How to Grow Potatoes
Instruction & Advice for Growing Potato Plants
in Your Vegetable Garden
| Nutrition | Watering Instructions | Harvesting |
| Climate | Fertilizing Instructions | Storage |
| Soil | Challenges | Tips |
| Planting |
*** Easy to Grow! ***
This South American vegetable is grown for its starchy tubers (roots). Rumor has it that many years ago, Europeans were very suspicous about and feared potatoes. It's popularity thrived when it was discovered that it could survive both at high altitudes and in colder temperatures (places where corn, another common starch staple, couldn't).
With so many specialty markets, there are a wide variety of crops to chose from. You can grow potato varieties with the skin ranging in color from cream, to red, to purple, and even blue.
Use an early variety for summer use, and a later variety for storage for the winter.
Mulching will help increase your crop yield.
Some gardeners with large containers, grow potatoes in the pots. However, the small yield is not usually enough to warrant the effort.
Gardening Advice Tip: Consider reviewing the companion planting guide when picking a location for the potato patch in your garden.
Potatoes are also considered a cleaning crop, in that planted in a new garden space, will help prepare the soil for other plants in other seasons.
Nutrition Information: (back to top)
Under optimal growing conditions, potato offers: Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, Chromium, Iron, Manganese, Vitamin C, B6
Climate & Growing Conditions: (back to top)
Potatoes will grow in all climates, but care needs to be taken in timing, as they don’t care for extreme heat or for frost.
This vegetable will grow best in full sun.
How to Prepare the Garden Soil: (back to top)
Potatoes grow best in a garden of well-drained soil. Also, the garden soils must be friable (crumbly) and high in compost/manure. The looser (and deeper) your potato garden soil, the bigger your potatoes can grow.
For your most productive gardening this vegetable, the soil pH should be at around 5.0 to 6.0. (Instructions for testing your garden soil pH level)
How to Plant Potatoes: (back to top)
Planting time depends largely upon the variety used. Check the instructions from your nursery or supplier. Generally speaking, plant potatoes as soon in the spring as the garden soil can be worked.
Unlike most other garden plants, with potatoes, you will plant "seed pieces." Seed pieces are chunks of potato with eyes (sprouts).
Plant seed pieces in rows that are two feet apart to allow room to grow. Dig the rows 6” deep, then add a layer of fertilizer along the bottom (some sources recommend up to 2" of fertilizer. Use your own discretion, based upon the quality of your garden soil). Then cover the fertilizer with 2" of garden soil. On top of the soil, lay the seed pieces 14" apart. Fill in the rest of the space with soil and rake evenly.
Alternatively, you can cover the seed pieces with 10” of decomposing straw or mulch, then 4” of rich crumbly soil. Keep moist. The potatoes grow in the straw.
As the plant grows, hill dirt up around it for support and to keep sunlight and insects from the vegetable crop growing beneath.
Gardening Advice Tip: Keep weeds down, but be careful not to disturb the potato's root system when pulling weeds.
How to Water: (back to top)
Water this vegetable regularly over the gardening season to promote smoother and bigger tubers. Cut back on watering as you get close to the harvest period though.
You may have succes in using the channels between rows for more effectively irrigating your potato patch.
How to Fertilize: (back to top)
Prepare your potato garden plot by digging in a high phosphorus fertilizer. Compost and well-rotted manure also are welcome additions to your potato plot's soil.
Gardening Challenges: (back to top)
Potato moth is the most common pest. It will attack any potato tubers that peak out of the garden soil.
If you have aphids in the garden, they may spread mosaic disease.
If you're in a gardening climate that is high in humidity, you may see blight (a fungus infestation).
Remember, don't compost or recycle infected plants. Remove them immediately from your garden and dispose of them.
Gardening Advice Tip: Practice good vegetable gardening by rotating your crops within your garden space with each new season. This will prevent many plant diseases.
How to Harvest Potatoes: (back to top)
One month after the plants have flowered (the leaves will have turned yellow), you can harvest small “new” or young potatoes.
For larger mature potatoes, wait until the plant dies down, then carefully lift/dig the potatoes.
It is easy to bruise this vegetable or to damage the skin when harvesting. This negatively affects their ability to store long-term in your cellar, so be gentle when harvesting.
Harvest your potato crop promptly when the leaves die down. There is no advantage to leaving the plants in your garden for a longer period (in fact, doing so may actually hurt your crop).
After they’ve been dug, leave the potatoes on the ground in your garden (in dry weather) for two or three hours (but no longer) to harden the skins before storing. (If they’re exposed for more than 3 hours, they’ll start to turn green and unusable.)
How to freeze Potatoes (back to top)
Wash and scrub potatoes (peel, if desired), and slice or dice. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes. Immerse in an ice-water bath for 5 minutes. Drain potatoes well and pack in freezer bags. Seal, label and freeze potatoes up to 6 months.
Mashed potatoes can also be frozen.
Cold Storage (back to top)
Store potatoes in burlap or paper sacks in a cool dark cellar (the ideal temperature is around 45 degrees). Be careful not to bruise the potatoes as you dig or transport them, or they’ll be more likely to rot.
Periodically examine your stored crop in the cellar for any with symptoms of rotting. Promptly remove any rotten potatoes, so they don’t spoil the rest of your harvested crop.
How to Dehydrate / Dry Potatoes (back to top)
Scrub, peel (optional) and rinse. Dice, grate or cut into ¼” slices. Soak in ascorbic acid or lemon juice solution for 5 minutes and drain. Dehydrate at 100 degrees for 8 hours or until crisp. To rehydrate, soak in cold water for 30 minutes, drain and pat dry. (If you don’t pretreat potatoes, they will turn black.)
Canning Potatoes (back to top)
NOTE: This is only a guideline. If not canned properly very dangerous (life-threatening) bacteria can grow undetected in your jars. Be sure to follow standard sanitation and canning procedures, as outlined in your canning cookbook or by your local county extension office. Also, follow your specific canner's manufacturer's instructions.
Note: processing time given is for at sea level. If you're above sea level, the cooking time will be longer. Again, check with your local county extension office for conversion rates for your area, to ensure that you're producing a safe canned food product.Your local county extension office may also be able to test your pressure cooker's gauge for accuracy.
Scrub, peel, and wash potatoes. Cut large potatoes into sections, leave small potatoes whole. Place in a pot, covering potatoes with water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain.
Pack hot potatoes into hot jars. Leave 1" space at top of jar. Add 1/2 tsp salt per pint, or 1 tsp salt per quart jar. Fill the jars with boiling water, leaving 1" space at the top of the jar. Use a rubber spatulat to remove air bubbles. Apply sterilized caps. Process at 10 lbs pressure, pints for 35 minutes, and quart jars for 30 minutes.
NOTE: Be sure to follow your pressure cooker's manufacturer supplied instructions for safety.
Follow your canning cookbook's instructions for removing, cooling and storing the jars.
Gardening Advice Tips (back to top)
Have a helpful gardening tip (or even a fun story) to share about your potato growing experience? Share it with us at: gardeningtips@howtogardenadvice.com
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