Growing Irish Potatoes
Planting
- Potato seeds should have 4-5 small shoots growing out. Get clean potato seeds from KALRO centres in Tigoni, Embu, Kitale, Oljororok, ADC farm in Molo and Kisima Farm in Nanyuki.
- Plant potatoes in ridges (25cm high and 75cm apart) so that they can become big. This also makes harvesting easier. Pests attack ridged potatoes less.
Management
- Start weeding potatoes 6 weeks after planting or when the weeds grow. Only weed the plot 3 times.
- Put soil along the rows when weeding potatoes to allow deeper rooting.
- As you weed through your potato farm, bury the weeds in the ridges to enrich the soil.
- Walk through the plot from time to time looking for insects and the damage they cause so as to deal with it early.
- Rotate potatoes with beans, cereals (like maize), or vegetables and rest each plot for 4 years from potatoes. This helps to control diseases.
Harvesting
Harvest your potatoes when the leaves start to turn yellow. This is a sign that the crop is ready.
Click here to download a detailed guide on growing Irish potatoes.
