Do you crave those mouthwatering pictures on Pinterest showing baskets brimming with fresh, earthy new potatoes? Imagine digging your hands into soft soil and pulling up crisp, golden spuds you grew yourself! No matter your gardening experience, you can achieve these stunning results with potatoes.
They’re easy to grow, highly rewarding, and a fun home project for families or anyone itching to eat homegrown food.
In this in-depth guide on how to plant potatoes, you’ll find all the steps, tips, and resources for success — even if you’ve never grown a thing before!
From picking the perfect seed potato, prepping your soil, choosing the ideal tools, and nurturing your plants to harvesting a tasty bounty, you’ll get the know-how you need.
We’ll sprinkle in expert advice, answer your most common questions, and offer top product suggestions including easy links to Amazon for direct shopping. Whether you have a big backyard or just a balcony with a few pots, let’s discover the joy (and taste!) of growing your own potatoes.
Why Grow Your Own Potatoes?
If you’re used to store-bought potatoes, you’re missing out! Grown at home, potatoes are fresher, tastier, and more nutritious. Here’s why growing your own potatoes is totally worth your time:
- Flavor: Homegrown potatoes are creamy, earthy, and sweet — ready for roasting, mashing, or a salad.
- Variety: Try unique potato varieties! Not just white, but purple, red, and gold.
- Space-friendly: Potatoes can grow in gardens, raised beds, or containers.
- Natural & chemical-free: Control what goes into your food.
- Fun & rewarding: A perfect project for kids, families, or yourself.
If you’re asking yourself how to plant potatoes for the best yield, keep reading — below, you’ll find every step you need, in plain, easy-to-follow language.
Overview: Potato Planting at a Glance
Let’s break it down before we dive deep:
| Step | Description | Amazon Product Placeholder |
|---|---|---|
| Choose seed potatoes | Pick certified disease-free seed potatoes | [Buy Certified Seed Potatoes on Amazon] |
| Prepare soil | Loosen, enrich, and check for drainage | [Buy Coco Peat Brick on Amazon] |
| Plant in ground or containers | Use trenches, pots, or grow bags for planting | [Get Fabric Grow Bags on Amazon] |
| Water, feed, hill up | Care for plants as they grow | [Soaker Hose for Potatoes—Amazon], [All-Natural Fertilizer—Amazon] |
| Harvest | When foliage yellows, dig up and enjoy your spuds! | [Stainless Steel Garden Fork on Amazon] |
Step 1: Choosing the Perfect Potato to Plant
Why Seed Potatoes Matter
Never use store-bought potatoes — they’re treated to prevent sprouting and can carry diseases. Always use certified seed potatoes for safety and a big harvest.
Where to buy seed potatoes:
- Local garden centers or nurseries
- Farmer’s markets (ask if they’re certified disease-free)
- Online — for convenience and variety, try Certified Seed Potato Varieties on Amazon
Types of Potatoes for Stunning Results:
- First Earlies: Fastest! Harvest in 10 weeks. Use for salads, boiling, or as new potatoes.
- Second Earlies: Ready in 13 weeks. Versatile and great for roasting.
- Maincrop: Largest yield, 16-20 weeks. Best for baking, roasting, and long storage.
| Potato Type | Days to Harvest | Best Use | Popular Varieties |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Early | ~70 days | Salads, boiling | ‘Swift’, ‘Rocket’, ‘Lady Christl’ |
| Second Early | ~90 days | Roasting, mash | ‘Charlotte’, ‘Maris Peer’, ‘Kestrel’ |
| Maincrop | 120-140 days | Baking, storage | ‘Desiree’, ‘King Edward’, ‘Maris Piper’ |
Pro Tip: Mix varieties for a longer harvest season!
Step 2: Preparing Seed Potatoes (Chitting)
Chitting is letting potatoes sprout before you plant for a jump-started, vigorous crop.
How to Chit Potatoes
- Pick a tray: Use egg cartons or seed trays for easy spacing.
- Position potatoes: Place potatoes rose-end (with most “eyes”) up.
- Light & coolness: Set in bright, cool space (not direct sun) — think porch or north window.
- Wait for short, sturdy shoots: Avoid long, thin pale sprouts!
- Plant when shoots are 0.5–1 inch long.
Chitting is optional but gives earlier, stronger yields for earlies and second earlies.
Step 3: Soil Preparation – The Foundation for Big Yields!
Healthy soil means healthy potatoes. Potatoes love loose, nutritious, well-draining soil. Heavy clay? Improve it with compost or coco peat.
Soil To-Do Checklist:
- Remove weeds & rocks. Potatoes need space to grow.
- Test soil pH: Slightly acidic (5.5 to 6.5) is perfect. Adjust as needed.
- Add compost: Improves nutrient content and aeration. Mix in 3-4 inches of Organic Garden Compost Amazon.
- Add coco peat/peat moss: For drainage, blend in a brick of Coco Peat Brick—Amazon per bed or large pot.
Don’t forget: Potatoes prefer loose soil! Use a Garden Fork from Amazon for gentle turning.
Step 4: When and Where to Plant Potatoes
Timing Your Planting
- First Earlies: Plant March–April (after last frost).
- Second Earlies: Plant early–mid April.
- Maincrops: Plant mid–late April.
- Warm climates: You can get two crops a year! Plant again in late summer for autumn harvest.
Use a Soil Thermometer—Amazon to ensure soil reaches at least 45°F (7°C) for best sprouting.
Picking the Best Place
- Full sun — at least 6-8 hours direct light.
- Choose rows, raised beds, or containers/grow bags.
Step 5: How to Plant Potatoes — Step-by-Step
Planting in Trenches (Traditional Garden Rows)
- Dig a trench about 4–6 inches deep with your Garden Hoe—Amazon.
