We fry them, bake them, even boil them--did you know it's relatively easy to grow them, too? Master gardener Paul James shares growing tips for this favorite vegetable: Like most plants, potatoes prefer a nice sandy loam, but they'll grow even in heavy soils, although the yields may not be as great. If your soil is mediocre, add some sort of organic soil amendment such as compost or shredded leaves to the planting area two weeks before planting.
Nurseries or home-and-garden centers generally offer up to a half-dozen different types of potatoes, usually common ones such as Irish Cobblers, a Russet or two, Pontiac Reds and so on. Although referred to as seed potatoes, they aren't seeds at all. Technically, they are tubers. Catalog sources offer dozens more varieties in a wide range of sizes, tastes and colors. When buying seed potatoes, choose medium-sized spuds with at least three eyes, the points from which the stems will ultimately emerge. For each pound of seed potatoes planted, roughly 15 pounds of potatoes will be harvested.
It is okay to cut potatoes before planting; just make sure that each piece has at least three eyes on it. Because the exposed flesh is prone to fungal disease, let the cut develop a callus for a day before planting, or dip the cut portion into some powdered sulfur--a potent fungicide--then plant. Another method is to presprout spuds indoors by placing them in a warm, well-lighted room for a week or two, which is all the time it takes for a few short, stubby sprouts to develop.
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