What Are The Best Conditions For Growing Potatoes?

Potatoes will thrive in regions where the days are longer but not too hot, where there is plenty of moisture and moisture-retaining soil. If your climate and country approximate this description and you have a small plot of ground, why not set out your own potato patch? Forget all about the machinery that is employed in large operations. Just loosen the soil, make a furrow, drop in your "seed" and cover it with earth. If you have never planted "spuds" before, your seed is the potato itself, cut in pieces, each piece having at least one 'eye' or bud part.
For soil enrichment you can use stable manure, compost, seaweed or some recommended commercial fertilizer. In Newfoundland, good results have been had with kelp and a small fish called 'capelin.' The latter swarm on the beaches about the time when the potato plants begin to show above the ground. They are scattered over the potato patch and covered with a light layer of soil.