Questions from Customers: Are your seed potatoes in?

When to plant potatoes on Cape Cod

Our seed potatoes have arrived, but right now the ground is still too cold to put them in the ground. In mid-April on Cape Cod you can plant peas, lettuce, cole crops such as kale and broccoli, and parsley. Starting around the first or second week in May it’s usually fine to put the potatoes in the ground. Unfortunately the early warm-ups we sometimes have in the springtime lead us to think it’s OK to plant anything and everything.

We know that when there is a day in April when the temperatures go into the 60’s or 70’s everyone wants to get planting. After the past winter this desire to get things in the ground is even stronger! Satisfy those cravings to plant by sticking in some pansies, cool-weather veggies or shrubs. Any perennials that we have outdoors at the garden center can also be safely planted. It’s just a bit too early for summer annuals, however.

Potatoes are easy to grow on Cape Cod. Once you buy your seed potatoes, place them in a place where it’s between 60 and 68 degrees for a few days to stimulate sprouting. Once you see them start to sprout you cut them into pieces that have at least one sprout per piece. After cutting, let the potatoes sit for two or three days before you plant them. This lets the cut area harden and heal over a bit so that the seed potato won’t rot when it goes into the ground. Plant these about six inches under the soil and after the plants come up mulch around the plants so that any developing potatoes that rise to the surface are covered by hay or other mulching material.

For detailed information about growing potatoes in Massachusetts, and solving various problems, see this UMASS Extension page.