How to Plant Garden Potatoes with Newspaper Mulch

Grandpa always said to plant potatoes on Good Friday for the earliest harvest. After a long winter, I am ready to get out in the garden and I love the flavor of fresh taters but I am not looking forward to the back breaking task of planting potatoes. A good labor saving solution is to use a thick layer of newspaper and mulch over the potato plants. Newspaper keeps the sun off, the weeds down, is water permeable and environmentally friendly. Planting potatoes in rows covered with newspaper mulch is an easy solution to fresh, flavorful, garden taters with far less work.

I love my garden taters but hate digging. Grandpa always planted them in hills in a multi- step process, allowing the plant to come up and then mounding more dirt on top so the sun didn't turn the skins green and bitter. By laying a thick layer of newspaper and grass clippings over the plantings, you don't have to plant near as deep to protect the tubers from the sun. Last year it was too wet to plant on Good Friday but I think Grandpa would have approved of my harvest.

Here is how I plant my easy garden potatoes in rows:

• Potatoes can go into the Midwest garden very early. They will begin growing as soon as the soil reaches forty-five degrees. They may be planted as soon as the soil is workable in the spring through mid-June for a later harvest. Prepare the soil by loosening to four to six inches by tilling or turning with a spade.

• Use a clean sharp knife to cut sections of seed potatoes. Sections should have two to four eyes each. Seed potatoes work better than potatoes that have sprouted in your cupboard as they are more disease resistant; and usually produce bigger tubers and better harvests. Allow the cut potato pieces to dry over night and scab over. This reduces the likelihood of the potato piece rotting in the dirt. Plant in rows, four to six inches deep, in loose, rich soil. Water well.

• After plants come up lay down a thick layer, four or more sheets, of newspaper and add another scoop of dirt over the plant rows allowing the dirt to anchor the edges of the paper down. Water well. Soak the paper so it doesn't blow away and settle the soil. Add several inches of grass clippings to the top of paper. The newspaper and clippings conserve water and discourage weeds thus saving labor all summer.

• After harvest, simply till the paper and clippings into the soil. This will enrich the soil for next season.

The biggest problem I have had growing potatoes this way is the potatoes are too easy to snitch off the edges. You just pull the paper back and brush around in the dirt to find the new potatoes. I usually eat most of my harvest before digging time! Fresh garden potatoes are easy when you plant with newspaper mulch.