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Potato, ‘Blue’

Blue potatoes in particular have an exquisite flavor, and the blue color adds a conversation piece to your dinner table. Blue potato bushes are easy to grow on your own. Potatoes are in the same family as tomatoes and peppers, but do not require as much heat to grow. Potatoes typically grow below ground, while the bushes grow above ground. Because of their color, blue potatoes add a unique flair to everyday cuisine. In their native land of South America, they are often used in conjunction with herbs and spices to make salads and potato cakes, or they get sliced up, dried and eaten as they are.

From a nutritional standpoint, these blue-pigmented heirlooms have multiple bells and whistles. Blue potatoes contain a moderate amount of dietary fiber. This non-digestible substance helps fill you up, and it also regulates blood sugar and helps prevent high cholesterol. Potassium content is high in blue potatoes, and other varieties as well.

POTATOES ARE EASY TO GROW VEGETABLES. One of the easiest root crops to grow is the potato. Plus, they’re fun to grow. A small area can provide a nice yield of this tasty vegetable. It is important to turn the soil before you plant your potato bush. Early spring is the best time to plant them. One of the bonuses of growing potatoes is that you can eat them at various stages of growth. The young ‘new potatoes’ are often harvested and cooked with peas and gravy, while most are allowed to reach maturity and are eaten or stored for use throughout the winter.

Plant Details +

Size Size A
Height 20-25"
Spacing 12-15"
Hardiness Zone 3-9
Exposure Full sun
Foliage Open, average-sized, medium-green leaves
Harvest Late summer

Planting/Care Instructions +

Planting Instructions: Select a sunny location and plant in early spring in the soil. Plant when the soil is workable. 1. Till the soil to a depth of ten or twelve inches. 2. Place one seed potato into the tilled dirt 4-6" deep & 30-36" between rows. Then cover with soil. 3. Pull in additional soil as the plants develop. Always be certain the surface tubers are covered with soil. Water potatoes (thoroughly). SOIL PREPARATION - potatoes grow in just average soil, so a great deal of soil preparation is not really needed. However the addition of some compost or a little peat moss is beneficial. Avoid using fresh manure or lime in the soil where potatoes are to be grown, as it tends to cause scab on the potatoes. The addition of either 5-10-10 or 10-20-20 fertilizer is beneficial. Mix the fertilizer into the planting soil, prior to planting. Till or spade the soil to a depth of ten or twelve inches. Resists late blight. Heavy yields in midseason. Mini-tubers have 3-5 eyes each. Plant now, or store in a cool, dry place until you are ready to plant. They'll keep for weeks. NO CUTTING REQUIRED. Just plant one eye per hill. Plant this cultivar 4-6" deep in a broad well-shaped hill to control late season greening. Planting instructions: CUTTING POTATOES - if the seed potatoes are small to medium sized, plant the whole potato. If they are large sized, you can cut them in half, or quarter them. Each section should have two or three 'growth eyes'. After cutting, let the cut surface callus-over before planting them. SPACING - potatoes can be grown in many different ways. If you have lots of room the cut pieces can be spaced about a foot apart in rows which are spaced two to three feet apart. Then cover with about an inch of soil. Pull in additional soil as the plants develop. Always be certain the surface tubers are covered with soil. Hilling or mounding is another method of growing potatoes. Three or four pieces of potatoes are planted on a mound of soil, pulling in additional soil as the potatoes develop. WATERING - Black or hollow centers on potatoes is often caused by over-watering. Irregular watering causes irregular shaped or knobby potatoes. As a guideline, water potatoes (thoroughly) weekly during warmer summer weather. HARVESTING - New young potatoes are harvested when peas are ripe or as the potato plants begin to flower. For storage of full sized potatoes harvest them when the vines turn yellow or have died-back. STORAGE - Keep them in the dark, in a spot where temperatures are about 40 degrees.