Wondering how to grow potatoes? We’re here to help! The taste and the texture of homegrown potatoes are far superior to those of store-bought spuds, especially the early varieties. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest potatoes in your garden.
About Potatoes
“What I say is that if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.”
–A. A. Milne, English writer (1882–1956)
Potatoes like cool weather and well-drained, loose soil that is about 45 to 55°F (7 to 13°C). In warmer climates, potatoes can be grown as a winter crop.
Folklore offers many “best days” for planting potatoes:
- Old-timers in New England planted their potato crops when they saw dandelions blooming in the open fields.
- The Pennsylvania Dutch considered St. Gertrude’s Day (March 17, aka St. Patrick’s Day) to be their official potato-planting day.
- Many Christians believed that Good Friday was the best day to plant potatoes because the devil holds no power over them at this time.
All of these “best days” suggest an early spring planting! (See more about planting below.)
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
In the southern regions, when
In the southern regions, when is the right time to plant potatoes? and how long does potatoes take to ripe?
In many southern regions, you
In many southern regions, you plant potatoes in late winter (February, early March). Check with your county's cooperative extension for local dates.
I am 65 and have been
I am 65 and have been planting red potatoes for some years now and my plant date is always Valentine's weekend. Never has failed me. 90 days and I dig. Just my 2 cents worth.
I was brought up to plant
I was brought up to plant potatoes (New England) on or before St. Patrick's Day regardless of weather/frost- it worked there and has worked well for 30 yrs. in the Willamette Valley (Oregon-USA) harvest 1st crop early June, 2nd crop in late summer. Good luck!!
Hello,I have potatoes growing
Hello,I have potatoes growing in a container.pulled out a couple and tasted one,it was a bit bitter,not the best tasting. The potatoes were not exposed to sunlight.Any ideas?
Usually, bitter potatoes
Usually, bitter potatoes means that they have greened up (developed chlorophyll) due to exposure to sunlight, which also encourages colorless solanine to concentrate there, which makes the potato taste bitter. Sprouts at the eyes can also contain solanine and taste bitter.
It's just a guess, but since they were not green, and you likely didn't eat a sprout, perhaps they were not ripe yet or they were stressed in some way, such as by insects or disease?
I planted my seed potatoes
I planted my seed potatoes really late due to rainfall. I am in Edson, Alberta, Canada. I planted the end of May,although this is very late I have huge full plants & am waiting for them to flower. My question is when should blossoms appear given my late planting date?
It's been about 12 weeks or
It's been about 12 weeks or so, right? Usually, flowers would appear about 6 to 10 weeks after planting (depending on type and local conditions). However, there are some varieties that don't flower; they still produce fine potatoes. Perhaps you have one of those types, or they are just delayed a bit in flowering. (Depending on whether you have an early, mid-, or late-season variety, it could take from about 80 to 120 days from planting to harvest.)
Or, sometimes if potatoes get waterlogged or thirsty, or don't have enough sun, they will fail to flower. In this case, they might not produce a good crop. However, your plants are healthy, so it could be they are just a nonflowering type or are a later flowering type.
All you can do is to dig the plant after the foliage has yellowed and died and see what's there. Or, you can gently dig a little bit now with your hands to see if there are any potatoes growing; replace the soil afterward.
With 2014 planting less than
With 2014 planting less than 3 months away, I thought you'd like to know that my usual planting date is around June 1 every year. I live 100 km. north of Edmonton, and my garden catches up with all those gardens planted around the traditional date of May 24. (soil is warmer) Sometimes, conditions don't allow June 1. I've planted as late as June 6th, and harvest as usual - everything. Even late variety potatoes. Good luck!
I just finished building a
I just finished building a potato bin to grow potatoes year round https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net... We use fresh straw and potato eyes and dig up fresh potatoes year around...any comments?
Interesting. Presumably it
Interesting. Presumably it would work. You might need to add new soil each year and have several of these going every season, with appropriate rotational crops.
I am in potatoe home growing.
I am in potatoe home growing. Thanks for the information.
Just harvested my first ever
Just harvested my first ever potatoes, using your advice. Can I plant another round and harvest in Oct?
BTW: Thank you very much.
In most northern regions
In most northern regions where potatoes thrive (such as Idaho or Minnesota) planting is just done in the very early spring. However, in warm regions, growers have planted in the fall. Some folks who live in places such as North Carolina say fall works better than spring! If you live in a milder climate, plant a small patch and see how it works!
You reported that, washing
You reported that, washing potatoes shortens their storage life? But, how/why? I think washing the soil completly and other microbes on the potato surface will make the potato stored longer. I do not understand the logic why unwashed have longer shelf life.
