by Jeannine Anderson

Created on: May 10, 2011   Last Updated: May 11, 2011

All potatoes are packed with vitamins, minerals and proteins and finger (or fingerling) potatoes are no exception.  This staple food crop has been sustaining life for thousands of years.  Potatoes will grow in a wide range of soil types and pH levels, making them one of the easiest food crops for the home gardener.

Finger potatoes require very little from the soil in which they are grown, preferring loose, loamy soils that drain well.  When planting finger potatoes the gardener doesn’t need to add heavy amendments to the soil as potatoes do best in poorer soil than in rich soil.  Where soils are heavy and full of clay potatoes will still grow, but their size and shape will be significantly affected by the soil.  The advantage to heavier soils is that you can “dry farm” your potatoes, meaning you will not need to water much, if at all, because the rain will provide enough through most of the growing season with the soil holding on to it for the plants to take up as they need.

Fingerling potatoes grow out and up, from the original piece or whole potato that was planted, poking out of the ground like fingers if they aren’t properly covered.  The gardener must hill several times throughout the growing season to ensure the potatoes stay under ground until harvest time.  Potatoes exposed to sunlight turn green, making them bitter tasting and increasing the level of toxins that naturally occur in their flesh.  Those toxins are eliminated during cooking, but green potatoes still don’t taste very good compared to properly grown potatoes.

Prepare a shallow trench, about 3 - 4 inches deep, in the garden where the fingerling potatoes will be planted.  Potatoes require little fuss, but it is a good idea to remove any large stones, sticks or chunks of wood from the area where they will be planted as these things can cause deformities in your potatoes.

Place your seed potatoes, or potato segments, into the trench spaced about 8 -10 inches apart.  Lightly cover them with enough soil to completely cover the seed, usually about 1 – 1 ½ inches to start. As time goes on and your potato plants begin to grow, you’ll hill them up with several more inches of soil at a time to provide covered growing space for the tubers below.

Finger potatoes can be harvested, as with any potato, after the plants have bloomed.  Potatoes store well in a cool, dark location for months, so be sure to plant enough to eat in late summer and store for warm, comforting meals during the winter.  Dig your potatoes and allow them to dry off a bit so any loose soil can be dusted off before you put them away in a box or bag.

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