Growing Potatoes

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Potatoes

Age-Old Wisdom meets Modern Tools

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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.

Planting

When to Plant Potatoes

Potatoes prefer cool weather.

In Northern regions, some gardeners will plant the first crop of early-maturing potatoes in early to mid-April, 6 to 8 weeks before the average last frost date or as soon as the soil can be worked; they can survive some cool weather but the threat of frost is a gamble. If there is a threat of frost at night, temporarily cover any sprouted foliage with mulch or an artificial covering such as old sheets or plastic containers (and be sure to remember to remove the coverings in the morning).

To avoid frost, consider starting potatoes 0 to 2 weeks after your last spring frost. You may plant earlier, as soon as soil can be worked, but be aware that some crops may be ruined by a frost or overly wet soil.
The soil, not the calendar, will tell you when it’s time to plant. The temperature of the soil should—ideally—be at least 50°F (10°C). The soil should also not be so wet that it sticks together and is hard to work. Let it dry out a bit first. Like other seeds, potato seed pieces will rot if planted in ground that’s too wet.

In Southern regions, potatoes can be grown as a winter crop and planting times range from September to February. Where winters are relatively mild, you can plant a fall crop in September. In central Florida, gardeners plant potatoes in January; and in Georgia they plant in February.

See our Planting Guide for the best dates to plant by zip code or postal code.

Preparing the Planting Site

Potatoes grow best in cool, well-drained, loose soil that is about 45° to 55°F (7° to 13°C).
Choose a location that gets full sun—at least 6 hours of sunlight each day.
Grow potatoes in rows spaced about 3 feet apart.
With a hoe or round-point shovel, dig a trench about 6 inches wide and 8 inches deep, tapering the bottom to about 3 inches wide.
Spread and mix in fully-rotted manure or organic compost in the bottom of the trench before planting. (Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.)

Man planting potatoes. Photo by tanyss/Getty Images. — *Preparing seed potatoes for planting. Photo by tanyss/Getty Images.*

How to Plant Potatoes

In each trench, place a seed potato piece (cut side down) every 12 to 14 inches and cover with 3 to 4 inches of soil.
If your garden soil is very rocky, put the seed potato pieces directly on the ground. Sprinkle with a mix of soil and compost. Cover them with straw or leaves, hilling the material up as the potatoes grow.
The best starters are seed potatoes. Do not confuse seed potatoes with potato seeds or grocery produce! Select seed potatoes which have protruding eyes (buds).
Use a clean, sharp paring knife to cut large potatoes into pieces that are roughly the size of a golf ball, making sure that there are at least 2 eyes on each piece. (Potatoes that are smaller than a hen’s egg should be planted whole.)
If you are cutting up potato pieces yourself, do so 1 to 2 days ahead of planting. This will give them the chance to “heal” and form a protective layer over the cut surface, improving both moisture retention and rot resistance.
12 to 16 days after planting, when sprouts appear, use a hoe to gently fill in the trench with another 3 to 4 inches of soil, leaving a few inches of the plants exposed. Repeat in several weeks, leaving the soil mounded up 4 to 5 inches above ground level (this is called “hilling” and is explained more here.).
After the potato plants have emerged, add organic mulch between the rows to conserve moisture, help with weed control, and cool the soil.

Check out this excellent video to see how to plant potatoes.

Care

How to Grow Potatoes

Hilling Potatoes

A critical part of growing potatoes is to not let their tubers (i.e., the potato crop) be exposed to sunlight for too long. Exposed tubers will turn green and produce a toxic compound called solanine, which makes them bitter, inedible, and potentially nausea-inducing.

To combat this, we employ a technique called hilling.

Hilling is simple: As a potato plant grows, it produces a main stem with leaves and flowers aboveground. Meanwhile, underground, tubers form on secondary stems that branch off from the main stem. In order to prevent shallow tubers from being exposed to sunlight and to encourage the plant to keep producing more tubers, a few inches of soil are periodically “hilled” up around the base of the stem. This is typically done three to four times during the season.

Tips for growing and hilling potatoes:

Do the hilling in the morning, when plants are at their tallest. During the heat of the day, plants start drooping.
Maintain even moisture, especially from the time when sprouts appear until several weeks after they blossom. The plants need 1 to 2 inches of water per week. If you water too much right after planting and not enough as the potatoes begin to form, the tubers can become misshapen.
The last hilling should be done before the potato plants bloom, when the aboveground part of the plant is at least a foot tall. Hoe the dirt up around the base of the plant in order to cover the tubers as well as to support the plant.
Practice yearly crop rotation with potatoes.

