2023 – Everything You Need To Know! Tuesday, 21, Mar
  • Farewell Crystal, but not Goodbye! Tuesday, 24, Jan
  • Community Spotlight: Cultivate KC’s Annual Farmers and Friends Meeting Tuesday, 17, Jan
  • Year in Review – KCCG’s 2022 Community Impact Friday, 30, Dec
  • Indoor Winter Garden Activities Monday, 19, Dec
  • Center High School’s Winter Beanstalk Tour Wednesday, 7, Dec
  • Taste Test Contest Winners – Fall 2022 Tuesday, 29, Nov
  • Cooking For The Holidays Monday, 21, Nov
  • How to Plant Garlic Monday, 14, Nov

Kansas City Community Gardens

6917 Kensington | Kansas City, MO 64132
Phone: 816.931.3877
Email: contact{at}kccg.org
Hours
Mon-Fri : 9am-5pm
Open Tuesdays until 6:30pm (March 28th-May 23rd)
Open Saturdays 9am-12pm (March 25th-May 6th)
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