By JOHN A. STARNES JR.
Published November 15, 2003
[Photo by John A. Starnes Jr.]
Once potatoes sprout they can be planted. This works with new potatoes as well as larger potatoes, such as this Idaho variety.
No doubt you've enjoyed the tender, savory taste of new potatoes. But did you know that Central Florida's balmy winters are a haven for growing those gourmet delicacies? Growing and harvesting these potatoes is a perfect way to teach youngster where food comes from.
Potatoes need slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter that gets sun all day. To get started, cover soil in a 4- by 4-foot garden with 1 inch of compost (homemade or bagged), 10 pounds of alfalfa pellets (sold in 50-pound bags in feed stores) and 10 pounds of cheap dry dog-food nuggets (this feeds your earthworms and soil organisms).
Turn the mixture into the soil with a shovel, water deeply, then mulch the soil with 4 to 6 inches of leaves or coastal hay (also from a feed store). Let it ripen for one to two weeks as autumn temperatures continue to cool (taters hate our summer heat). Take note: There is no need to turn the soil a second time.
After it has ripened, use both hands to part the mulch, creating three rows about a foot apart. You'll end up with the soil exposed to a width of about 6 inches for each row, with mulch piled between those rows. Use your hand or a trowel to make holes about 4 inches deep and a foot apart so that each row has four to five evenly spaced holes when you are done. If you have a large vegetable garden, stagger your harvest by planting a new row every three weeks from now through early March.
Let your kids drop a starter potato into each hole, then cover it. Some folks swear by seed potatoes from mail-order or feed stores, but this tightwad only uses potatoes that have sprouted while in storage in my kitchen.
Yukon Gold make the best new potatoes, but any that have sprouted will work, such as Idaho or redskin. I have even bought and planted those radical blue potatoes now showing up in gourmet sections of the grocery store.
Large potatoes that have sprouted can be cut into fourths, allowed to dry a day in the shade, then planted. Spread the mulch into an even layer over the garden and water deeply; potatoes like rich, damp soil.
In a few weeks, you and the children will be thrilled to see those first shoots. As they grow, they will remind you of the tomatoes that potatoes are related to. Potato leaves, however, are toxic; never eat them.
About two months after the shoots, white flowers appear signaling that harvests can begin. Using your hand, fish around each potato plant to find plum-size new potatoes a few inches down, or use a pitchfork to lift the plant and shake off the soil to reveal your tasty treasure. Rinse in a colander in the garden, then head to the kitchen.
Drop them whole into clam chowder or cream of mushroom soup. Saute them in garlic and olive oil with a little dill and salt. Simmer them until tender in an Alfredo sauce. You will be spoiled forever, plus you and the kids will see the miracle of an old, sprouted potato and its transformation into gourmet gold.
Hey, life can be fair if we treat ourselves to delicious little victories like these!
- John A. Starnes Jr., born in Key West, is an avid organic gardener and rosarian who studies, collects, cultivates and hybridizes roses for the diverse regions of Florida. He can be reached at his new e-mail address: JohnAStarnes@aol.com
