When fall turns to winter, most farmers won’t try to grow any new crops. However, there are still some crops that farmers can grow even after the weather turns cold.
Potatoes are one example, and the ones you grow yourself taste much better than the ones you buy at a store. With that in mind, here is your guide on how to grow potatoes during the winter season.
Obtain Your Materials
Veteran farmers likely already have all the equipment they need to grow winter potatoes. Nevertheless, if this is your first time growing them, you need to obtain all the tools for this growing operation.
First, purchase a five-gallon bucket for planting, then grab a drill and a quarter-inch drill bit or larger to create drainage holes in the bucket. Next, buy some potting soil, compost, straw, or sawdust. Finally, you’ll need some stones or broken pottery, a water can, and some fertilizer with low nitrogen content to complete your shopping list.
Prepare Your Potatoes by Following the Right Steps
Now you can start preparing to grow the potatoes. Start by drilling a few holes in the bottom of your bucket where you want to plant the potatoes.
You can put the rocks or broken clay pots on the bottom to boost drainage and prevent dirt from filling up the holes. After pouring between three and five inches of high-quality potting soil or compost, put a pair of seed potatoes into the soil and make sure to space them evenly at the top.
Then, pour the compost or soil on top of your potatoes so that a few extra inches of soil cover them. You can settle your soil by sprinkling some water onto the potatoes with the watering can. After that, put them in an area that receives copious sunlight and wait for them to grow.
Maintain Your Potatoes as They Grow
When your potatoes begin to sprout, add extra soil to keep them from popping out. Doing so will ensure that your potatoes progressively grow higher and higher.
You can add sawdust or straw if you want your cleanup to be less messy, but either option will do. As the weeks go on, water your potatoes and supply them with nutrients regularly so that they continue growing. Before you know it, harvest time will be here, so stock up on
paper potato bags to store your crops safely.
Overall, potatoes are excellent crops to grow during the winter if you live in a warmer climate. Now that you know how to grow potatoes during the winter season, it’s time to enjoy those delicious tubers!
