Gardeners -

Did you miss the Potato Seminar?

Click below to read the article

from our own JJ Pair ...

in Lake Highlands Today about the February 27th Potato Planting Seminar hosted by Donation Garden Coordinator Nancy Wilson. It's full of good information about how to plant your potatoes (now's the time), and was another successful event hosted at the garden that brought the community together.

Tips for Planting Potatoes:

This being the prime potato planting season, Lake Highlands Community Garden Donation Garden Coordinator Nancy Wilson has offered up her tips for planting your own potatoes:

• Cut whole potatoes into pieces - for larger potatoes, cut larger pieces, smaller potatoes, smaller pieces. Be sure to include an "eye" on each piece.

• Dust cut pieces with dusting sulfur (available at garden centers) to help prevent rotting and to let the skin form a "crust". Do this at least 24 hours before planting.

• Add soft rock phosphate (10 lbs/100' or 1lb/10') and organic matter throughout trenches.

• Plant pieces 12 to 18 inches apart, and about 8" deep initially.

• As sprouts appear and grow, begin to "hill up" with compost, light soil or even leaves to cover all but the tops of the sprouts. This will help increase yield. If growing on a small scale, the use of wire cages will keep mounded hills more compact.

• Plant one pound of cut-up potatoes with eyes per 10 feet for an approximate 10 pound yield.

Importantly, Ms. Wilson adds, “most potato varieties take about three months to fully mature, but you can always dig up new potatoes earlier, after the plants have flowered and small potatoes form."

"But use caution because the sprouts, stems and green portions of newly dug up potatoes can be toxic - so don’t eat them! Let the potatoes cure first.”

The next Seminar, Tomato Planting, will be Sunday, March 28 at 2:00 pm.  All are welcome to attend.