Growing Potatoes
The smallest garden can find space to grow potatoes. Try mid for immediate consumption and late season varieties to have potatoes over the winter months. If planting in cold soil use whole tubers to reduce the chance of rotting. Tubers are heavy feeders so work compost or well rotted manure into the planting area. (Do not use fresh manure or plant where lime has been added. Both ammendments encourage 'potatoe scab') Make sure to plant your crop in an area that tomatoes, eggplant, peppers or potatoes were not planted in the last two years. If you planted peas or beans last year, plant your potaoes there this year, they will benefit from the nitrogen enriched soil.
Planting should be ten to 14 days before the average last frost date (May 9)or as soon as the ground can be worked. Potatoes will tolerate some frost, and the main stems and first leaves do not emerge for at least one to two weeks. As the plants grow mound the earth over them to keep the developing tubers covered. Potatoes exposed to sunlight turn green and develop solanine a toxic substance. (5lbs of seed potatoe will plant a 50ft row and give you 2 1/2 lbs of potatoes per foot.)
Plant small, certified seed tubers that are no more than 8 ounces in weight. Ideally they should be 2 to 3 ounces. Any tubers that are larger should be cut into equal pieces making sure that each pice has at least 3 eyes. Give the potatoes 24 hours to form a callous after cutting; this will reduce the chance of disease organisms entering the tuber. Plant the tuber or cut piece 4 to 6 inches deep. Place each seed 8 to 12 inches apart with one seed per hill. If you like your potatoes small place them 5inches apart. Cover seed with an inch or two of soil and do not press down, for best results.
Some problems that may occur are scab and potato blight which appears on leaves as a purplish blotch, then turns brown and rots. Both of these conditions can be prevented by planting certified seed potatoes and scab resistant varieties.
As stated in many entries the worst enemy of the potato is the Colorado potatoe beetle. Both the adult and its red larvae defoliate and destroy the plants. At PTG we manage this pest by hand picking them and dropping them into soapy water.

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