How to Plant Potatoes

First, purchase your potatoes from your local gardening store.  These were purchased from Dutchman's in Cantrill, IA.
Russets.  Best for baking.

Reds.  Wonderful for roasting.

You may also chose Golden potatoes, which are excellent for mashed potatoes, and boiling.

Or, perhaps you stumbled upon a box that you meant to cook, but forgot about, then they will look like this. 

Till the garden.  A lawn tractor and implement is very handy.  (Snow peas, radishes and lettuce already up).  When I lived in the suburbs, I didn't have this convenience.  A garden hoe and shovel work well too, plus you get the added excersize!

Tractor rides put toddlers to sleep.  This picture makes me yawn.  It will probably make you yawn too.

For potatoes, till as deep as you can.

Make a strait line with two pieces of rebar and attached garden string.  I was instructed to line them up with the silo on the top of the hill and the corner of the house. 

Have your almost two year old inspect the string.  Freshly tilled soil makes good boot prints.

With the side of a hoe, dig a trench as deep as you physically can.  Take rests when needed.

Find your 10-10-10 garden fertilizer.

Ask your husband to finish digging the trench if you are worn out.   Dump a tablespoon sized amount of fertilizer about every 10 inches.  Or, if your three year old is helping, this wont be as accurate.  It will more likely be between a few drops to half cup every 3 to 24 inches.

Inspect the job to see that it was well done, and compliment your three year old for doing a good job.

Cover each fertilizer pile with dirt, and put a potato on top (enough soil so the potato does not touch the fertilizer).  If your three year old has already covered all of the fertilizer piles, you will have to guess where the piles are.

Have your husband cover up the potatoes with the hoe and ample amount of soil.  Tease him about gardening in khakis and doc martins.  He will tell you he just got back from a funeral visitation, and has a council meeting in an hour.

Measure 33 inches for the next row.  Or use the end of your hoe if you are lazy.  Repeat process until your planted all the potatoes.

Ask kids to find large sticks to mark the ends of your rows.

Then throw them in the bathtub.

I will post progres on the growing plants later in the summer. 

And, I will look forward to cooking this recipe (my favorite mashed potatoes recipe) with the golden potatoes.