Kids and potatoes...they mix

Potatoes aplenty from my garden.

Face it. Kids love white food. The starchier the better. And potato recipes from au gratin to French fries to mashed are always a hit.

So, why not take on a project that kids are bound to adore? That is growing potatoes. Home-grown potatoes are really tasty and quite easy to grow. It's perfect for kids aged 6-12 in particular. You just need to use certified seed potatoes and avoid planting them in the same place two years in a row. Potatoes are prone to soil borne diseases, so by using certified seed potatoes you reduce the risk of pests and ensure they are disease free to start with.

I grow some each year. One year, we got the whole neighborhood involved in planting them. When it was time to pull them out (about 120 days later) we had a whopper of a crop. Every family that had pitched in to plant them got a bagful of the beauties.

Potatoes were discovered in Peru by the Inca Indians in 200 B.C. In 1537, the Spanish conquistadors discovered them in Peru and brought them back to Europe. The first potatoes arrived in North America in 1621. It's a perfect project to tie into 4th grade study of the history of California as they were planted in missions across California by the missionaries.

Digging them up is the best part.

How to Grow
Potatoes grow best in full sun, and prefer well drained soil. They like a slightly acid soil (ph of 5.8-6.5) so make sure you add some peat moss or some coffee grounds to the soil in addition to plenty of compost or manure. When you plant potatoes, soil should be evenly moist, but not soggy. Extremely heavy, wet soil can cause potatoes to rot. Winter is a great time to plant potatoes in San Diego. Since plants begin to grow when weather is over 45 degrees, we can grow potatoes both in fall and in winter. They also tolerate a light frost. A great time to plant them in Southern California is just after a light rain. They also do well in large oak barrels or even black plastic containers. Gardeners Direct offers potato grow bags which can be reused. However, you must clean the bag when you are done to get ready for the next season.

Get the kids to put potatoes on a kitchen window sill about a week before you plant them. They will begin to sprout and kids will enjoy watching the daily changes. You can cut then cut the certified seed potatoes into smaller chunks that are 1 1/2-2 inch cubes and make sure they each have one-two eyes on them and plant them about. You can grow potatoes in mounds with 6-8 chunks spread within a 2 foot by 2 foot mound or you can grow in rows about 15" apart. Once the potatoes are about 8 inches tall, have the kids mound the soils up around the stems. Then, a few weeks later, do another mounding about half-way up the stems. You will need to water 1 to 2 times a week or less if it rains.

Ensure that the potatoes themselves are covered with soil. Potatoes that are exposed to sunlight can turn green and may become toxic. Also, children should not eat the green potato leaves as they are toxic, so be sure you are doing this project with kids that understand what should and shouldn't go into their mouths.

Dig up the potatoes 2 weeks after the plants finish flowering. You can also have the kids just dig down an pull out a few potatoes without tearing out the whole plant and the potatoes will continue to grow.

A few great places for to buy certified seed potatoes are Wood Prairie, Burpee Seed Co., and Territorial Seed Co.