echniques of Potato Farming, Planting Methods, Harvesting
Today, we discuss the topic of potato farming techniques, tips, and ideas. This article also covers the plant care of potato and harvesting tips.
The Soil type is Suitable for Potato Plantation:
potato farming
potato farming.
Potatoes will grow in just about any well-drained soil, but they dislike soggy soil. Because they do all their growing underground, they can expand more easily in loose, loamy soil than in heavy, compacted, clay soil that keeps plant roots from getting the air and water they need.
Best Planting or Sowing Time of Potato:
planting seed
planting seed.
To secure high yields, it is essential to plant the potatoes at an optimum time. The best time of planting is when the maximum and minimum temperatures are from 30°C to 32°C and 18°C to 20°C, respectively; The planting period for different potato growing regions is given.
Plant seed potatoes (pieces of the whole potato or a small whole potato, with at least 2 eyes per piece) 0-2 weeks after last spring frost.
If you are cutting up potato pieces for planting, do so 1-2 days ahead of time. This will give them the chance to form a protective layer, both for moisture retention and rot resistance.
You may start planting earlier, as soon as soil can be worked, but be aware that some crops will be ruined by a frost.
Spread and mix in rotted manure or organic compost in the bottom of the trench before planting.
Plant seed potatoes one foot apart in a 4-inch deep trench, eye side up.
Potatoes are best grown in rows. To begin with, dig a trench that is 6-8 inches deep. Plant each piece of potato (cut side down, with the eyes pointing up) every 12-15 inches, with the rows spaced 3 feet apart. If your space is limited or if you would like to grow only baby potatoes, you can decrease the spacing between plants. To begin with only fill the trench in with 4 inches of soil. Let the plants start to grow and then continue to fill in the trench and even mound the soil around the plants as they continue to grow. Prior to planting, always make sure to cultivate the soil one last time. This will remove any weeds and will loosen the soil and allow the plants to become established more quickly.
Potatoes for Planting.
Potatoes for Planting.
Read: How To Grow Vegetables In Balcony.
Planting and harvesting time for different regions of India:
Planting Time.
Planting Time.
Irrigation Requirement for Potato Crop:
Keep your potato vines well watered throughout the summer, especially during the period when the plants are flowering and immediately following the flowering stage. During this flowering period, the plants are creating their tubers and steady water supply is crucial to good crop outcome.
Potato Plantation with Mulch.
Potato Plantation with Mulch.
Potatoes need consistent moisture, so water regularly when tubers start to form Potatoes do well with 1-2 inches of water or rain per week. When the foliage turns yellow and begins to die back, discontinue watering. This will help start curing the potatoes for harvest time. Drip irrigation helps Indian farmers increase potato yield.
Potato Field Crop.
Potato Field Crop.
Crop Rotation in Potato Crop Production:
Crop Rotation is very important in potato farming, so practice yearly crop rotation.
Common Pests and care in Potato Plantation:
Aphids 2) Flea Beetles 3) Leaf Hoppers 4) Early/Late Blight 5)Potato Scab: Most likely caused by soil with high pH. Remember Potatoes like acidic soil (do not plant in soil with a pH higher than 5.2). Dust seed potatoes with sulfur before planting.
Manure application for Potato Plants:
Potato Field.
Potato Field.
Potatoes like a slightly acid soil, pH of around 5.0 but will grow in a range from 5.0 to 6.5. Common potato scab (brown corky tissue on the surface of tubers) can be a problem if the soil pH levels are on the alkaline or “sweet” side.
If you have access to animal manures, aged or composted manures are the best. Nutrient quality and quantities can vary a lot, with the age and storage method being two of the most important. No matter what the quality of the manure, there is still enormous value as far as providing the soil microbes with a material they need to build fertility.
Manures are best added to the soil in the fall before planting to allow the soil microbes time to do their magic, breaking it down into usable nutrients. Spread the manure over the garden before folding it into the top 6-8 inches (15-20 cm ) of soil with a plow, rotary tiller-hoe or shovel.
Harvesting Potatoes:
Harvesting Potatoes
Harvesting Potatoes.
Baby potatoes typically can be harvested 2-3 weeks after the plants have finished flowering. Gently dig around the plants to remove potatoes for fresh eating, being careful not to be too intrusive. Try to remove the biggest new potatoes and leave the smaller ones in place so they can continue to grow.
