If you don’t have a root cellar, then you probably don’t want to have a 100-pound potato harvest. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t want to grow 100 pounds of potatoes or more. Instead of planting for one large harvest of potatoes, here are 3 tips for getting a steady supply of smaller harvests that could easily exceed the amount you could get from one large harvest.
Plant Early
While waiting until after the last frost to plant some crops might be the way to go, potatoes can handle cold soil well. If your zone is particularly cold or winter is lasting a little longer than usual you can plant them under a layer of cover to get them out early. Extending your growing season will increase the number of harvests you can get in a year. Even if a frost comes, the potatoes will survive.
Sequential Planting
As much as the room in your garden allows for, plant additional potatoes as times goes on. This will give you more small harvests, instead of one large harvest. This will give you a steady supply and reduce pests, spoilers, and the need to store large amounts of potatoes.
Variety
Planting all of the same potatoes will mean that they will all mature at the same time. It will also increase the likelihood of pests or disease spreading. Even if you plant them at the same time, you will have weeks in between your first and last harvest.
While soil conditions and other factors that are zone specific will affect the length of your potato growing season, these tips should help you to get the most out of whatever season you do get and allow you to enjoy eating the fruits of your labors throughout the year.
