How do you grow potatoes, and what is the best base fertilizer to use?

I. How to grow potatoes

1. Preparing the potatoes: Prepare a sprouted potato; one that has not sprouted will also do. Use a clean knife to cut the potato into chunks the size of a ping-pong ball, making sure each chunk has at least one eye. Coat the cut surfaces of the potato chunks with plant ash and leave them in a cool, ventilated place to dry for a day.

2. Growing potatoes in pots: To grow potatoes in a pot, prepare a large flower pot and fill it with soil to 2/3 of the pot's height. Place the prepared potato chunks flat on the soil surface with the eyes facing up, then cover them with 5-8cm of fine soil. Press the soil down gently with your hands and water thoroughly once; afterwards, water thoroughly again whenever the soil surface turns pale and dries out.

3. Growing potatoes in the ground: To grow potatoes in the ground, prepare the soil and form ridges in advance. Plant the prepared potato chunks in the soil and water thoroughly once; after that, no further care is needed. The planted potatoes will sprout new shoots within half a month, and after three months the stems and leaves above ground will wither. Choose a sunny day and dig up the potatoes that have formed to harvest them.

II. What is the best base fertilizer for growing potatoes

The best fertilizer for growing potatoes is farmyard manure, that is, animal manure, including pig manure, chicken manure, human waste and so on. Note that whether potatoes are grown in the ground or in pots, when applying base fertilizer to the soil, you must make sure the fertilizer is fully decomposed.

Farmyard manure is generally fermented by composting, that is, piling the farmyard manure on the ground and covering the pile with a layer of soil to prevent insects from laying eggs. The higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation; generally, after 3-6 months of composting it will be decomposed.