Best Tips For Growing Vegetables At Home - Part 4 ( Potatoes )

Around the world Potatoes plants are one of the most home grown vegetables.  They are very easy to grow.  They are mainly grown in spring but also can be grown in summer and in warm climates all year around. But they can’t be grown in winter as they are very sensitive to very low temperature

Propagation

Potatoes are propagated from stored tubers (potatoes) only, these act as seeds and called “seed” potatoes. Potato tuber is modified stem which store food (starch) in tuber. Cut a potato in half with at least 2 eyes and leave it for a week in the sun.  The potato will turn green; you are then ready to plant your seed potatoes.  These seed potatoes carry risk of fungal attack to new generation of plant. As a result, many people purchase what is known as "certified seed Potatoes"; this means that they are certified to be free of fungus and or plant virus.  You can buy these Potatoes from nurseries and seed stores. 

If you're short of space, try growing potatoes in an adequately drained container that's at least 30cm (1ft) deep and wide. Half fill the pot with multi-purpose compost or good quality, fertile garden soil, Insert two seed potatoes into the top of the compost and then top up with more compost or soil to within 2.5cm (1in) of the rim of the container.

You can grow potato in garbage bag filled with loose soil too. All you have to do is just put some tiny holes in bottom of garbage bag and fill with soil. Add more soil when seedlings start growing up.

Seed Potatoes placing

Plant seed potatoes one foot apart in a 4-inch deep trench and eye side up. Rows should be minimum 3 foot apart. Mid March or early April is ideal to start with potatoes planting.

Soil Preparation

Potatoes thrive in a loose, well-drained, slightly acidic soil (pH 5 - 6). Add farmyard manure or home garden compost to soil to enrich it with organic matter. You can also use Chicken manure to a lesser extent.  Don't overdo it with the Chicken manure, it is very high in nitrogen and will develop lots of foliage, but little in the way of potatoes. 

 Sun / Temperature

Potato plant requires a good amount of sunlight during the day for growth. The optimum temperature is 15-25 degree C for potato planting.

Watering

Maintain moderate soil moisture levels throughout the season. Temporary imbalance in soil moisture level can result in rough-skinned and/or knobby tubers. Potato roots do not grow well in wet conditions. Over-watering washes fertilizer out of the root zone and promotes root and tuber decay.

Fertilizer

Feed potato plant with organic or non organic fertilizer. Animal manure like cow dung etc or garden compost works well for potato plant. In case of non organic fertilizer, add them to soil before planting as chemical can harm the seed potatoes.  Epsom salt also acts as fertilizer for potato plant.

Harvesting

New potatoes will be ready for harvest after 10 weeks, usually in early July. You should harvest all of your potatoes once the vines die (usually by late August), or the potatoes may rot. Brush off any soil clinging to the potatoes, and then store them in a cool, dry, dark place. The ideal temperature for storage is 35 to 40°F. Don’t wash them until right before you use them. Washing potatoes shortens their storage life.

Caring Tips

Hilling should be done before the potato plants bloom, when the plant is about 6 inches tall. It helps plants from getting sunburned by, in which case they turn green and will taste bitter.

Many fungal diseases are spread through water. Avoid walking through the garden while potato leaves are wet. Apply water in the furrow between raised potato beds. These methods will reduce the amount of water standing on the leaves and lower the chances of disease. Planting certified clean seed potatoes can also help keep your plants free of disease. To reduce possible sources of disease, destroy piles of rotten potatoes, plants, and other crop residue. Pesticides are available to help control certain diseases. Follow all label instructions and cautions when using pesticides.

Best Tips For Growing Vegetables at Home - Part 1 ( Brinjal / Eggplant / Aubergines )

The Brinjal / Egg plants / Aubergines  grows very easily and is a very low maintenance vegetable to cultivate. Brinjal fruit is a great source of iodine and is recommended by many physicians. Due to its not so deep root system, brinjal can be grown in container easily. Below are the tips for growing brinjal at home. In Hindi it is called as ‘Baingan’.

