Every plant has different needs during cultivation, but this is not the case with potatoes, which, after being sown, need to be earthed up and well fertilised!
I have never used mulch for potatoes, partly because I don’t think it’s necessary. Without it, however, lots of weeds appear and we have to hurry to remove them before they take too much nourishment away from the potatoes.
There are various machines, from large to small, that can remove weeds, but I prefer to do almost everything manually. I use a sharp weeder that can cut the smallest weeds: in fact, this operation should be done when the weeds are small.
I mainly use the weeder, but where I risk pulling up the potato plants as well, I use my hands!
Potatoes need potassium and magnesium to grow large and tasty, but above all to allow them to be stored for longer.
It certainly needs other elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and micro/meso-elements, but we have already provided some of these with the basic fertilisation. As for the others, the potato’s requirements are very limited and it finds them directly in the soil.
So with a single good fertilisation, we will get through to harvest time.
The right ‘food’ to provide the two most important elements is potassium/magnesium fertiliser, preferably organic.
I use patentkali, an extract from deposits of raw marine salts that formed in Europe millions of years ago following the evaporation of sea water.
Potassium chloride is permitted in organic farming.
It comes in granular form, convenient for manual spreading and easily absorbed by the plant.
The ideal amount is one handful per linear metre (about four potatoes).
After tamping, watering is necessary to activate the fertiliser.
The sooner you reinforce it, the better!
Potatoes need soil to form tubers, which means that when the seedling reaches 8-10 cm in height from the ground, it is ideal to start earthing up.
After fertilising, proceed with earthing up, which adds soil to the base of the plant, allowing the tubers to grow sheltered from sunlight, which would cause an accumulation of solanine. Solanine is harmful and can be recognised on the tubers as a greenish stain if the potato is yellow in colour, and purple if the potato has red skin.
To avoid this, the ridging must be substantial, i.e. at least 10-15 cm wide on either side of the plant.
This operation can be carried out mechanically with the aid of a rotary tiller equipped with a ridger or manually with a hoe.
Once the ridging is complete, it is advisable to water thoroughly to compact the soil around the potatoes.
I can’t wait to start harvesting, although I should warn you that I do it manually, i.e. I dig with my hands!
My name is Francesca and I am 33 years old. I like to share my life in the countryside in a simple and spontaneous way, just as this adventure began.
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