Wow, it’s potato planting time already! Don’t forget it’s also cabbage, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and radish time too! If you are itching to get into your vegetable garden or landscape you might think of coming to the Harvey County Home and Garden Show on March 22 and 23 at the Dyck Arboretum in Hesston. You will find plants like those previously mentioned at the Prairie Wild booth and home items like outdoor furniture, and planter boxes. Renata Plant Bus will be there with an assortment of houseplants and succulents and Neff Family Farm will have herbs and vegetables for sale!
Youngsters will have an opportunity to build a birdhouse and take home at no cost. Materials are limited so don’t be late. At 1:00 pm each day in the Prairie Discovery Lab we will have this youth event along with vendors and the door prize drawing. Don’t forget about the learning opportunities with 11 home and garden seminars scheduled for the weekend!
Speaking of potatoes, St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, so it is time to think about getting seed potatoes in the ground. Actually, any time from mid- to late-March is fine for potato planting.
Be sure to buy seed potatoes rather than using those bought for cooking. Seed potatoes are certified disease free and have plenty of starch to sprout as quickly as soil temperatures allow. Most seed potatoes can be cut into four pieces, though large potatoes may yield more, and small less. Each seed piece should be between 1.5 and 2 ounces. Seed pieces this size will have more than one eye.
Each pound of potatoes should yield 8 to 10 seed pieces. Cut the seed 2 to 3 days before planting so freshly cut surfaces have a chance to suberize, or toughen, and form a protective coating. Storing seed in a warm location during suberization will speed the process. Plant each seed piece about 1 to 2 inches deep and 8 to 12 inches apart in rows. Though it is important to plant potatoes in March, emergence is slow. It is often mid- to late-April before new plants poke their way through the soil. As the potatoes grow, pull soil up to the base of the plants. New potatoes are borne above the planted seed piece, and it is important to keep sunlight from hitting the new potatoes. Exposed potatoes will turn green and produce a poisonous substance called solanine. Keeping the potatoes covered will prevent this.
