How to Plant Potatoes In South Africa?
Certified seed potatoes are available at nurseries and grocery stores. Small potatoes that are virus- and disease-free are known as seed potatoes. They are typically fairly wrinkled and dried out. With certified seed potatoes, you have a better chance of getting a decent harvest.
To encourage branch growth, expose seed potatoes to light before planting. Stay out of the sun, as it can scorch or partially boil the seed. Give the potatoes a few weeks to sprout shoots that are 1 cm long. Plant seed potatoes in seed trays of moistened potting soil in hot or dry conditions.
Make sure each piece has at least one “eye” or shoot before cutting large seed tubers into pieces. Allow the chopped pieces to dry for several days.
In-ground development
Dig in a lot of well-rotted animal manure or compost to the soil before planting; avoid using fresh manure as it will “burn” the plants. For the seed potatoes, create a trench that is 30 to 40 cm wide and 10 to 20 cm deep. To the bottom of the trench, add a little more compost or manure, and then fill it up with dirt. Plant seed potatoes shoot-side up, 20 to 30 cm apart in the trench. To cover the potatoes, fill the trench.
Cover emerging potato shoots with soil from either side of the trench as they emerge. During the first four to five weeks of growth, “hill up the crop” in this manner a few times to provide the potatoes with a good, loose mound of dirt to grow in.
growing in containers
Get a container that is at least 40 to 50 cm deep and has drainage holes in the bottom. Flower pots the size of shrubs work well. If holes are drilled in the bottom of an old wheelbarrow, it will function. You can also construct a “container” out of chicken wire or unset bricks.
Your seed potatoes should be spaced around 30 cm apart on top of a layer of mixed compost and potting soil that is about 10 to 20 cm thick. Cover with 10 to 20 cm of mulch (straw, grass clippings) and compost mixed together. Water wisely.
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Add extra mulch and compost to the area when the potato shoots begin to emerge, and continue to water. Cover up for approximately four weeks.
In South Africa, when should potatoes be planted?
Potatoes can be sown in South Africa from August to early June of the following year in frost-free locations. It is advisable to limit planting in places with frequent frost to the months of August through December and early January.
Fertilizer is required for potatoes?
Given their rather high maintenance nitrogen requirements, potato crops benefit greatly from fertilisation. Throughout their life cycle, they require fertilisation four to five times, and many farmers and gardeners use a different fertiliser mix each time.
How long do potatoes need to grow after being planted?
By day 60, new potatoes will typically be visible; they will be small and delicate.
