To propagate potatoes, choose a healthy potato with visible “eyes” (sprouts), cut it into pieces with at least one eye per piece, let the cut ends dry for a couple of days, then plant the pieces in soil with the eyes facing upwards, covering them with a few inches of soil;ensure proper watering and “hilling” (adding soil around the plant as it grows) until the plant matures and the leaves die back, at which point you can harvest the new potatoes.
Key steps:
- Select seed potatoes: Choose potatoes that are disease-free and have multiple visible “eyes” (sprouts).
- Let them sprout: Place potatoes in a cool, dark area to encourage sprouting.
- Cut into pieces: Cut the potato into pieces, ensuring each piece has at least one “eye”.
- Let the cuts dry: Allow the cut pieces to dry for a day or two to prevent rotting.
- Plant in soil: Dig holes about 4-6 inches deep, place the potato pieces in with the eyes facing up, and cover with soil.
- Space properly: Space the pieces 12 inches apart.
- Water consistently: Keep the soil moist but not soggy.
- Hilling: As the plant grows, gradually add more soil around the base to protect developing potatoes from sunlight.
- Harvest: When the leaves turn yellow and die back, carefully dig up the plant and harvest the potatoes.