How to Grow Potatoes in Greenhouse: A Step-by-Step Guide for Seed to Harvest

Growing vegetables in a greenhouse can be rewarding, and wide varieties can be successfully grown. Many people depend on potatoes for meals, so growing your own can be very useful. Growing your produce can be very satisfying and a lot of fun, even for beginners. Greenhouses are ideal for growing potatoes since they keep potatoes from being damaged by adverse weather conditions or frost.

How to Grow Potatoes in Greenhouse

Soil requirements for Growing Potatoes in Greenhouse

Loose, deep, loamy soil that is slightly acidic, well-drained, fertile, and receives full sun is best for growing potatoes. However, they are very adaptable, easy to grow, and will produce a harvest even in poor soil. You usually need to add water or fertilizer if your potatoes aren’t producing as expected.

It is best to avoid cool, wet soils and heavy nitrogen applications, as too much nitrogen will result in a lot of leaf growth and insufficient tuber growth. If you plan to plant potatoes, bone meal, well-rotted manures, and sulfur are great additions. However, you should always test your soil first. pH levels between 5.2 and 6.4 are considered ideal for soil.

Temperature and Humidity Requirements for Growing Potatoes in Greenhouse

People consume potatoes in large quantities throughout the year as a cool-weather crop. Temperatures between 7 and 10°C are ideal for planting potatoes. Temperatures between 16 and 21°C are ideal for growing potatoes after planting. Obviously, if the temperature is too high or too low, tubers will not form, or the plant’s growth will be stunted.

Despite being a cool-weather crop, potatoes are not hardy above ground. Tuber yields were higher when plants were grown under 85% RH. There was a greater leaf area under 50% RH, and the leaves were larger and darker green than under 85% RH.

Greenhouse Recommended Potato Varieties

Tan-skinned and red-skinned potatoes with white flesh are the most common varieties grown in greenhouses. More than 100 potato varieties exist. Following are a few varieties, which can be broadly categorized into three classes:

Early Varieties

Irish Cobbler: It has tan skin and an irregular shape.
Mountain Rose: There are some viruses it is resistant to, and its skin is red and its flesh is pink.
Norland: The skin is red and resistant to potato scabs.

Mid-Season Varieties

Chieftan: The skin is red, it is resistant to potato scabs, and it stores well.
Red Pontiac: In addition to having deep eyes, it has red skin.
Viking: The red skin of this variety makes it extremely productive.

Late Varieties

Elba: The tubers of this potato variety have large round shapes and tan skin, and the skin is resistant to potato blight and scabs.
Katahdin: It has tan skin and is resistant to some viruses.
Kennebec: The skin of this late potato variety is tan and resistant to some viruses and late blight.

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Planting Potatoes in Greenhouse Trenches:

Dig a trench inside your greenhouse about 8 inches deep and 6 inches wide with a round-pointed shovel. At the bottom, the width narrows to about 3 inches.
We have to give a trench a row shape after digging it. Because potatoes grow best in rows, a 2-3 feet spacing should be maintained between rows.
Top-dress the soil in your greenhouse with organic compost (which will help retain moisture) or well-rotted manure.
·After adding manure, we need to place a potato seed piece with its cut side down inside the trench. Place potato seed pieces 12 to 14 inches apart and cover them with soil 3 to 4 inches deep.
Cut large potatoes into pieces weighing about 50 grams, about the size of a golf ball, using a clean, sharp paring knife. Before planting, ensure each piece should have at least two eyes or buds.
Before planting potatoes inside a greenhouse, you should cut up potato pieces one to two days before planting. This way, moisture will be retained, and rot will be prevented. Before sowing potatoes in a greenhouse, cut them up 1 to 2 days beforehand to allow them to form a protective layer.
It takes 12 to 16 days for potato sprouts to emerge after planting. Use a hoe to fill the trench with 3 to 4 inches of soil when these sprouts appear, exposing a few inches of sprouts. Repeat this process for several weeks, leaving the soil mounded 4 to 5 inches above ground level. It is called hilling.
After the potato plants emerge, add organic mulch between the rows to retain moisture and prevent weeds.

Watering Requirements for Growing Potatoes in Greenhouse

During the early stages of plant development, the water needs of potato plants are generally lower but increase gradually as the plants mature and grow tubers. A farmer who farms on sandy soils should irrigate more often than one on heavy soils. Moisture must always be maintained in the soil.

To maximize yields, the soil’s total water availability should not be reduced by more than 30 to 50%. In contrast, over-irrigation causes erosion, disease susceptibility, water loss, additional energy costs for pumping, nitrogen leaching, and decreased crop yields. Water-stressed plants, on the other hand, are more susceptible to disease.

Fertilizer Requirements for Growing Potatoes in a Greenhouse

For potato plants to produce an acceptable yield, they require large quantities of nutrients. Over the course of 3-4 months of plant development, farmers apply between 0 and 5 fertilizers. Nitrogen (N-P-K 34-0-0) is more important to potato plants during the first two months (when the foliar part of the plant develops rapidly).

The plants need more potassium for well-shaped potatoes between the second and third months (12-12-17 or 14-7-21). Foliar fertilizer is often applied during the second or third month of potato cultivation, especially when micronutrient deficiencies have been detected.

How to Harvest Potatoes inside Greenhouse

Start digging potatoes without puncturing them. It is important not to cut or bruise the potato skin. During storage, the potatoes would rot if they were cut while digging.
The greenhouse soil should not be compact so potatoes can be dug easily. Ensure that potatoes are air-dry before placing them in bags and that the soil is not wet.
You should avoid letting potatoes turn green after you have dug them up from your greenhouse by placing them in the sun for extended periods.
Because green potatoes contain solanine, they taste bitter and can cause diarrhea and vomiting if eaten. If significant greening exists, they should be thrown out, and if they have small spots, they should be cut off.

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Conclusion

Potatoes are cool weather crops, meaning they like to do most of their growth outside of the high heat of summer. Potatoes are most commonly planted in the early spring, a few weeks before the frosts have passed. When you are growing potatoes in your greenhouse is the expected harvesting time. You should expect that a particular variety of potatoes will reach maturity. So, you can choose a combination of varieties for your greenhouse with early and late expected harvest dates. So, you can have a long season of greenhouse potatoes.

How to Grow Potatoes in Greenhouse: A Step-by-Step Guide for Seed to Harvest