The dirt protects the
The dirt protects the potatoes from bruising, light, and general deterioration.
According to America's Test
According to America's Test Kitchen, premature washing of fruits and veggies encourages mold growth.
Haven't had many blooms on
Haven't had many blooms on potatoes; how does this affect the crop?
According to the folks at
According to the folks at Idaho Univ, there's not a causal relationship between tuber development and flowering. Potatoes need moderate amounts of nitrogen and cool nights for good tuber growth. In fact, some potato varieties go without flowering and still yield a good harvest. If flowers don't come, we'd advise that you wait at least a week before the plant dies off before harvesting for storage potatoes.
My potato plants have
My potato plants have bloomed. Now some of the plants have something that looks like tiny green tomatoes on the plants. Is this normal? What are they??
When you find out what this
When you find out what this small looking tomatoes are please respond to me, because we have the same thing with our potatoes. They look beautiful but have these small ball looking things.
Potatoes are very closely
Potatoes are very closely related to tomatoes, both used to be place in the same genus, Solanum. The little balls are inedible potato berries (yes, a tomato is a berry too, but neither a strawberry nor a raspberry is a true berry). Most commercial potatoes are half or totally infertile (bad pollen) so berries are rare. Berry set is also very sensitive to temperature. You can ferment the seeds like you would for a tomato (the gel contains sprouting inhibitors so it must be rotted off) and grow potato plants from the tiny seeds. The first year you will get little tubers that can be used for planting the following year for a full harvest.
Some early varieties may not flower at all, but it is rare, AFAIK. Too much nitrogen and too little light could also inhibit flowering and tuber production.
Flowering and fruiting does not affect tuber production so that you would notice, and native bees love the flowers.
we have the same thing.this
we have the same thing.this is a first for me I have never seen this before. When you find an answer please let me know. Thanks
Many Indiana gardeners are
Many Indiana gardeners are experiencing a new phenomenon in their potato patch. At least, it's new to them. Potato plants appear to be producing little green fruit, about the size of a large cherry tomato.
These round, green berries are actually the fruits of the potato plant. It's not surprising that they look like tomatoes, since both plants are in the nightshade family.
Most gardeners never see this fruit form on potatoes in Indiana. Cool temperatures during long days tend to promote fruiting in potatoes, which explains the increase in potato fruit this year. Until recently, most of Indiana experienced prolonged, cool springs. Also, some cultivars seem more prone to fruit formation than others. So some potatoes may be fruiting while others growing nearby may not.
Plant breeders tend to locate potato fields in cooler climates, such as Idaho and Wisconsin, to facilitate hybridization and fruit production. The seeds that form inside the fruit as it ripens are then grown out to evaluate the new plant.
For production of the tubers that we eat, a particular hybrid that has disease-resistance or high yields is propagated through pieces of the underground tubers. This type of propagation assures that those desired qualities of the hybrid are preserved, since hybrid plants rarely reproduce true from seed.
Gardeners could harvest the seed from the fruit as it matures and raise the seeds for next year's garden as a novelty. But, in general, it is much easier to raise a crop from tubers than from true seed. Also, the resulting plants may not be as desirable as those grown from the tubers this year. Be prepared to start the seeds indoors in winter, as plants are much slower to develop from seed than from tubers.
Do keep in mind that potato fruits are likely to be high in solanine, a substance that is toxic to humans, particularly children. Potato fruits should not be eaten, no matter how much they look like tomatoes. From this article: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext...
The potatoe plants are just
The potatoe plants are just producing seed. It's not uncommon. It won't affect production of potatoes or the taste.
Those are often called potato
Those are often called potato apples- used in murder mysteries regularly- highly concentrated form of toxins.
Check on this link. It is an
Check on this link. It is an article on potatoes with tomato growth. This may be of some help. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext...
that is the potatoe gowing to
that is the potatoe gowing to seed. You can plant the seeds, but it is better to use the eyes
I am in Northwest Florida and
I am in Northwest Florida and planted my potatoes in large pots in February. The tops of the plants are now about 4 feet tall (although most is covered in the pot) and they are starting to die back. However, none of the plants has ever bloomed. I also planted in a nearby flowerbed at the same time and hilled the soil up. Those plants are huge, dieing back, and have not bloomed. Will plants set tubers without blooms?
Having difficulty getting a
Having difficulty getting a clear answer on this (perhaps due to the July 4 holiday), but one sources suggests that the lack of flowers should not affect root growth—which is what the spud is. So the answer,for now, seems to be yes. (If you have an opportunity, contact your local aggie extension service and ask them, too.) Happy Independence Day!
Pages