“Irish” Potatoes

Spring Planting Guide

St. Patrick’s Day is a traditional day to plant potatoes, so the season is upon us now. Spring vegetables love cool, moist weather and don’t mind a little frost. Set out lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, and Swiss chard starts now. Apple trees are still available as bare-root trees, but only for a short while longer—start your orchard now!

Cut branches of forsythia, pussy willow, quince, spirea, and dogwood and bring them indoors to force them into bloom. For blue hydrangeas, apply aluminum sulfate around the plants this month.

About Potatoes

The history of the potato has its roots in the Andes Mountains of South America. The Incas cultivated them long before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru in 1532. Though gold was scarce, potatoes were plentiful, and the Spaniards took some back to Europe. Initially considered weird, poisonous, or even evil, potatoes found a home in Ireland, becoming a dietary staple by 1688. By 1770, they were known as the Irish Potato. Dependence on the crop led to the "Great Famine" in the 1840s when disease struck, resulting in at least one million deaths. Genetic diversity in the Andes, where over 100 cultivars might be found in a single valley, helped preserve the crop.

Today, many potato varieties are available to home gardeners, including reds, whites, blues, yellows, and russets. Reds may have white, yellow, or rose-colored flesh, while blues or purples are bluish throughout. Fingerling potatoes are small and finger-shaped, often with yellow flesh.

Planting Instructions

Potatoes should be planted as soon as the soil has dried out enough to work. They thrive in cool weather, especially when tubers start forming, with ideal daytime temperatures between 60°–65°F. Tuber production stops when temperatures exceed 84°F.

• Plant certified, disease-free seed potatoes from nurseries.
• Eight to ten pounds of seed potatoes will plant a 100-foot row, yielding 50 to 100 pounds of potatoes.
• For container growing:
  • Fill the container one-third full with potting soil.
  • Place seed potatoes 6 inches apart and 4 inches from the container sides, covering them with 2 inches of soil.
  • When plants reach 6 inches tall, add 2–3 inches of soil, covering the lower leaves. Repeat until soil is 2 inches from the top.
  • Keep soil evenly moist throughout the growing season.

Plant your favorite varieties now and enjoy home-grown flavors!