How to Grow Potatoes

How to Grow Potatoes

Use these tips for how to grow potatoes to add tubers to your garden this year!

If you have the room, potatoes can be an incredible growing experience as a gardener. Not only are they easy to use in recipes, but they are interesting to grow and harvest. You will need at least 3 feet of space for each plant, but the yield is about 10 lbs of potatoes per ‘hill’. Here are some tips for growing potatoes from start to finish.

How to Grow Potatoes from Seed Potatoes

Growing potatoes from seed potato starts is easy and fun. You will not want to use potatoes you buy for consumption, though, as they will not grow right. Instead, purchase yours from a seed and feed store in your area.

Make sure your soil is rich, well draining and you have about 3 ft between each plant. You can either plant sprouting potatoes whole or in chunks. For more information on growing potatoes from seed potato starts, check out this post.

How to Transplant or Move Potato Plants

Sometimes you may want to move your potato seedlings for one reason or another. Maybe you started them in a greenhouse and want to move them outside or perhaps you are just trying to move them from containers. Whatever your reason, just know that you can move them!

Moving potato plants is a bit of a challenge but can be started by making sure to harden them off first if they have been started inside or in a protected area such as in a greenhouse. This is a simple process of getting your plants ready for the outdoor temperatures and elements.

When lanting your potato starts somewhere new, you will want to make sure the soil is prepared and mixed with compost. Your soil must be loose and rocks must be removed.

Dig a hole big enough for your plants and place them in. Water them but do not get the soil in a soggy state. For more detailed instructions on moving potato plants, please see this post.

How to Keep Pests Away from Potato Plants

Colorado potato beetles are a problem in many areas. They will eat away your potatoes and cause real problems with your crops. They can be easily controlled and prevented by scattering diatomaceous earth over your soil when planting, though. This will kill any still in the nymph stage of development so make sure to do this early on.

Aphids can also be a problem. These are easy to see on your potato leaves and can be removed by simply spraying with the garden hose.

One other issue is rotting. This usually happens when plants have been watered too much with poor potato growing soil. Make sure to start your potatoes in well-draining soil.

How to Care for Potato Plants

Plants will need about 2 inches of water per week, especially when they are flowering for best results. When you are hilling your pants, it’s best to do it in the morning. This will give you the tallest plant as it will be cool.

How to Harvest Potato Plants

Harvesting potato plants is very easy. Depending on what size and tenderness you are looking for will determine when you harvest. If you are growing a tender baby variety, you will harvest about 3 weeks after they are done flowering. If you are growing a larger, firmer variety, you will wait until 2 weeks after the leaves start to die off.

A week or so before you are going to harvest, stop watering your plants. This will help them last longer in harvest and toughen the skin on the outside a bit.

To harvest, you will simply dig up a hill and see how they look. If they are good, the skin will be somewhat firm. Remove the potatoes from the roots they are attached to with a small knife. Store in a dark cool place for best results.

For More Information on How to Grow Potatoes

How to Start Potato Slips

How to Move Potato Plants