How to Plant Potatoes in August
- 1). Clear the weeds from the area of land that you are using for your potato garden. The amount of space depends on the number of potatoes you're growing, but it should be 20 inches wide for each furrow (line) of potatoes.
- 2). Dig and till the soil in your gardening area, digging up the ground as deep as your spade's blade, and backfill the hole with this dirt.
- 3). Dig a furrow along the length of the ground for each line of potatoes, making the furrows 5 inches deep and 20 inches apart from each other.
- 4). Plant the seed potatoes in the furrows, spacing them about 15 inches apart. Cover the potatoes with the soil and pat the soil firmly down with the spade.
- 5). Apply compost or fertilizer to the surface if you grew another crop in this area earlier in the year. This will replace the nutrients in the soil.
- 6). Water the potatoes regularly. Apply 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water a week, and make sure your soil drains the excess water but holds in moisture.
- 7). Spray the potatoes with a Bordeaux mixture from a garden store if you get warm and damp weather for a few days; this will prevent blight. Follow the mixture's instructions and spray every 14 days or so. Cut off and burn any leaves with brown freckles.
- 8). Pull up the earth between the rows around the potatoes' stems using a rake or hoe once the potato plants reach about 9 inches high.
Source...