K-State Ag Today: Planting fall potatoes
12:34 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Traditionally, Irish potatoes are only planted once a year: Around St. Patrick's Day. K-State Research and Extension vegetable crop specialist Ted Carey says potatoes are one of many vegetables that can be planted again for the fall.
Related links
Potato varieties and when to plant info from K-State Research and Extension
"A lot of people tend to plant their garden in the spring, and then say 'well, it's kind of done,' but actually, many of the vegetables you know, you can have succession plantings," Carey said. "Now, potatoes like it cool. We've had a nice cool spring, but in the middle of the summer, in the hot summer, they kind of, they're not really happy. That causes disease problems and so on, and they don't grow very well, they really like it cool."
Carey says if you saved a seed potato or two in a cool, dry place, you might try planting again.
"End of July, through the beginning of August, you can plant a fall potato crop. So, before the frost, or just at the frost, you can have a fall potato crop. Basically, you get them started out in the middle of the summer, but then things cool down enough so that they're able to complete their production of tubers in the cool of the fall. So that can work quite well," he said.
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