By Jennifer Poindexter
Are you await for a different variety of potato to grow in your garden ? If so , you may want to consider growing Kennebec white potato .
This is a terrific all - purpose potato that has a tan skin with a white-hot flesh . These white potato are great for baking , simmering , and frying .
Plus , they ’re known for easy storage . If you want an all - purpose potato but would like to grow something different than a Russet , then keep register as I take the air you through all you should know on how to farm Kennebec potatoes .
Here ’s how you may get bulge on this fresh gardening journey :
Growing Conditions for Kennebec Potatoes
Kennebec potatoes are a popular option for commercial-grade farmers . If you ’ve ever purchased specialty potato chips , opportunity are they were made from a Kennebec tater .
However , many people prefer this eccentric of Solanum tuberosum because they ’re recognise for being more disease - resistant in comparing to some other varieties .
Plus , these potatoes are gloomy - maintenance as well . This potato has an interesting history , too . Many people conceive the Kennebec potato was created in Maine as it ’s named after a river there .
There ’s some debate on whether the potato originated in Maryland or Maine in 1941 . Either way , by 1948 , the white potato vine was make after a river in Maine and secrete to the public by the USDA .
Now that you know the account of the white potato , let ’s verbalise specific about its growing shape . Kennebec potatoes do well when planted in the spring .
There are some arise locations where it ’s quick enough to plant in the declivity as well . This is typically in southerly climates .
You may produce these potatoes in planting zones three through nine . They must be grown in an arena which receives full sunlight , has well - drain soil , and the soil temperatures must be at 60 - degrees Fahrenheit or above .
If you may add these uprise condition , you should have all you need to set about your Kennebec white potato vine on the correct foot .
How to Plant Kennebec Potatoes
Planting white potato is n’t a complicated operation and Kennebec potatoes are no different . start up by till up the ground , where the potatoes are being planted , one month prior to the final Robert Lee Frost .
It ’s overbold to till the ground to just about a foot in depth . If your ground quality is poor , it never hurts to work in a stratum of compost .
In the meanwhile , cut up yourseed potatoes . You should leave behind multiple eyes per piece of the germ potato .
reserve the pieces meter to fully dry on the aerofoil . This will dissuade rot and also keep pestilence off from your plants in their earliest stages .
When you ’re ready to plant the potatoes , locate them three to five inches into the grime . Ensure that all the eyes are facing up .
Should the eyes be pointing down , they wo n’t grow as they ’ll grow into the soil alternatively of towards the sunlight .
forget a foot of blank between each potato to ensure they have ample elbow room to produce . Most potato plant grow to be or so three foot tall , so they do need deal of blank space .
Water the potatoes deep and wait patiently for the growth process to pass off . You should get down to see works in around two to four week .
Now that you have it away how to set potatoes , let ’s move onto caring for the plant after they ’ve sprouted .
Caring for Kennebec Potatoes
Caring for potatoes is n’t a complicated operation . They require to be watered , hilled , and fertilized . When watering your potatoes it ’s best to water them deep .
This ensures the plants pick up enough H2O to form deep roots , but it also ensures they do n’t become over - saturated .
commence by watering the potatoes for a long period of clip , fewer day of the week . Your tater plant take between one and two inch of piddle each week . This can come from you or nature .
After you have a lacrimation academic term , wait a few days before test the soil . When you test the soil , insert your finger into the dirt next to the plants .
If the soil is dry to your first knuckle , it ’s time to water again . If not , hold back a few days before testing the soil again . Have another deep lachrymation academic session when the soil has dry out out .
The next matter you ’ll do is hill your potatoes . This means that you ’ll mound the dirt around the tater plant life every metre they uprise two inches .
The purpose of hill potatoes is to keep weeds down and protect your craw . If the factual potatoes receive sunlight , they ’ll turn green .
Last , you must fertilise your potato plants . start applying a balanced fertilizer to your industrial plant two workweek after planting .
go along to fertilise once per month until two week before harvest . At this point , stop applying fertilizer . This should keep your plants sizeable and rich .
This is all white potato plant necessitate from you to advance healthy growth while in your garden . drill these few confidential information , and you should ( hopefully ) have quite a advantage come harvest .
Garden Pests and Diseases Which Could Impact Kennebec Potatoes
Kennebec potatoes are known for being more blight tolerant than other potato sort , but there are still a few pests and diseases you must remain alive to .
For starter , though these potatoes are more tolerant of blight , they can still be impacted by it . They may also fall victim to verticillium wilt .
Unfortunately , there ’s no cure for either of these diseases once your tater become infected by them .
Be sure to remove the plants from your garden and ruin them . They should n’t be composted as this will further spread the disease around your belongings and to other plant life .
The pests which most ordinarily impact Kennebec potatoes are beetle , caterpillars , slugs , and aphid . You may treat them with an insecticide .
However , aphidscan be deal with by spray your plants with smarmy piddle . You may handpick beetles and caterpillar .
If you see slugs , sprinkle your plant withdiatomaceous earthand place coffee grounds around the root of the potato plants .
DE creates a grave terrain for the slugs to crawl over and the caffein in the coffee grounds deters slugs as they do n’t care it .
These are a few threats you should be on the lookout for . Once spotted , roleplay quickly to protect your plant life ( when possible ) or remove infect plant life to protect your soil and smother crops .
How to Harvest Kennebec Potatoes
Kennebec potatoes take around eighty to one hundred days to reach harvest home . When ready , you should have about one pound of potato for every substructure of growing space .
You ’ll know it ’s time to harvest when you see the foliage of your industrial plant expire back . You may even see small new potatoes at the surface of the soil .
Go ahead and harvest these tiny potato . Then hold off another two weeks before digging into the ground and removing the full - sized potato .
Brush the potatoes off to dispatch redundant shite and store them in a coolheaded , juiceless , dark location to preserve them until you ’re quick to use .
This store position could be a dark closet , a source cellar , or a dark niche of your basement . Be mindful that the Solanum tuberosum do n’t lie against each other as this may direct the skin of the potatoes to break down and form rot .
It ’s best to fill a container with straw and set a layer of potatoes on the pale yellow . Then add an additional level of straw and another stratum of potatoes . Continue this until all of your potato are neatly stored .
Ensure the container breathes as you do n’t require to seal any excess moisture inwardly of it with your Irish potato as this will also lead to waste .
Take these tips into thoughtfulness as you glean and find oneself the best storage selection for your potato harvest .
You now know how to arise , plant life , care for , protect , and reap Kennebec potatoes . These white potato could make for a wonderful staple to have around your house .
Whether you bang all thing potato or are looking to turn more refreshed vegetables around your home garden , the all - determination and low - maintenance Kennebec potato could be a great option for you .
Learn More About Growing Potatoes
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-potatoes
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-potatoes-home-garden
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scenec6be.html
