How To Plant Potatoes: Everything You Need To Know To Grow Tasty Taters

Potatoes are an incredibly versatile root crop that can be grown from USDA zones 3-10. There are 5,000 different cultivars of potato plants to choose from in an array of colors and sizes. With so many options, growing potatoes is a common crop option for many home gardeners. If you’re interested in planting potatoes in your garden, the following complete care and growing guide has you covered. Keep reading to learn how to grow potatoes.

Potato Plant Care

Potatoes are a cool weather crop. One of the most important staple crops of the world, potatoes rely on specific light, water, temperature, soil, and fertility along with attention to pests and diseases to render a healthy crop.

Light

Potatoes are sun lovers and should be grown in full sun. That said, in hotter climates, the hot afternoon sun can cause leaf scald while in areas with poor sun exposure, the plants will likely be lanky and spindly.

Water

Potatoes thrive in consistently moist soil but there can be too much of a good thing. Overly wet soil can lead to rot, so there is a fine line between how much or little irrigation a potato plant needs. In general, depending upon the weather, potato plants need a supplemental inch of water per week.

Temperature & Humidity

Potatoes are a cool season crop and thrive in temperatures between 65-80 F (18-27 C) during the day and around 55-65 F (13-18 C) at night. Although they can handle short spurts of overly humid weather, it is not a necessity for this tuber. That said, somewhere within the range of 60-80% relative humidity will keep your potatoes happy.

Soil

Potatoes need well-draining, sandy soil with a pH of 6-6.5, somewhat acidic.

Fertilizer

Potatoes have a shallow root system which means they tend to like more fertilizer than other crop types. Start feeding your potatoes at the beginning by incorporating some well-aged compost into their planting hole. A soil test will help you figure out when and how much fertilizer to apply thereafter.

In lieu of a soil test, use a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 pound (454 g) per 10 row feet before planting and mixed into the soil. Then side dressed at the rate of 5 pounds (2.7 kilo) per 10 row feet a week after emergence and water into the soil. Finally, side dress another 5 pounds (2,7 kilo) per 10 row feet 4-6 weeks after emergence and water in.

Problems, Pests & Diseases

There are many pests, diseases, and disorders that may afflict potatoes. Healthy spuds are less likely to be susceptible to these.

Pests like aphids, Colorado beetles, and flea beetles to name a few are known to inflict damage on potato crops.

Diseases, usually fungal like early or late blight also may be an issue with potato production. These can be treated with fungicides but are best avoided by using disease resistant or free seeds, maintaining good fertility and proper irrigation techniques.

Disorders such as tuber greening is the result of light exposure on spuds. Keep the tubers covered with soil in the garden and store the potatoes in a cool, dark area after harvest.

Irregular shaped tubers or those with dry, cracked skins are the result of fluctuating irrigation. Mulch around the plants to retain moisture.

How to Plant Potatoes

Soil temperature should be at least 55 F (13 C) during the day and 45 F (7 C) at night before planting seed potatoes. If the soil is too wet and cold, sprouting will be delayed and/or seed pieces will rot. Potato seed bed preparation is important. Space pieces 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) apart and 4 inches (10 cm) deep in rows that are 30-36 inches (76-91 cm) apart.

Smaller fingerling potatoes can be spaced closer together; about 8 inches apart.

Hill over or add 2-4 inches (5-10 cm)of soil or compost around the top of the plant when the tubers begin to emerge from the soil. This is to ensure that light does not cause tuber greening.

Mulch around the plants with wood chips or straw to retain moisture, block light and retard weeds. Keep an eye on the hills and add more soil, compost or organic mulch as needed to keep the emerging potatoes covered.

Growing Potatoes in Containers

Potatoes grow well in containers. A potato container can be a pot or a bucket or the like. Use 2-3 seed potatoes per 5 gallon (19 kilo) bucket. Grow them as you would in the ground, paying careful attention to adding soil as tubers emerge to keep them covered up.

Harvesting

Early potatoes are ready to harvest in about 10-12 weeks as early as mid-June while larger spuds are ready from late August to October.

Harvest potatoes when their vines die back and lose their color. Use a potato fork to gently lift the tubers from the ground or remove the entire plant and harvest the tubers.

You can eat them right away or cure them for prolonged storage. Use or dispose of any damaged spuds immediately.

Otherwise, lay the tubers out in a single layer in a warm, dark, aerated area to allow the skins to set and any minor wounds to cure over for about 10 days.

Brush any dirt off the tubers, don’t wash them, before storing. Store your potatoes in a dark, cool, area of about 32-40 F (0-4 C) with a 95% relative humidity. That said, if you plan on frying your spuds, store them at a warmer 40-50 F (4-10 C).

Remove any sprouts or any green areas prior to use. Both can be toxic.

Varieties

There are many varieties of potato, to name just a few, there are Russets, Yukon golds, fingerlings, red potatoes, white potatoes, Adirondack blue, Bintje, waxy potatoes, Red Norland, Kennebec, Austrian Crescent, German butterball and Russian banana.

Frequently Asked Questions