Time to Plant Potatoes!!

SEED POTATOES ARE HERE!
Check out the varieties we have - $0.79 per pound.

One of the easiest and most

satisfying crops to grow is.....

POTATOES!!

A nutritional mother lode, potatoes are easy to grow as long as they have full sun, moderate temperatures, and light, rich, acidic, well-drained soil.  

Plunk 'em in the ground, 

steal a few here and there in the summer for baby new potatoes,

then dig up the main crop around Labor Day.

Nothing is as fun as turning over the garden dirt in the fall

to unearth beautiful, thin-skinned potatoes.

It's like a treasure hunt.

If you've never grown potatoes before, 

this is an absolute MUST TRY.

The potatoes will grow up into lush, leafy plants with adorable

lilac blossoms that will attract many pollinating insects to your garden.

 We'll be offering graded potatoes, which will all be of a 

similar, small size and ready to plant.

Newly dug potatoes practically snap when you cut them,

and are not soft like the supermarket kind. 

  This spring, you can get

MINNESOTA GROWN

seed potatoes from Gracie's Plant Works!!

We've teamed up with Pieper Farms near Lake of the Woods 

to supply us with graded seed potatoes in 5 varieties. 

ABOUT PIEPER FARMS LLC

Founded in 1945, Pieper Farms has been providing the highest quality seed potatoes for over 65 years. Centrally located in the middle of the Country, Lake of the Woods has a one of a kind microclimate and is a designated seed quarantine area that provides an extended growing season and cleaner and safer growing environment. This one of a kind climate combined with a talented and dedicated management team means that we can be your trusted seed source for years to come.


Our seed potatoes will be available for purchase by the pound in May.
 I've found that planting after the first of June not only provides a great yield,
but also that the Colorado potato bugs are not a problem that late in the spring.
We'll be offering these five varieties, and all will perform well in our area.

RANGER RUSSET

RUNESTONE

red skin/yellow flesh

 YUKON GOLD

 NORLAND RED

CALWHITE

Courtesy Cornell Univeristy

 

It's Easy to Plant and Grow Potatoes

Prepare the planting bed by loosening the soil to at least 10 inches deep. Potatoes adapt well to acidic soils with a pH below 6.0, which is lower than what is preferred by many other vegetable crops and great for our area in Northern Minnesota.

  Potatoes require well-drained soil and will rot under prolonged cold, wet conditions.  This is another reason I prefer to plant potatoes later -- irregardless of what you read on the internet, this is how I do it in Ely and it has worked every year.

 If your soil is poorly drained or a heavy clay, consider using raised beds. Adding organic matter (compost, cover crops, or leaves) is a good way to
improve soil before growing potatoes.

Go easy on organic matter sources high in nitrogen (such as manure) and nitrogen fertilizer as too much nitrogen can encourage lush foliage at the expense of tuber production.
 Many gardeners discourage the use of manure because it is correlated with an increase
in rough patches on spud skins.

Cut seed potatoes that are larger than a chicken egg into pieces about 1 inch across or slightly larger. Each piece should have at least one “eye” (the bud where the stem will grow from) -- preferably two eyes. Egg-sized and smaller tubers can be planted whole.

It is recommended that you 'heal' over the cuts prior to planting by placing the cut
potatoes in a grocery bag in a well ventilated area for a couple of days to avoid rotting.

For the convenience of our customers,
WE WILL BE OFFERING 'B' SIZED POTATOES THAT DON'T REQUIRE CUTTING.
These seed potatoes can be planted whole.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

An important note:
Always buy SEED POTATOES. You can't plant potatoes from the supermarket because they are usually treated with sprout inhibitors.

For more detailed information about potato culture,
read the link to Cornell University's website
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenec6be.html