- Space seed potatoes:
- First/Second earlies: 12″ apart.
- Maincrop: 15″ apart.
- Trenches: 24–30″ apart for easy hilling.
- Place seed potatoes with sprouts up.
- Cover with soil, gently but firmly.
Planting in Containers or Fabric Grow Bags
Don’t have a yard? Use Fabric Potato Grow Bags—Amazon for balcony or patio!
- Put 4″ of compost/soil mix in the bag bottom.
- Lay 3–4 seed potatoes with eyes up (for 10-15 gallon bags).
- Top with 4” more soil to cover.
- As plants grow, keep adding soil to cover new stems/leaves (see “hilling up”).
Why grow bags and containers are awesome:
- Portable if temps drop
- No risk of soil-borne disease
- Easy harvest—just tip them out!
Step 6: Potato Care—Hilling, Watering, and Feeding
Hilling Up (Earthing Up)
Essential! Keeps tubers covered, stops greening, increases yield.
- When shoots reach 8″ tall, mound up loose soil or compost around base.
- Leave top leaves poking out.
- Repeat every 2–3 weeks as plants grow until hill/mound is 12″ high.
Hilling is easier with the right tool: try a Garden Hoe—Amazon.
Watering
- Consistent moisture is key.
- Water deeply once a week, especially after flowering.
- Avoid soggy soil—use a Soaker Hose Amazon for slow, even moisture.
Feeding
- After shoots appear, use slow-release fertilizer.
- Potato-specific or balanced 10-10-10 is ideal.
- Mid-season, apply a liquid [Organic Vegetable Fertilizer—Amazon] every two weeks.
| Care Task | What to Use | Product Necessary |
|---|---|---|
| Hilling | Garden Hoe | Garden Hoe—Amazon |
| Watering | Soaker Hose, watering can | Soaker Hose—Amazon |
| Feeding | Granular or liquid potato fertilizer | Organic Vegetable Fertilizer—Amazon |
| Soil Amendments | Coco peat, compost | Coco Peat Brick—Amazon |
Step 7: Troubleshooting Common Potato Problems
Potatoes are easy, but watch for:
- Blight: Look for brown spots/yellow wilting. Remove affected plants; avoid overhead watering.
- Slugs or potato beetles: Pick by hand or use natural treatments.
- Green tubers: Caused by sun exposure. Always keep potatoes covered!
Tip: Rotate crops each year to prevent diseases. Never plant potatoes where you grew tomatoes or eggplants last season.
Step 8: Harvesting Your Potatoes
When Can You Harvest?
- First/Second Earlies: Flowering signals tuber growth. Harvest 2 weeks after flowers fade for tender new potatoes.
- Maincrop: Wait for leaves to turn yellow/brown and die. Cut down foliage, wait 2 weeks, then dig.
How to Harvest
- Use a Garden Fork to dig wide around the plant (avoid spearing potatoes!).
- Gently lift out tubers by hand.
- Let them sit out to dry for a few hours, ideally on a sunny day.
Storing Your Bounty
- Store only healthy, undamaged potatoes.
- Brush off soil, cure for a week in single layers in the dark.
- Store in a burlap or Hessian Potato Storage Sack in a cool, dry spot (NO fridge!).
- Keep away from sunlight to avoid greening.
FAQ: Potatoes — Your Top Questions Answered
Q1: Can I just plant grocery store potatoes?
A: Don’t do it! They’re usually treated and may carry disease. Always choose certified seed potatoes for disease-free, bountiful results.
[See our favorite certified potatoes on Amazon]
Q2: Why are my potato plants flowering?
A: That’s a great sign! It means tubers are growing underground. You can harvest earlies soon after.
Q3: How many potatoes will I get per plant?
A: Depending on the type, 5–10 per plant is common. Well-fed, well-watered plants equal bigger yields!
Q4: Why did my potatoes turn green?
A: Sun exposure turns potato skins green and makes them bitter. Always hill up enough soil to cover new tubers.
Q5: Can I grow potatoes in hot climates or indoors?
A: Yes! Use containers or grow bags, and keep them in a spot that avoids midday sun. Indoor patios or greenhouses work great.
Q6: What’s the fastest way to grow potatoes?
A: Use first earlies in fabric grow bags — they heat up fast and drain well.
Quick Guide: Potato Planting Calendar (For North America & UK Gardens)
| Month | Task |
|---|---|
| Feb-March | Order seed potatoes, start chitting |
| March | Prepare soil, add amendments |
| March-April | Plant first earlies |
| April | Plant second earlies/mains |
| May | Hill up, water, feed |
| June-July | Continue hilling, water, harvest earlies |
| Aug-Sept | Harvest maincrops, cure potatoes |
| Oct | Store and enjoy! |
Bonus: Creative Ideas for Potato Growing
- Use old buckets, tubs, bags: Drill holes for drainage, fill with compost and coco peat.
- Vertical potato towers: Layer seed potatoes and soil in wire cylinders for a space-saving harvest.
- Themed edible gardens: Combine potatoes with beans and marigolds for an attractive veggie bed that deters pests!
Final Word: Growing Potatoes Brings Joy—and Delicious Dinners!
Starting a potato patch can truly turn any garden, patio, or balcony into a mini farm. Homegrown potatoes taste better, store longer, and are incredibly satisfying to harvest. Remember — how to plant potatoes is simple when you follow these comprehensive steps, arm yourself with the right tools (see our Amazon picks above), and stay consistent with care.
Ready to dig in? Click on any bolded product to shop on Amazon and start your potato adventure today. Save this guide for reference, share your progress, and get ready for one of the most rewarding harvests you’ll ever enjoy!
Pin & Share: Don’t forget to pin this essential potato guide for later — and tag us with your harvest pics!
Happy planting — your stunning potato harvest awaits!
