Boy, i have a lot to learn!
When TSHTF, we’ll be moving to a cabin in the mountains - our of the city! ;)
Problem is - there will be snow on the ground until May and I’ll get (according to some googling) about 40 days to grow things. Will potatoes mature in that time?
My habit always was to take a seed potato and cut it into as many sections as it had eyes, then plant the chunks.
This usually meant each potato would get cut into four or five pieces.
Last year, I said to heck with that, and just cut them in half. To my surprise, they did much better than in the past, and I figured it out.
The plant itself “lives” off of the energy stored in the potato. So before it gets good stems and roots and leaves going, it needs that chunk of potato.
So the ones that I just cut in half got going, grew faster, and got bigger, and produced more potatoes themselves because it had a good energy store to get it going strong and vigorous.
So turn the dirt over good 16-24 inches deep, plant them with a bit of compost or manure if you have it, water them very heavy right after you put them in, and let them grow.
Forty days is kind of short but don’t deceive yourself, I’ve had potato plants sprout (and start to make potatoes) during warm spells in November!
I am planted my taters in trash bags this year one month earlier than normal... you might try it with a short season and see if it works for ya. My taters are up now.
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gr_fruits_vegetables/article/0,2029,DIY_13846_4463475,00.html
That’s where I got the information. One of the older ladies around here laughed at me but they’ve started!!!