Categorised by their properties:

• Waxy e.g. Sieglinde, Annabelle, Linda
• Predominantly waxy e.g. Quarta
• Floury e.g. Adretta, Bintje

Categorised by order of harvesting:

• Early potatoes - to be eaten immediately e.g. Sieglinde, Annabelle
• Second early potatoes e.g. Quarta, Belana
• Late potatoes - which keep well e.g. Linda, Bamberger Hörnchen (can be harvested until late autumn)

Potatoes suppress all types of weed.

Deep, well drained garden soil which is rich in humus and not too heavy.

Potatoes are propagated via their tubers or by sowing seeds (vegetative).
Vegetative propagation is used in sub tropical regions. For this, potato seeds are used from which potato plants quickly grow due to the favourable climate.

Broad beans, Bush beans, Horseradish, Kale, Spinach

Aubergines, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Muskmelons, Peas, Salad, sweet pepper, Tomatoes, Watermelons

Plants that are well suited for next year cultivation:

Broad beans, Brussels sprouts, Bush beans, Cauliflower, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lovage, Runner beans, Sweet corn

The following plants should not be planted in the following years:

How many years:	Not to plant:
5 year(s)	Aubergines, sweet pepper, Tomatoes, White cabbage
4 year(s)	Potatoes
2 year(s)	Radish
1 year(s)	Cucumbers, Strawberries

Any potato tubers which are not harvested will overwinter in the soil and, if they are not eaten by mice and do not rot, they will sprout again.

Cultivation and care:

• Preparation/chitting: About 4 to 8 weeks before planting put the seed potatoes in shallow boxes, exposed to light. The ambient temperature should be between +10 and 15°C.
  Chitting can shorten the time for potatoes to ripen by up to 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the variety.
• Dig in furrows 8 to 10 cm deep spaced by about 30 to 35 cm and place the sprouting potatoes in the furrows with the eyes (sprouts) upwards.
• Cover the potatoes with about 5 cm of composted soil, close the furrows and then water.
• As soon as the plants have grown to a height of about 15 cm, build up an earth dam or heap up loose soil around the plants.
• During dry weather, water regularly especially during the flowering period.

The benefits of chitting potatoes:
Chitting potatoes in a light place, helps the entire development of the plant. Chitted seed potatoes will almost always completely sprout, produce a higher yield, produce tubers more quickly (up to 14 days) and are less disease-prone.

Early potatoes are planted in early spring (in central Europe from March to April).
Late potatoes for the main harvest are planted in late spring (in central Europe from the end of April to early May).
Tips:

To ensure that there is sufficient nitrogen, put two broad beans with each potato in the soil.

Never grow potatoes under fruit trees.

You can grow potatoes on your balcony or terrace and here's how to do it.
Potatoes will also ripen in a pot with a drain hole or in potato containers with side flaps for easier harvesting.
This is how to do it:
- Chitt the seed potatoes
- Add the following to the container

1. A 10 cm layer gravel or sand
2. A 15 cm layer of soil mixed with some sand
3. Add 3 to 4 seed potatoes depending on the size of the container and water regularly
4. Add enough soil so that just the tips of the sprouting leaves can be seen as soon as the sprouts have reached a length of 10 cm.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the container is filled with soil up to its top edge.

Before frost, cover the container with a plastic fleece so that the foliage does not freeze.

Pests: Aphids, wireworms, potato beetles, golden eelworms, cutworms, voles
Preventative measures:

• Chitting
• Kill potato tops in good time
• Cultivate according to the principles of good companions and crop rotation
• Do not grow on acidic, moist ground.
• Plant horseradish at all four corners and / or rows of marigolds between the potatoes.

Controlling voles is very difficult.
Their natural enemies are cats and martens.
Helpful link:
Controlling voles

Diseases: Viruses, fungal and bacterial diseases.
Preventative measures:

• Use healthy recognised plants and varieties bred for resistance
• Cultivate varieties which are less susceptible to viruses.

Potatoes are harvested when the green foliage has wilted, from the end of early summer to late autumn depending on the variety and when they are planted.
The potato varieties which mature early have a growing season of 90 to 110 days.
Second early potatoes have a growing season of 120 to 140 days.
Main crop varieties mature in 140 to 160 days.

• Only store late potatoes.
• Store potatoes in a cool, dark, airy place separately from fruit.
The ideal temperature to store potatoes is from 2 to 7°C.

Tip:
Use baskets or wooden boxes for storage.
Plastic bags are very bad as the potatoes sweat in them.

Depending on the variety, potatoes can be used in a variety of ways.

• Waxy potatoes are good for in potato gratins or for plain boiled potatoes.
• Predominantly waxy potatoes are used for potatoes boiled with or without their skins, fried potatoes, baked potatoes and as a side vegetable for dishes with plenty of sauce.
• Floury potatoes are used for stews, dumplings, mashed potato, croquettes, chips and potato pancakes.

Tips:

• Throw away potatoes with long sprouts.
• Only wash and peel potatoes shortly before cooking them.
• Always remove sprouts and green parts of potatoes (which contain solanine) before cooking them.
• Pour away the water used to cook the potatoes as they release part of the solanine into the water when cooking (a mildly poisonous chemical compound).

One person consumes an average of 65.2 kg a year.
Der Kartoffeln Verbrauch lag laut der Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE) für das Jahr 2014 um 65,2 kg pro Kopf/Jahr. Der Ertrag ist von vielen Faktoren abhängig, im Schnitt kann man je nach Sorte mit der 10- bis 15-fachen Menge des Pflanzgutes rechnen.