Our Potato Growing Guide covers planting, growing, and harvesting one of our favorite vegetables! Also, see tips on how to store potatoes to keep them fresh—and some homemade potato recipes.
Potatoes can be planted very early in the gardening season—as you soon as the frost is out of the soil and you are able to work the soil!
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.
See more information about planting potatoes below.
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Trenches that are 7 to 8
Trenches that are 7 to 8 inches deep should require less hilling. A relatively shallow trench of about 4 inches would need 6 to 8 inches of hilling. How deep was your trench? Also remember that part of the reason you hill is to keep keep the spuds moist; the soil helps with that. When you reach the desirable height, consider mulching. Potatoes need at least 1 inch of water per week. We hope this helps and that you have a hefty harvest!
Last years organic potatoes
I used left over potatoes that I stored poorly as my seed potatoes. Is that bad? I just read your answer to someone else not to use last years potatoes. Some were green as well. Will they be ok? If not, why? What is different about "seed" potatoes as well, thank you:)
seed potatoes
Grocery store potatoes are for eating; they are treated with a sprout inhibitor so they will have shelf life in the store. (Sure, eyes may sprout but not like those that appear on seed potatoes.) Seed potatoes are grown to produce edible potatoes. Certified seed potatoes are disease-free. Sources we consulted do not recommend using your harvested potatoes (from seed potatoes) for the next year’s crop. Opinions are mixed. If you do use your harvested potatoes as seed potatoes, strict storage conditions are advised (storage in a coo [50°F] area after harvest, then a 3 to 4 week period of hardening off/outdoor exposure and high humidity—also called greening. Crop rotation is also highly recommended. But that will not guarantee a desirable crop. Using green spuds is another topic on which growers take different sides.
Am I doing it right
I planted a potato about 8 weeks ago. I do not want it to be poisonous but I don't know if I am growing it right. I am giving it plenty of water and if it grows something i don't want it to be poisonous
Please help
Poison potato?
Eight weeks is a long time to wait for your potato plant to send up some greens. If there is no sign of life coming from the soil something is wrong and nothing is growing.
Taters
I guess I forgot to completely inform you on everything. I started it with chits, about 6 inches from the bottom. The leaves grew through, every few inches I would cover them again. Now I am about 6 inches from the top of the bag. And something (I think it was an animal) ate the tops off. So again. Will my taters inside be okay? Will they re sprout? Or should i just dump the bag and start over?
Thank you again, and I apoligize for the first entry.
topless potatoes
Without the tops, William, you might as well discard the bag. The leaves produce food for the tubers. Without the leaves, growth stops. Sorry to be the bearer of the news…
Taters
I have taters growing in a bag. Well something happened to the tops of the plants. Will they regrow? Will my taters inside the bag still grow? Or do I just empty the bag and start over?
planting potatos
hello this is the first year that i planted potato and when i did i just planted the whole potato and now there are like 17 or more plants all in a cluster can you tell me what will happen am i going to have a lot of potatos or am i going to have just a few how many potatos can i get from one stalk
Potato mania
Hi, Ron, It’s hard to know how many potatoes you might get, there is so much involved—soil, moisture, bugs, weather, etc., not to mention type of spud. Hope for the best.
2nd year yield
Hi there, we have a lot plants come up from last year's plot and were wondering if the yield would be as good as last year or if it's worth ditching them now and planting a new batch? The plants are about 16 inches at the moment.
last year's crop
Last year’s potatoes should not be used as seed potatoes, so, yes, plant a new crop—but not in the same place! Rotate the plot location!
Potatos
Our potato's are coming up, should we cover the hole plant with straw ? Or should we just let go ? They do not have flowers on them yet.
covering potatoes with straw mulch
If you are growing potatoes through straw mulch, once your potato plants poke up from the first layer of straw (which is about 3 to 4 inches) and reach a height of about 4 to 6 inches, then you can cover the whole plant with another layer of straw mulch (some gardeners leave about 1 inch of the plant exposed when covering them, so that the leaves can still be exposed to light and make food for the plant). Continue doing this (covering the plant with straw once exposed plant height is 4 to 6 inches) until you have a layer of straw that is about 12 or so inches high. Then monitor the plant as it grows; do not cover the entire plant again, but do replenish the straw if it gets dislodged or flattened – you don’t want sunlight to get to the tubers, or they’ll turn green and become bitter and not safe to eat.
planting potatoes left from last year
I have potatoes left from last year. They have sprouts approx 12 to 16" how do I plant them?