The potato must be harvested at the right stage of maturity wheom adding different vegetables to using a vegetable stock or spicing with unique spices. See the points mentioned below.
Vegetables
Various types of vegetables can be added in a pulao, either alone or in a combination of two to three or more, depending on what you and your family like and prefer. Usually, a vegetable pulav is made with veggies like green peas, cauliflower, french beans, carrots, and potatoes.
Apart from these vegetables, you can also add broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, capsicum (bell peppers), cabbage, beetroot (beets), and tomatoes. The flavors and taste of pulao will vary with the type of vegetables added to it.
Masala and Spice Pastes
There are many pulao varieties made in the Indian cuisine with a mix of various masala or spice pastes and ingredients including:
Curd (yogurt)
Coconut milk: for example Coconut milk pulao or Brinji rice
Green Masala Paste: Green pulao includes a green masala paste made from coriander leaves (cilantro), mint leaves, green chilies (chili pepper), ginger and garlic. Some fresh coconut can also be added. Green pulao is similar to chutney pulao.
Red Masala Paste: Used in making red pulao and similar to green masala paste, however tomatoes are used as one of the major flavor and taste contributors.
Pulao-biryani masala: A ground spice blend used instead of whole spices.
Vegetable Stock: Some pulav recipes are cooked in vegetable stock instead of water. Pulao made in a vegetable stock has a different taste and color.
Spices and Herbs: You can always alter the amount of spices and herbs as per your taste. If you like spicy veg pulao then you can add more green chilies (chili pepper) and include some spice powders like garam masala powder or red chili powder. You can also reduce the whole spices in the recipe (except cumin) if you want a less aromatic and milder veg pulao.
Making Restaurant Style Pulao
A vegetable pulao can be made more delicious and similar to a restaurant-style dish by incorporating the following methods:
Add some crisp golden fried onions (birista) as a garnish on the vegetable pulao. Fried caramelized onions not only taste good but also give a nice crunch in the soft textured pulao.
Add some fried dry fruits & nuts like cashews, almonds and raisins.
You can even add some saffron strands while cooking pulao. This will impart the lovely saffron aroma and flavor in the pulao. Even rose water or kewra water can be added.
Methods of cooking pulao
Pulao can be cooked in five ways:
In a pan or pot (as shown in this recipe post)
In a Pressure Cooker
Using an Instant Pot
In an electric cooker
In a microwave oven
You can use any of the above methods for cooking pulao, but just remember to add the correct amount of water. For example, in an electric cooker, you will need to add more water and in a pressure cooker you will need to add less water.
More Tasty Pulao Recipes
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If you made this recipe, please be sure to rate it in the recipe card below. If you’d like more delicious Indian vegetarian recipes delivered straight to your inbox, Sign Up for my email newsletter. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest or Twitter for more vegetarian inspiration.
pulao recipe
Pulao Recipe | Veg Pulao
4.92 from 79 votes
Dassana AmitBy Dassana Amit
Trying to get more vegetables in your diet? Try this vegetarian one pot meal of pulao. Use the vegetables that you like most, like peas, potatoes, and green beans. Make this simple veg pulao that packs a punch of flavor!
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Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Cuisine
Indian
Course:
Main Course
Diet:
Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Difficulty Level:
Easy
Servings
4
Units
US Customary
Metric
Ingredients
For Soaking Rice
▢1.5 cups basmati rice – 300 grams, rinsed & soaked for 30 minutes
▢water – as required for soaking
Vegetables
▢½ to ¾ cup chopped cauliflower florets
▢½ to ¾ cup chopped potatoes
▢¼ cup chopped carrots
▢⅓ cup green peas – fresh or frozen
▢¼ cup chopped green peas (french beans)
▢¼ cup chopped green bell pepper (capsicum) – optional
▢¼ cup sliced baby corn – optional
Other Ingredients
▢3 tablespoons ghee or oil
▢1 cup thinly sliced onions or 1 large onion, sliced
▢½ cup chopped tomatoes or 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
▢1 to 1.5 inches ginger – crushed to a paste in a mortar-pestle
▢4 to 5 small to medium garlic cloves
▢1 to 2 green chillies (chili pepper)
▢3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
▢2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves – optional
▢¼ teaspoon lemon juice – optional
▢2.5 to 3 cups water or veg stock * check notes below for details. I added 3 cups of water
▢salt as required
Whole Spices
▢1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (shah jeera)
▢5 to 6 whole black pepper – optional
▢1 tej patta (indian bay leaf)
▢4 cloves
▢3 to 4 green cardamoms
▢1 black cardamom – optional
▢1 small piece of mace – optional
▢1 small star anise – optional
▢1 inch cinnamon
▢1 small piece of stone flower (dagad phool or patthar ke phool) – optional
For Garnish
▢1 to 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves
Instructions
Preparation
Rinse rice till the water runs clear of starch and become transparent while rinsing.