Pests/Diseases

Potato Scab: Most likely caused by a high soil 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. Some readers suggest adding pine straw on top of the potatoes when planting for natural anti-bacterial elements.
Colorado potato beetles need to be hand-picked and predatory birds will often eat them. While they’re in the nymph state, they can be controlled with diatomaceous earth (food grade) which is a non-toxic way to control pests in the garden. If they continue to be a problem, a few sprays of Spinosad, an organic pesticide, will get rid of the beetles. Always use products at dawn or dusk to avoid harming beneficial insects.
Aphids
Flea Beetles
Early/Late Blight

Harvest/Storage

When to Harvest Potatoes

“New potatoes,” which are potatoes that are purposefully harvested early for their smaller size and tender skin, will be ready for harvest 2 to 3 weeks after the plants stop flowering. New potatoes should not be cured and should be eaten within a few days of harvest, as they will not keep for much longer than that.
For mature potatoes, wait 2 to 3 weeks after the plant’s foliage has died back. The tops of the plants need to have completely died before you begin harvesting. Cut browning foliage to the ground and wait 10 to 14 days before harvesting to allow the potatoes to develop a thick enough skin. Don’t wait too long, though, or the potatoes may rot (especially in moisture-laden soil).
Toughen up potatoes for storage before harvest by not watering them much after mid-August.
Dig up a test hill to see how mature the potatoes are. The skins of mature potatoes are thick and firmly attached to the flesh. If the skins are thin and rub off easily, your potatoes are still too new and should be left in the ground for a few more days.
Potatoes can tolerate light frost, but when the first hard frost is expected, it’s time to get out the shovels and start digging potatoes.

How to Harvest Potatoes

Dig potatoes up on a dry day. Dig up gently, being careful not to damage the tubers. Avoid cutting or bruising potato skin. Damaged potatoes will rot during storage and should be used as soon as possible. The soil should not be compact, so digging should be easy.
If the soil is very wet, let the potatoes air-dry as much as possible before putting them in bags or baskets.
Don’t leave the potatoes that you have dug in the sun for long after they have been dug up from your garden, otherwise your potatoes may turn green. Green potatoes have a bitter taste due to the presence of solanine, and if enough is eaten, can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Small spots can be trimmed off, but if there is significant greening, throw the potato out.

How to Store Potatoes

Allow freshly dug potatoes to sit in a dry, cool place (45-60°F / 7-15°C) for up to two weeks. This allows their skins to cure, which will help them keep for longer.
After curing, make sure you brush off any soil clinging to the potatoes, then store potatoes in a cool, dark place, preferably 45° to 50°F (7° to 10°C), with good ventilation. When properly stored, potatoes will remain fresh for up to a month. Throw away potatoes that are shriveled, green, or have many sprouts.
Do not store potatoes with apples; the apples’ ethylene gas will cause potatoes to spoil.
Never store potatoes in the refrigerator.
Whether you dig your own potatoes or buy them at a store, don’t wash them until right before you use them. Washing potatoes shortens their storage life.
Find more tips on getting potatoes ready for the root cellar.

Recommended Varieties

There are more than 100 varieties of potatoes. Tan-skinned and red-skinned varieties with white flesh are the most common in home gardens.

Early Varieties:

‘Irish Cobbler’: tan skin, irregular shape
‘Norland’: red skin, resistant to potato scab
‘Mountain Rose’: red skin and pink flesh, resistant to some viruses

Mid-Season Varieties

‘Red Pontiac’: red skin, deep eyes
‘Viking’: red skin, very productive
‘Chieftan’: red skin, resistant to potato scab, stores well

Late Varieties

‘Katahdin’: tan skin, resistant to some viruses
‘Kennebec’: tan skin, resistant to some viruses and late blight
‘Elba’: tan skin, large round tubers, resistant to blight and potato scab

Blue Potatoes?

We also love All Blue Potatoes! They’re delicious and, well, they’re truly blue!

See our page on how to choose the best potatoes to grow in your garden for more info!

Wit & Wisdom

Before planning your garden, take a look at our plant companions chart to see which veggies are most compatible with potatoes.
Did you know: Potato promoter Antoine Parmentier convinced Marie Antoinette to wear potato blossoms in her hair.
Grated potatoes are said to soothe sunburnt skin.