Just pulled in a couple of
Just pulled in a couple of pounds of reds that got planted after they sprouted in the cabinet. The surprise wasn't that they grew, but that they grew in the Caribbean, with soil pH around 7.5. Even 90 degree weather didn't stop these guys
Russet Potatoes
How long does it usually take for a russet potato to grow??
potato growing time
Days to maturity for a russet potato is 85 days.
Potato Bugs
Ive had problems with the potato bugs last year i tried something that seemed to work very well i mixed a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent with a gallon in a pump sprayer and sprayed it on my potatoes . this worked very well for me. i hope this will help someone who has a problem with potato bugs.
That stuff works great! I
That stuff works great! I use it on all of my edible plants with bug issues. Great & gentle on herbs for white flys!
Little project
I have three potatoes that my family neglected to cook, and accidentally left them to grow in a cabinet. I decided to leave them there, on some paper towels on a plate. I water the towel once a day, and it's interesting how there are roots spreading across it. There is no place for me to plant them in our apartment complex, though I think I can get a pot for them
Your website states the
Your website states the Hardiness Zone is: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1. I am in Hardiness Zone 8b. I know the posted Hardiness Zones are areas where the potatoes can grow best. Can I grow potatoes here? When should I plant/harvest them?
potatoes in Zone 8
Potatoes are a cool-season crop. You can try growing them in fall and early winter for a late spring/early summer harvest. In areas of Arkansas and Texas, for example, potatoes are often planted around mid-February. For best advice about timing, you might contact your county’s Cooperative Extension. Here is a link to get you started:
http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services
How much water do i give my potatoes
I am in Queensland, Australia on the east coast. I have a question that I haven't been able to find an answer too. How much water to give the Potatoes plants, I planted them in raised beds I planted 24 of them as 3 lots of 8 different plants. I have been soaking the ground every day with lots of water. I checked them and the potatoes are about the size of my large fist and lots of them under the plant. They are now flowering and do I keep giving lots of water or do I stop watering, the ground is just dirt with hay between the dirt every 4 inches. I have covered the ground with about 3 inches of hay. What do I do now please.
Paul the Aussie...
potatoes
Do potato farmers have plant every year?
potato farming
Many potato farmers plant every year, however, they rotate the crops so they grow in different fields every four years.
potato plants
hi
i have small green tomato shape/size seeds growing on my potato plants are these seeds and can i plant them
These tomato-size green fruit
These tomato-size green fruit are poisoness and should not be eaten. You can save the ripe seeds inside the potato fruit and plant them. It would take many years for the seeds to develop into potatoes. and you would not get the sametype of potatoes as the parent plant. These seeds are mostly used by breeders who are hoping to come up with a new potato variety.
Harvesting but constantly raining
I'm in the middle of my potato harvest but its been constantly damp and raining for 8 days. So are they in danger of rotting because of the rain? Should i go ahead and pull them up during rain?
potato harvest in wet conditions
Harvesting potatoes in wet conditions increases the chances for rot in storage; yet, leaving them sitting in soggy soil can also encourage diseases. If you must harvest them at this time, keep them separate from any vegetables/potatoes that were harvested in dry conditions. Handle them gently to avoid damaging them. Pat dry and place them in an area with excellent ventilation to help them to dry off. Make sure that they are relatively clean (but do not wash them!), and wipe off soil on them that may harbor diseases. Keep the temperature around 50-60F for 2 to 3 weeks to cure; normally, you’d cure them in higher humidity (85-95 percent), but if they are already wet, a less humid environment might be safer. Higher temperatures will encourage bacteria. After curing, lower the temperature for long-term storage to around 40F, and keep monitoring for diseases; discard any that show signs of trouble. Good luck!
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