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Red potatoes, such as " Red Pontiac" and "Norland," produce firm. red-skinned potatoes with white flesh. Often harvested when young and served whole to add visual appeal and sweet flavor to gourmet meals, they are sometimes referred to as baby red potatoes. Growing them in the home garden is relatively easy, as long a you provide them with a sunny location and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH between 4.8 and 5.5.

Preparing the Soil Potatoes require soil that is tilled to a depth of 8 to 12 inches to allow the tubers room to form under the soil. Adding a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic matter to the soil and tilling it into the existing soil improves drainage and aeration. An application of 10-10-5 fertilizer at a rate of 3 pounds per 100 square feet is recommended at planting time.

Preparing the Potato Tubers Potatoes reproduce from cut sections of the potato tuber, but should not be planted from grocery store variety potatoes. Purchase seed potatoes from a certified dealer to avoid the spread of disease. Each tuber can be cut into 2-inch blocks for planting, but should contain at least two eyes on each section. Placing them in a paper bag to set for a day or two so the cuts can heal is recommended.

Spacing Potatoes are typically spaced 12 inches apart in rows that stand 24 to 36 inches apart. Closer spacing produces more potatoes in the same space, but the tubers will be smaller. If you desire to grow your red potatoes for eating when they are small, spacing them 6 to 8 inches apart is fine. If you wish to grow them to maturity, allows 12 inches between plants for the tubers to mature. Some prefer to plant the tubers closely and harvest every other plant for "new potatoes" when they are small. This creates room for the remaining plants to grow and tubers to form.

Planting Red Potatoes in Containers Potatoes thrive in containers, as long as you provide them enough room to mature. Old tires stacked and filled with soil, plastic bags and even mounds of hay make good containers for potatoes. The trick, of course, is to provide the growing plants with the support they need while providing a sheltered area for the tubers to form. Some create a cylinder from chicken wire and plant the potatoes in the bottom. More soil or straw is added as the plants increase in height.

Care All potatoes prefer moist, well drained soil. Watering them deeply once or a twice a week, or whenever the soil feels dry to the touch 1-inch below the surface, typically provides them with the moisture they need to thrive. Inconsistent watering may result in growth spurts that create misshapen potatoes. Those grown in soil in the garden require hilling, the technique of hoeing a mound of soil around the base of the plant to provide room for growing tubers. Side dressing with 2 to 3 pounds of fertilizer per 100 feet of row when the plants are 4 to 6 inches high typically boosts growth and improve overall health of your potatoes.

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