“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)

Recipes

Cooking Notes

Check out our recipe archives to find potato recipes that range from plain to fancy!

Reader Comments

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Yes there is! Get your seed

Yes there is! Get your seed potatoe and find a tall bin. It could be a trash can. You can even use a big plastic tub. You can place that in the window sill of your classroom and grow a potato right there!

Look for the link to growing

Look for the link to growing a potato in a trash can. It will need lots of sun and water, so best not try in the classroom. Hey! You could be the first person to get a school garden going! Best of luck!

Thanks, Vicki. Here is the

Thanks, Vicki. Here is the link to growing a potato in a trash can:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Hi Herobrina, See our

Hi Herobrina,
See our planting advice on this page. You can plant the potato in a big container with good well-draining soil. Cut up a seed potato (or an organic potato from the store) and make sure each piece has a couple of "eyes". Plant the pieces in the container and place it in a sunny spot. Keep the soil moist.

Great site! I've grown

Great site! I've grown potatoes here in NM for a few years, but always have a few questions. Any confusion I had about growing and planting was answered in a short, efficient way. Thanks!

Hi. I was curious and didn't

Hi. I was curious and didn't find the answer above. When is a good time to plant potatoes in a container in Illinois? Thanks in advance!

For Central Illinois, plant

For Central Illinois, plant potatoes April 1 to 15, June 1 to 10.

i have question .... i grew a

i have question .... i grew a potato plant in my pot and it grew well but i cant understand that why my potato's coming up from soil and turning green why?????

When growing potatoes, it's

When growing potatoes, it's important to pile up more earth to cover the tuber when the stem reaches a height of nine inches above ground; this prevents tubers near to the soil surface from turning green.

Hi I have a quick question. I

Hi I have a quick question. I bought a 10 lb bag of potatoes from the market today (Dec 12, 2014) to use for mashed potatoes on Christmas. I usually store them under my counter in the kitchen but they don't last that long cause I use them up quickly. So my question is can I store these potatoes in the original packaging on my balcony in a material shopping bag? Or is it too cold to do that? It's snowing here in Canada so its pretty cold... I figured you guys would be the best people to ask since you grow your own :)

Oops, its the 13th lol

The ideal temperature for

The ideal temperature for storing potatoes is between 40 to 50 degrees F. Perhaps you can keep them in the basement or garage?

Just don't let them freeze.

Just don't let them freeze. If so many, put them on paper in an unstacked layer in your closet if that's all you have.

Hi my name is mark I had a

Hi my name is mark I had a fluke happen I used my organic waste from my itchen for mulch. Low and behold I used that mulch and I got plant growing in my garden . Mind you im tickled pink by it but there growing in winter. I live in the central valley ca . Is there any4hing I need to know so I dont loose them? How long do I wait before I harvest? Thank you for your time.

Hi Mark, Are you sure that

Hi Mark,
Are you sure that you have a potato growing in your garden? If it is a potato you need to hill some soil up around the plant and also be aware of frost and chilly weather. Cover the plant to protect it from freezing and if you have prolonged cold weather the plant will not grow. Potatoes can be harvested after they bloom.

Thank you. They are potatoe

Thank you. They are potatoe plants at first I thought they where some new weed somi pulled one and and that told me what they where. Mind you I was excited . Ive never grown any before. Ill let youknow how they did

The ground froze before I

The ground froze before I could dig my potatoes this year. Should I leave them to regrow next year or can I still dig them now?

Hi Linda, If the ground is

Hi Linda,
If the ground is frozen to the depth where the potatoes are, they will be ruined. A surface freeze will not harm them. You can test the soil by digging down to see if the potatoes actually are frozen. If you can't dig into the soil put a layer of mulch over a section of potatoes and then try again. Some of the potatoes left in the ground over the winter may sprout next year.

I want to know if

I want to know if Albuquerque, NM has the right climate to plant potatoes now in October. Thank you for your valuable time.

Judy, Yes, you can grow

Judy, Yes, you can grow potatoes in New Mexico. They are considered a half-hardy crop which you plant these near the average date of the last killing frost, or plant in summer for the fall garden. See our frost dates calculator here:
http://www.almanac.com/content...

I live in Albuquerque, NM and

I live in Albuquerque, NM and I want to know if I can plant Klondike Gourmet petite potatoes now in October. A friend gave me a partial bag and I'd like to plant them if possible. Thank you for your valuable time.

