How to Grow Potatoes

Potatoes are important to the self-sufficient gardener and the gourmet gardener. Easy to grow, highly nutritious and are a great way to stretch a meal. Kids of all ages love to grow potatoes.

Difficulty
Easy

Season & Zone
Season: Warm season
Exposure: Full-sun
Zone: 4 and up

Timing

Potatoes are tolerant of cool soils and moderate frosts. Minimum soil temperature at planting time should be 6°C (43°F). Plants will emerge about 2-3 weeks after planting.

Starting

Set tubers approximately 7-10cm (3-4″) deep, and 30cm (12″) apart in prepared trenches spaced 60cm (24″) apart.

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Growing

Ideal pH: 5.5-6.5. Well-drained, loamy soil rich in organic matter is preferred, but these plants are not overly fussy. In fact, if you have really compacted soil, plant potatoes! They will help break it up.

When the above-ground portion of the plant is 30cm (12″) tall, “hill up” soil 15cm (6″) around the plants. It’s okay to cover green leaves. Straw or grass mulch also works well. This process can be repeated up two or three times. Potatoes are the perfect container gardening plant! Fill your bucket 6″ with soil, plant, and then hill up as it grows.

Unless your soil becomes quite dry, try not to water between planting and when the sprouts emerge. This will help prevent disease.

Harvest

“New” potatoes can be harvested about 7-8 weeks after planting. Potatoes grown for late summer and fall “fresh” use can be dug when tubers are full size or when foliage begins to die.

For potatoes grown for storage and winter use, harvest should take place after vines have died back, alternatively, the plants may have to be cut or mown.

After killing and removing the plants, tubers should stay in the ground for another 2 weeks to allow firming of their skins for storage. Optimum storage conditions are a dark location 4-7º C (40-45ºF) and 90% relative humidity. Paper sacks stored in a garage will suffice. Check them often though to remove any that are starting to go soft.

Companion Planting

Bush beans, Brassicas, carrots, celery, corn, garlic, marigolds, onions, and peas all do well planted near potatoes. Avoid planting potatoes near asparagus, cucumber, kohlrabi, melons, parsnips, rutabaga, squash, sunflower, and turnips.

Create Your Own Seed Potato

It’s quite easy to grow your own seed potato if you don’t have any leftover from last year’s season. Simply buy a bag of organic* potatoes, leave them in a warmer/humid space and they will start to sprout. This will take about 2 weeks. Once they’ve sprouted, you can cut them into quarters and plant them, 1 per square foot.

*conventional potatoes are treated so they will not sprout. Another great reason to eat organic!