How many potatoes per plant? Potatoes are one of the most popular vegetables around the world. Many people make farms to grow this vegetable because it is profitable. The taste of potatoes is very delicious.
Because of the great taste of this vegetable, some people started making a garden and growing potatoes in it. Some gardeners who have a limited space grow it in a container. It is overwhelming once the potatoes are ready to harvest. The growers will feel great once they see the actual yield. But how many potatoes a plant will be able to produce?
How Many Potatoes Per Plant?
A single potato plant can produce 5 to 10 potatoes. The number of potatoes that will grow on a plant will depend on how the plant has been cared for, its variety, and the weather condition.
When the seed potato is planted in the ground, it will take around 7 to 10 days for the shoot to come out. Then, after the shoots appear more leaves will grow and appear next.
For your plants to grow a lot of potatoes, you must buy seed potatoes from nurseries, garden centers, or agriculture stores. The seed potatoes you will get from them are high-quality and have a high chance to germinate.
If you are going to buy seed potatoes from the grocery store, you will have a hard time growing them because most of them are sprayed with sprout-reducing treatments.
It is great to use certified potatoes when making a potato garden. The plant will grow well and sooner the potatoes bloom will appear, indicating that the tubers will appear very soon.
Simple Things That Will Help Increase Potato Yields
There are simple things that you can do that will increase potato yields. The potato plant has its needs and it must get it regularly. The sunlight, water, and nutrients are essential for better plant growth.
Plant More Seed Potatoes
If you have good spacing for gardening, then you can plant more seed potatoes to increase potato yield. For example, a single potato plant will produce 5 big potatoes and if you have 15 potato plants, then you will have 75 big potatoes all in all.
It doesn’t yet include those smaller tubers which you will definitely get a lot of potatoes at the end of harvest.
Give Potato Plant Enough Sunlight
The potato plant’s sunlight requirement is around 6 to 8 hours per day. Sunlight is important for plant growth. It helps the plant to thrive and produce more tubers.
The sunlight helps the plant to make its food which also helps to increase potato sizes. It is best to grow potato plants in an open area away from tall trees. Tall trees have a wide canopy which will block the sun away from plants under them. Also, tree roots will spread which can affect the plant, so you must grow potato plants a few distances from the tree.
Give Potato Plant Adequate Water
The water requirement for potatoes is around 1-2 inches of water per week. When watering potato plants, you must check the soil moisture. If the soil is dry you need to give them water but if it is still moist you don’t need to.
Make the soil moist but not too soggy. The water will help the potato plant grow which improves the chances of getting a lot of tubers. Most potatoes are drought-sensitive so you must not let the soil dries out for too long.
Protect The Plants Against Pests And Diseases
By caring for potato plants you can have a good chance of harvesting lots of potatoes. There are some pests and diseases that may attack the plant and you should make sure that your plant is free from pests and diseases.
The potato plant may get some damage because of pests and diseases which can reduce the yield. A healthy potato plant will produce more potatoes than a not healthy plant.
Fertilize Potato Plant
Fertilize the potato plant to improve its growth and encourage it to grow more tubers. A good fertilizer for potato plants is 5-10-10.
If you are practicing organic farming then you must use organic fertilizers. You can buy compost or make one for your garden. When the soil is rich in nutrients, the potato plant will grow more potatoes.
Harvesting Potatoes On Time
You can harvest potatoes once the plant dried up. It can take about 80 to 90 days to harvest potatoes but sometimes it can go longer or earlier depending on the variety.
It is very awesome to see a lot of potatoes per plant. A good harvest will come when the potato plant is well cared for.
How Many Potatoes Should I Plant For A Family Of 4?
40 to 60 potato plants are needed to be planted for a family of 4. For example, a single potato plant will produce 7 potatoes then overall 280 to 420 potatoes can be harvested.
That is a lot of potatoes that can feed a family with members of 4. It is a good source of food for the family. If there are more members in the family then more potato plants must be planted.
How Much Does The Average Potato Plant Produce?
On average a potato plant will produce 5 to 10 potatoes. It will also depend on how the plant has been cared for, its variety, and weather condition. Some potatoes will grow bigger and some other potatoes will grow small.
You must buy and use potatoes coming from nurseries or garden centers because they have a high chance of sprouting than potatoes from grocery stores.
How Many Pounds Of Potatoes Per Plant?
There will be 50 pounds of potatoes for every 2 pounds of seed potatoes planted. So if you planted 10 pounds of seed potatoes you can get around 250 pounds of potatoes all in all.
That is a lot of potatoes which you can consume with your family or sell some of those potatoes to earn some money.
It is great to know how many potatoes per plant. A single potato plant can yield around 5 to 10 potatoes. The number of tubers per plant will depend on weather conditions, how the family has cared, and variety. It is great to grow potatoes because it is delicious and many dishes you can cook with this as the main ingredient.