Page 18 - ALG Issue 1 2017

Feature on... Potatoes
Getting your Potatoes ready for Planting
We’ve been growing potatoes in Europe since the 16th century and in that time they have become a very important part
of our everyday diet. Potatoes are high
in potassium and vitamin C. Today it is dif cult to imagine how we ever managed without them. The potato originates from South America and it could have rst turned up on the west coast of Ireland from Spanish Armada shipwrecks before appearing on the mainland of the UK. The mild and relatively frost-free climate of south west Ireland provided ideal growing conditions that suited the potato, but it must have been a big shock to its system trying to cope with the cold, frosty weather that the mainland climate gave it.
Soil
Potatoes are accommodating plants that can be grown on a wide range of soils, ranging from sand right through to clay. The ideal soil pH is 5.5 to 7. They are relatively shallow rooting plants, (45cms/18”), growing best in a fertile, free-draining, well-structured soil which has high organic matter content. This encourages good tuber development and reduces potential risks from root diseases. Any applications of lime to adjust the pH of the soil should be applied at
least six months before planting the seed potatoes. Exposure to a pH that is too high will encourage common potato scab.
Seed Potatoes
Only buy Scottish seed potatoes from registered growers that produce certi ed disease free stock. It is a false economy to save your own seed tubers or to plant potatoes grown for the dinner table.
Potatoes are organised into three groups according to their season of harvesting.
Early potatoes that are planted during late March or early April are ready for harvesting during June and July; second early potatoes that are planted early to mid-April become ready for use during July and August, and maincrop potatoes are planted mid-late April and lifted during August for immediate use or September/October for putting into store to use throughout the winter months up until March.
Chitting
Always remove the seed tubers from their packaging and spread them out somewhere frost-free in seed trays or on staging. They will remain dormant at around 4C (42F).
The ideal seed potato is roughly the size of a hen’s egg and should t comfortably in the
palm of your hand. At one end of the seed potato tuber is a single scar where it was joined to the “mother” tuber last summer;
at the opposite end you can see the growth buds (eyes) poking through the skin, which is known as the ‘rose’ or ‘eye’ end.
The purpose of chitting or sprouting is to break the dormancy of the seed potatoes. This encourages them to produce short, dark green shoots. By doing this the seed potatoes growth is advanced before planting them in the soil.
To induce sprouting, the seed potatoes need to be exposed to good light and gentle warmth. A temperature of 12C (55F) is ideal. Set the seed potatoes up with the scar end at the bottom and the rose end at the top
to expose the buds to maximum light. A seed tray or egg carton is ideal for this job. Allow roughly six weeks from start to nish to complete the chitting process before planting time. The sprouted shoots should be no more than 2 cm (3⁄4 “) long by the end of the chitting period.
It is only necessary to chit early and second early potatoes. Chitting maincrop seed potatoes isn’t so critical as they can be planted directly into warm soil.
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