Why aren't potatoes growing in my garden? What should I do?

Why aren't potatoes growing well? It could be due to weather conditions, insufficient fertilizer, a poor variety, or other factors. You should ask agronomists—potato growers whose job it is to grow a good potato harvest every year, regardless of the climate.

Experts identify several main reasons for poor potato growth.

Lack of variety quantity

Breeding efforts have resulted in potato varieties suited to a variety of weather conditions. One variety is drought-tolerant, another is resistant to standing water. Some varieties are early-ripening and cold-hardy, while others are susceptible to disease in cold soil but have a long shelf life. Long-term meteorological forecasts are so imperfect, and the weather is so unpredictable, that it's impossible to predict conditions throughout the potato growing season. To address this, experts recommend planting several varieties with different planting and maturation times equally in separate beds.

Poor quality planting material

How are potatoes selected for planting next year?

Method one: the entire harvest is dug up, piled up to dry, then sorted by size—small, large, and medium—for seed. This is incorrect. This selection runs the risk of collecting tubers from poorly developed bushes, which turn out to be the best of the worst, for seed.

The second method is to select material immediately during digging, from the best bushes. It's okay if large root vegetables end up in the seeds; they can be cut into several sections at the buds. This will ensure they have a strong heredity and are well-suited for a good harvest.

Buying seed potatoes at the market has its risks; it's impossible to determine their age by eye or the seed selection method. You can replenish your own seedlings by using tuber tips, sprouts, cuttings, or seeds.

Lack of crop rotation

A potato field typically occupies the largest plot of land on a farm or dacha farm. It's the largest and therefore most often the same year after year. Even if a potato field is well-fertilized, this doesn't prevent a decrease in yield. Pathogenic microorganisms accumulate in the soil, causing diseases in crops of the same type, causing the plantings to become diseased, shrink, and degenerate. Why do immature potato plants fall apart? Early wilting is caused by the main potato disease, late blight.

Good predecessors for potatoes include cabbage, pumpkin, cucumbers, and beets. By replacing one another, these plants become soil healers for the next crop. Tomatoes and sunflowers are not suitable as predecessors for potatoes. The proximity of the plantings also matters.

Potatoes have good “relationships” with such neighbors as onions, garlic, corn, lettuce, radishes, and sorrel.

Soil depletion

Why don't potatoes grow in a garden that's been carefully tidied, combed, and cleaned? A beautiful garden, completely cleared of weeds, dead tops, and leaves, is the epitome of a well-kept plot for many gardeners. The downside of such beauty is that the soil, completely exposed and devoid of all roots, quickly becomes depleted and dries out.

To get a good harvest in such a clean plot, you need to apply plenty of fertilizer and water frequently. Weeding is essential, of course, but remember that a potato field requires the same mulching as a tomato or cucumber bed. You can use the same torn weeds for this purpose, leaving them between the rows to rot.

Deep planting

Why do potatoes grow poorly when the seed is planted deeper than necessary? The optimal depth for a potato hole is 7-8 cm. Any deeper than this prevents air from penetrating, and the seedlings are doomed to oxygen starvation, which is not conducive to a bountiful harvest.

Planting all varieties at the same time

We've thoroughly prepared for planting season, collecting a collection of varieties with diverse timing and climate tolerances, but the potatoes aren't growing. The reason may be that all these varieties were planted on the same day. Early or mid-season potatoes tolerate cool temperatures in unheated soil, but are sensitive to overheating and dry conditions if planted much later than expected. The opposite is true for late, heat-loving varieties.

Inappropriate planting method

It would seem there's nothing complicated about planting potatoes: dig a hole, plant the seeds, and bury them. That's true, but why aren't potatoes growing in my garden, even though it's well-fertilized? It all comes down to soil type. Sandy, arid soils, as well as clayey and marshy soils, require special planting techniques.

Reviews

Gardeners share their secrets to a good harvest on forum pages. So, what do experienced potato growers recommend if your potatoes aren't growing well?

To prevent diseases, disinfect the seeds with a solution of boric acid, manganese, and copper sulfate. Garlic infusion can also be used.

https://youtu.be/DfTt2v89dSQ

1. They say that you can increase the yield by making transverse cuts on each planting potato without touching the bud.
2. The direction of the potato rows also plays a role: from north to south.
3. Top dressing: during the growing season, after flowering begins, and towards the end of flowering to form tubers.
4. They say that the harvest will increase significantly if, during the second week of flowering, the potato stems are broken in such a way that the tops do not fall off, but are unable to rise.