Soak the rice in enough water for 30 minutes. Drain all the water and keep the soaked rice aside.
Rinse, peel and chop the vegetables.
Crush chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies to a paste in a mortar-pestle or grind them in a small mixer or grinder with a bit of water.
Frying Spices And Onions
In a deep thick bottomed pot or pan, heat ghee or oil and fry all the whole spices mentioned above, till the oil becomes fragrant and the spices splutter.
Add the onions and saute them till golden. Saute the onions on a low to medium-low flame and stir often for uniform browning.
Add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste and saute for some seconds till their raw aroma goes away.
Add the tomatoes and saute for 2 to 3 minutes on a low to medium-low flame.
Add all the chopped veggies and saute again for 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium-low flame.
Add rice and saute gently for 1 to 2 minutes on a low or medium-low flame, so that the rice gets well coated with the oil.
Add water and lemon juice. Mix and stir.
Season with salt and stir again.
Cooking Veg Pulao
Cover tightly and let the rice cook on a low flame, till the water is absorbed and the rice is well cooked.
Check in between a few times to check if the water is enough. Depending on the quality of rice, you may need to add less or more water. With a fork too, you can gently stir the rice without breaking the rice grains.
Once the rice grains are cooked, fluff and let the rice stand for 5 minutes.
Serve pulao hot with some side salad, sliced onion & lemon wedges or raita. You can also garnish it with chopped coriander or mint leaves or fried cashews or fried onions.
Video
Watch Veg Pulao Video
Pulao Recipe | Vegetable Pulao
Play Video
Notes
Tips & Suggestions
Type and quality of rice: Pulao is always made with Basmati rice. The basmati rice should be fragrant and long-grained to get good results. Aged basmati rice will give you the best results. Even parboiled basmati rice (sella basmati) can be used. You can also use other types of long-grained rice and short-grained rice. These Indian rice varieties can be easily purchased from Amazon.
For separate rice grains: Follow these steps to ensure you have separate rice grains in your pulao:
Soak the rice: It is always better to soak your rice for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Soaking rice grains gives them a better texture when they are cooked. If you do not have time to soak them, then just rinse the rice before adding it. Note that if you only rinse the rice, you will need to add some more water as presoaked rice grains require less water for cooking as compared to rice grains which are not soaked.
Add just enough water: Be sure that you do not add too much water, especially if you have presoaked your rice as recommended above.
Sauté the rice: After adding the rice grains to your pan, sauté them for 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium flame, so that they are coated with fat (oil or ghee). The rice grains have to be separate & and yet well cooked in a pulao or biryani. Adding lemon juice also helps make the rice grains fluffier.
Rice to water ratio: For most rice varieties, the rice to water ratio is generally 1:2. However, this ratio can vary depending on the particular type of rice used or the cooking method used:
Example 1– organic basmati rice requires more water while cooking and parboiled basmati rice will need more water as compared to regular basmati rice. For this reason, I recommend when cooking pulao, to use rice which you have cooked before. This way you will already know how much water to add.
Example 2– when cooking pulao in a pressure cooker, generally less water is added. The steam generated in the cooker helps in cooking the rice grains. However, the amount of water to be added will depend upon the size of the cooker. For example, in larger cookers, more water has to be added.
Vegetables: You can add your favorite vegetables. Note that the vegetables add a lot of flavor to the rice. You can even add mushrooms to a give a meaty texture and umami flavor to the pulao. Button Mushrooms, morel mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms can be added.
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