Hi:), I live in Southern

Hi:),
I live in Southern Massachusetts and my mum hucked some bad potatoes out in the yard and garden (probably in the early summer/spring) and I went over one day and noticed nice big aprox. 2-21/2' plants with flowers. There was a potato showing that had lots of bug holes in it, but I think the plant was growing out of it?? Maybe?? She did not plant the potatoes, just threw them out for the animals. I think we might have already had a frost, it has gotten quite close anyways, but the plants are not dead yet. Should we get to digging?

I want to add, they were

I want to add, they were store bought potatoes, not sure what kind. New, russet maybe?

With some luck you may have

With some luck you may have some potatoes growing under the soil in your garden. If the plants are green and healthy looking leave them until they turn brown from the first hard frost. You can than dig up the plants and see if you can find some potatoes under them.

AM IN MALAWI CENTRAL

AM IN MALAWI CENTRAL AFRICA...I JUST WANTED TO FIND OUT THE BEST TIME TO PLANT POTATOES AND WHAT IS THE BEST VARIETY

Hello Patrick , the best time

Hello Patrick , the best time to plant potatoes is during rainy season in malawi. However you can plant them any time of the year as long as you water them regularly in the morning and in the evening. I hope I have answered your question but if you want more explaination please don't hestate.

Hi names erik Castillo I

Hi names erik Castillo I believe that the best time to plant potatoes is early spring after the frost is gone or may to june is also good for planting potatoes also early summer when weather isnt scorching hot im growing russet potatoes what season is it right now and I can tell you the best time for planting potatoes

In late April, a store bought

In late April, a store bought potato had sprouting eyes on it. I cut the potato in half and stuck it in a pot & covered with dirt. I set it outside and pretty much forgot about it. It was a rainy season, and to my (happy) surprise, at the end of June, I found the pot with about 3 inches of plant, stems and leaves, attached to the potato, which was now showing above the soil. I excitedly dug a hole in the ground near a fence row, of a neighboring cow field. Having watered off and on over the past few months, in addition to occassional rain water, my plant has grown so far to a height of about 15 inches tall. Not very bushy, however, it has branched off into at least 5 stems. I have not yet seen any flowering. I have not used any of the above ammendments ...sulfer, manure, or anything. The spot I chose did have previos horse manure at one point lol. I guess my question is... Is it possible, that from little or lack of care, I may be blessed with any potatoes? Should I even attempt to dig up, and have I allowed enough time? What is the monthly time frame from start to harvest? The stems have remained firm, and freen. A bit leggy, and are now growing low. They also, have been in full sn here in North central TN. Being a beginer gardener, I assumed sun was a good thing, but now have learned from this board, for potatoes, sun is not so good. Maybe a little too late I suppose!?

Some grocery store potatoes

Some grocery store potatoes may have been treated to inhibit sprouting to prolong shelf life, but since yours sprouted, that wasn't an issue. Also, store bought potatoes might not be certified disease free. Seed potatoes at a garden center are usually certified. Plus, you can usually find more variety of seed potatoes from a garden center or garden catalog, and some that might be more adapted to your climate, than those at a grocery store. However, lots of gardeners have success using grocery store potatoes as seed potatoes. In Tennessee, March is the ideal time to plant potatoes, but April is fine, too. The success of your potatoes will depend in part on what variety you have planted and when, based on your local climate. Potatoes like cool weather, can stand light frost, and don't do so well in the heat of summer. Check your frost dates. Nashville, for example, has a last spring frost around April 6 and a first fall frost around October 28. (See the frost calculator at: http://www.almanac.com/content...). Early season potatoes mature within 75 to 90 days; midseason, about 95 to 110 days; late season, about 120-135 days (these store well usually). Potatoes grow best in cool weather, when soil temps are about 60 to 70F. It's best to get the crops harvested before the heat of summer, or time them to mature in fall. In areas with hot summers, early and midseason types grow well in spring plantings (plant about 3 to 4 weeks before last spring frost); late season types can be planted in early summer for a fall crop.

Due to space constrictions on

Due to space constrictions on my balcony, I decided to pull my Kennebec potatoes earlier than what is recommended. The plants had already flowered a few weeks ago (I even got a few potato fruit that I will try to save the seed from) and the foliage had just begun to brown/die back but definitely wasn't dead. I ended up with about 30 or so potatoes of varying sizes. I'm unsure how to store them because I'm assuming they're not "new" potatoes, nor are they fully mature potatoes. What would you recommend?