wᵣᵢₜₜₑₙ ᵇʸ ᴰᵉᵛⁱˡˢcᵒˡᵒʳˢ ᵃᵈᵐⁱⁿ ₂₇₋₁₀₋₂₀₂₅

Potato Patch Passion

Golden Creamy Nuggets & Tasty Pink Skins

Pink Delight

On an internet marketplace, a ridiculous trade was made. One Green bush zucchini plant for a box of seed potatoes.

The box arrived with the post and we started our first planting adventure in late July.

The surprise, it looked this friendly responder sent some fine culinairy Roseval potatoes. This variety comes from France and is easy to recognize by its red / purpelish skin and firm, tasty flesh.

It’s a great specimen for salads or roasting.

The little planting potatoes I got, also called seed potatoes, are kept especially for replanting. Each one already has tiny buds or “eyes,” surely new shoots were about to grow very soon.
Planting began in loose, rich soil in a sunny spot.

Roseval potatoes grow best when the soil stays slightly moist, not too wet, not too dry.

Potato End Rot

During the growing season, some kind of mold on the zucchini leaves seemed to cause a problem on the leaves of some of the tubers.
Unfortunattely the leaves started to show some brown spots ending up with holes in the leaves and curled ends turning brown. Finally the whole plant started to deteriorate, even the stem.

It was defenitly time to harvest them at the end of rainy October. Wen dug up, I noticed all the tubers were suffering from potato end rot. The end of the potato turns dark and soft.

Several spots started to infect the whole potato from the outside to the inside.

It’s usually caused by:

# Lack of calcium in the soil

# Uneven watering

# Poor drainage

To prevent end rot, try to water evenly and avoid soaking the plants after long dry periods. Adding compost or a balanced fertilizer before planting helps keep the soil healthy.

Creamy Big Nuggets

The next year I tried something else; growing some Nicolai potatoes that I had sprouted in the kitchen!
Sometimes potatoes from the supermarket start growing green shoots if they sit in a sunny, dry place.

I found a whole bag of those on at a local supermarket and took my chances on this bag, waited a week untill they had sufficient sprouts to plant in late August.

Before planting, the larger potatoes where cut into pieces to devide the multiple sprouts it grew to get multiple plants from one potatoe. I made sure each piece had at least one sprout.

After letting the pieces dry for a day (to prevent rotting), planted them in rows.
This method is an easy and inexpensive way to start growing potatoes, especially for beginners.

Nicolai potatoes grow into smooth, yellow-skinned tubers that are soft and tasty when boiled or mashed.
On average each plant had 3 potatoes, 1 or 2 big ones.

Why Planting Late Can Be Smart

Instead of planting in spring, we planted our Nicolai potatoes late in August. This timing had one big advantage: less watering! I watered them two times in just after planting.

In many regions, late summer and early autumn bring more rain, so nature does most of the watering for you. The cooler nights also help reduce pests.

Late planting can still produce a good crop, especially if your area stays frost-free for a few months after planting. Some tubers can stand rainy periods better then others.

What We Learned

Growing potatoes teaches us about soil, water, and weather. Every season brings new challenges:

* Choose your variety carefully.

* Keep soil moisture steady to avoid problems like end rot.

* Use what you have! Even supermarket potatoes can grow if treated right.

* Pay attention to the seasons. Planting late can save water and reduce maintenance.

* Start small even a few potato plants in a potato tower or a bucket can be exciting. Watch how the green plants grow, flower and then die back to show harvest time has come.

* Dig carefully, and you’ll uncover your own hidden treasure!
Growing potatoes isn’t just about food, it’s all about learning how nature works.

🥔 Fun Facts About Potatoes! 🌱

Potatoes are explorers!
The first potatoes came from the Andes mountains in South America. That’s over 7,000 kilometers from Europe!

Every potato has “eyes.”
Those little bumps or dots on a potato are called eyes. Each one can grow into a brand-new plant!

Hidden treasure!
Potatoes grow underground, while their green leaves and flowers grow above. It’s like digging for treasure when you harvest them.

So many kinds!
There are over 5,000 potato varieties around the world: red, yellow, purple, and even blue ones!

Potato power!
Potatoes are full of energy and vitamin C, good fuel for your brain and muscles.

Space potatoes!
Potatoes were the first vegetables grown in space aboard a NASA shuttle in 1995!

🧪 Try This! Grow Your Own Potato at Home 🥔

You don’t need a big garden to grow potatoes, just a bit of patience and curiosity!

What you’ll need:

• 1 potato (any kind — try Roseval or Nicolai!)
• A sunny windowsill or balcony
• A glass or jar
• Toothpicks
• Water

What to do:

1. Find a potato with at least one “eye” (a little bump or sprout).
2. Stick 3–4 toothpicks around the middle of the potato.
3. Balance the potato on the rim of the glass so the bottom half is in water.
4. Place it in a sunny spot and change the water every few days.
5. After about 1–2 weeks, you’ll see roots growing in the water and shoots reaching for the light! 🌿

👉 Next step:

When the shoots are about 10 cm long, you can plant your potato in a pot or bucket filled with soil. Keep the soil damp and soon you’ll have your very own mini potato plant!

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ᵀʰⁱˢ ᵃʳᵗⁱᶜˡᵉ ʷᵃˢ ʷʳⁱᵗᵗᵉⁿ ᵇʸ ᴰᵉᵛⁱˡˢᶜᵒˡᵒʳˢ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳ ᵃ
cʳᵉᵃᵗⁱᵛᵉ cᵒᵐᵐᵒⁿˢ ᴬᵗᵗʳⁱᵇᵘᵗⁱᵒⁿ⁻sʰᵃʳᵉᴬˡⁱᵏᵉ ᴸⁱᶜᵉⁿˢᵉ ⁴.⁰. รᵒᵘʳᶜᵉ ᵒᶠ ⁱⁿᶠᵒʳᵐᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ: ᶜʰᵃᵗᵍᵖᵗ.ᶜᵒᵐ.