Propagation

The best option may be to start your own eggplant seedlings from seed. Sow seeds in seedling trays or small plastic container to make transfer of seedlings easier into larger pots later on. Use a watering can to water the brinjals seeds thoroughly after sowing. Brinjals seeds take about ten to fourteen days to germinate. After germination the brinjal seedlings will require a further five weeks in the seed trays before they can be transplanted. In those five weeks the brinjals seedlings would have grown as high as the knuckle of your index finger. At this stage the brinjal seedlings is ideal candidates for transplanting into a garden bed or even a container, depending on where you plan on cultivating your brinjals.Plant the brinjal seedlings slightly deeper than it stood in the seedbed or seed tray where you are transplanting them from.

Container / Pot

Choose a large pot to house your mature eggplant. The pot must have a 5-gallon (20-liter) capacity, at minimum, and each eggplant should have approximately 1 foot (30.5 centimeters) of space to grow. As a result, you may wish to plant only one eggplant per pot.

Opt for a clay pot. Eggplants love heat, and clay pots retain heat better than plastic. Select an unglazed pot if you can remember to water your plants frequently, but go with a glazed pot if you have a history of forgetting to water your plants. Unglazed pots dry the soil out more quickly than glazed pots, so eggplants living in unglazed pots will need more frequent watering. Clay pots are also heavier than plastic pots, making it easier for them to support the weight of a mature eggplant.

The pot should also have large drainage holes to help balance out the moisture level of the soil. Drainage holes will allow excess water to leave the pot, minimizing the risk of root rot.

Soil

Brinjal grows best in well drained clay loam, silt loam or loamy soil. Soil should be loosely placed into the containers, but it should not be compressed.

Sun / Temperature

As it is a warm season crop, so it would require a good amount of heat and sun exposure. Set the pots or trays out on a warm, sunny windowsill. Choose a window in full sun, meaning one that receives direct sunlight for at least 8 hours a day. Full sun provides enough light and warmth to spur growth.

Fertilizer

Add a liquid fertilizer once every one or two weeks. Use a water soluble fertilizer and water your eggplant before adding it to the soil, rather than adding it to dry soil. Follow the directions on the back of the label to determine an appropriate amount. If the leaves of your eggplant begin to pale, you may need to add more fertilizer. A boost of 5-10-5 fertilizer should help significantly if a lack of nutrition is your plant's only problem. A fertilizer with a higher number, meaning a higher percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, may prove too strong.

Also you can use liquid manure or compost tea every three weeks during their growing season.

Caring

Most seedling pests can be controlled organically with insecticidal soap. If you're concerned about damping off, try watering your eggplant seedlings regularly (about once per week) with a chamomile tea solution. Keep an eye for pests. Cutworms are one of the most common pests that attack eggplants, but they can usually be driven away by placing a cutworm collar over the plant. You may also consider an organic pesticide to drive away cutworms and many other pests.

 

Harvesting

Always use secateurs to cut off the brinjals when harvesting. The brinjals can be harvested when the fruits are still glossy. Do handle your home-grown brinjals with care as they bruise easily. Once picked, the fruit should not be stored too long. The brinjal fruits do not have to be fully grown to harvest. Test the brinjal with your finger and if it gives just a little and it has filled in good and is shiny, then by all means, you may harvest your brinjals. Usually after about three months or twelve weeks harvest the brinjals regularly. The more you harvest brinjals the sooner more fruit-bearing flowers will develop. The young plants provide the most bountiful crop.

Trouble Shooting

Brinjals, Egg plants or Aubergines way too small when matured

Snip out the growth points and the excess of the flowers that forms to produce quality brinjals instead of quantity.

Brinjals, Egg plants or Aubergines not available long enough

You may harvest brinjals anytime (depending on the weather conditions and consequent growth) from the twelfth week after transplanting them. Harvesting can occur over several weeks. However do not wait too long to harvest else the brinjals may become overripe and bitter.

Brinjals, Egg plants or Aubergines too few

Brinjals should preferably be planted as an annual as the new plants are the best performers when it comes to providing many fruits. You plants may be a bit too old to be prolific providers.