Cultivating potatoes in your personal greenhouse is a great way to have fresh potatoes all year, especially if you like some of the rare fingerling species that aren’t commonly available commercially.
Potatoes are simple to grow, especially in a greenhouse, and can be harvested throughout the year.
They can be grown in one-gallon or three-gallon polythene bags filled with filtered garden soil and fertilizer.
The potatoes can develop completely without the walls of a container affecting their appearance by using flexible bags.
Can You Grow Potatoes in a Greenhouse?
Yes, growing potatoes in bags in a greenhouse is a fantastic technique to achieve a productive crop in a limited amount of space. If you have a greenhouse, you can harvest your crop relatively early. Cultivate them in the appropriate conditions, and you’ll have a bumper harvest of potatoes in no time.
Requirements to Grow Potatoes in a Greenhouse.
All greenhouse equipment must be endorsed by an appropriate certifying organization to grow potatoes in a greenhouse. The following requirements must also be met:
- The temperature in greenhouses should be between 22 and 28 degrees Celsius. This will encourage the growth of potato plants while reducing the spread of Pythium and Spongospora diseases.
- Potato diseases and pests must not be present in water sources.
- To prevent the outbreak of infection or pests within the greenhouses, proper care must be followed in potting, transplanting, watering, and other greenhouse procedures.
- All information on the material spread should be kept on file for the certification authority’s scrutiny.
How to Grow Potatoes in a Greenhouse.
It’s time to start growing them in bags now that you’ve chosen the best soil, large bags, and variety. To help them grow, follow these steps:
- Seed potatoes are a great place to begin. Seed potatoes with beady eyes and buds are the ones you look for.
- Cut off any part of your seed potato that shows signs of decay.
- If the seed potato is very large, you can cut it in half as long as both halves have eyes.
- After any cutting, do not plant the potato right away. Allow 24 hours for it to dry before planting; otherwise, it will rot in the soil.
- You can alternatively leave your seeds alone until germination begins, and then plant them.
- You can begin spreading seeds in the greenhouse a few weeks ahead of time (from the start of February).
- If your greenhouse has frost, remove it as soon as possible. Frost has the potential to harm your seed potatoes.
- Fill your bags with 3 inches of potting soil and plant the seed potatoes 1 inch deep in the soil.
- Water them and keep an eye on them as they grow, but don’t overdo it.
- It’s time to add extra soil when the shoot reaches 3 to 4 inches in length. Allow the top inch of the shoot to be exposed to the light.
- Continue this technique until your cultivation bag is filled with dirt, leaving 1 inch just at the top for irrigation.
How Long Does It Take Potatoes to Grow in a Greenhouse?
Potatoes, particularly early-maturing types, need 80 to 100 days to maturity. While the plant is still flowering, harvest the baby’s new potatoes.
Maincrop potatoes should be left until the plant’s leaves have died down.
Then, just like with young potatoes, cut the plant all the way down to the ground and carefully uncover the potatoes.
Those that have begun to decay or exhibit symptoms of deterioration should be discarded.
To make work easier, harvest your potatoes on a dry day. If the soil is damp, you may need to wait until the potatoes are completely dry before putting them in bags or boxes.
Do Potatoes Grow Better Indoors or Outdoors?
Potatoes can be grown successfully both indoors and outdoors, as long as the development conditions are satisfied and the plant has adequate sunlight, water, and moisture.
Cultivating potatoes in pots is a truly excellent alternative for anyone who has limited garden space, is worried about the quality of their soil, or wants to produce potatoes more quickly.
Potatoes are no exception to the rule that almost any vegetable may be effectively grown in a container.
Although, given the correct growth conditions, you may not be able to harvest quite so many potatoes in a container as you would from garden soil.
Common problems with growing potatoes
Potato Blight
A fungus that causes yellow/browning of the leaves and can lead to rotting tubers. Excess humidity — too wet and too hot – is a common occurrence. Potato blight is incurable and has no cure. Cut away any diseased leaves as much as possible, but don’t go too far or you’ll stunt tuber growth. You might decide that digging it up, harvesting what you can, and discarding the remainder is a preferable option.
Green Potatoes
When potatoes are exposed to sunshine, they turn green. If swallowed, these are poisonous. This can be readily avoided by mounding up while in the ground and storing in the dark after harvested.
Common Scab
A soil-borne illness that frequently goes unnoticed until harvest time. It appears as dark, muddy blemishes on the potato skin. Impacted parts can be trimmed away to keep the potatoes edible, but more severely affected plants can cause more serious issues. Scabby potato bacteria can live in the soil for a long period of time, feeding on decomposing organic material, so remove as much as possible after harvesting. Crop rotation will help to prevent future crop failure.
Potato Rot
High humidity can be an issue with homegrown potatoes during and after lifting. During development, avoid over-watering and make sure the potatoes are completely dry before storing.
How to Store Potatoes
Potatoes can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three months before being consumed. Simply ensure that you follow the procedures below:
- They should be kept in a dark environment.
- Remove those that exhibit signs of decay or damage that could spread to the rest of the plants.
- They should not be washed.
- Keep them dry, cool, and frost-free in a well-ventilated area.
Potatoes are significantly easier to grow in a greenhouse than they are in an outside garden.
Not only are your plants sheltered from the conditions outside, but they are also free of pests and illnesses.
Above all, you can cultivate a variety of crops each year without having to worry about the weather.
