Planting potatoes in August. You could have a harvest in just 60 days

Potatoes are a traditional crop that have a place in every garden. Normally, however, we plant them in May and harvest them now during the summer holidays. But if you’d like to have another crop of potatoes, don’t hesitate – plant them now in August. You could be enjoying delicious home-grown potatoes in as little as 60 days. That’s a very tempting prospect. So what’s the deal with planting potatoes in August, and when exactly can you expect a harvest?

We plant them even when others don’t

That’s right. By mid-August, many people have completely forgotten about potatoes. We always plant them in a patch where onions have previously grown. A major advantage of this method is that there are usually no problems with pests, which often wreak havoc on the first potato crop. Potatoes can be planted either directly into the soil, in a bag, or even in grass or straw. There are simply quite a few alternatives. In 60 days, we can look forward to the harvest.

Photo: Radek Stepan

A medium-early variety is a must

In any case, it’s essential to choose an early or medium-early variety of potato. This way, you can be sure of a harvest within a reasonable timeframe. The Adora variety, for example, is excellent. However, you can certainly choose other varieties as well, such as the very early ‘Monika’. This is a type B cooking potato characterised by a relatively firm texture even after prolonged cooking. The premium salad variety ‘Talentine’ will also grow without any problems.

Potatoes can even be planted in mown grass

If you add a little soil to it, there’s nothing more to it. The potatoes will thrive. We’ve once again opted for growing them in traditional bags. So, in 60 days’ time, we’ll see what we harvest from the bags. Most likely, however, we’ll have a great harvest, just like with our first batch of potatoes grown in bags this year.

Tip: The results of our first attempt at growing potatoes in bags this year were brilliant. You can see for yourself.

Sources: Author

Photo and gallery: Radek Stepan