Even if you have a black thumb, you CAN grow potatoes! It might just be easier than you think. In this post, learn when to plant, all the planting options, when to harvest, and how to store your potatoes so you can enjoy them for as long as possible.
What’s going on with these potatoes?
I planted potatoes for the first time this year. I was delighted as I watched the potatoes start to grow. I was super excited about what kind of food growing goodness was happening where I couldn’t see it. And then… the tops died. It was a slow wilt at first and then before I knew it, my plants looked dead.
My frantic internet search led me to believe that my potatoes had blight. I was so sad that my first potato growing efforts had failed. My ancestors settled Idaho- you’d think that I had some potato growing genes!
As I went to take care of the problem plants, something deep inside of me wondered if it was really blight… maybe my plants were done growing and had simply died as they are meant to do. Because I had planted my tomatoes further away, I wasn’t worried about the potential blight spreading, so I only trimmed back the tops and walked away.
Well, actually I went on vacation and when I got home, it had been two weeks since I had trimmed the tops back. I went out, dug up my potatoes (while holding my breath in anticipation) and voila! my potatoes didn’t have blight! They had simply finished growing!
I guess I do have some potato growing genes after all. Seriously, though, I was pleasantly surprised about how easy it was to grow potatoes. Some of the feedback we have gotten from club members is that potatoes are a favorite… especially with the kids. My own kid requested we grow french fries, so there you go!
Potato Varieties. Did you know there were so many different kinds?
There are three types of potato varieties- early, mid-season, and late potatoes.
Early potatoes are often referred to as new potatoes. These potatoes are harvested in early to mid-summer. They are young and tender and are meant to be eaten right away. They tend to be smaller in size.
Mid-season potatoes are harvested in mid to late summer and are meant to be used as storage potatoes. They are larger than early potatoes.
Late potatoes are the largest and the best for storage. They are harvest late summer to autumn. Storage potatoes will last quite awhile when stored correctly.
There are many varieties of potatoes amongst these three types, so you have plenty to choose from. New and storage potatoes are harvested at different times, so keep that in mind when planning your garden and which type of potato is right for you!
Planting Potatoes
Potatoes are best planted 0-2 weeks after the last frost. If an unexpected frost comes after the plant is growing above ground, be sure to cover the plant so that it is not injured by the frost (trust me… you will want to do this!)
To plant, dig a trench that about 6 inches wide and 8 inches deep and tapers down to about 3 inches wide. Add rotten manure or compost to the bottom.
Be sure to use seed potatoes. If the seed potato is smaller than an egg (about golf-ball size), then plant the whole thing! If it is larger than this, cut the potato into pieces, leaving about 2-3 eyes per piece.
You get bonus points (and better potatoes) if buds are protruding from the potato. Cut the potatoes a day or two before you plant to allow the pieces to form a protective layer that protects it from rot.
Place the potato in the trench cut side down every 12-14 inches (1 per square foot if using the square foot gardening method). Cover the potatoes with 3-4 inches of soil.
A couple of weeks later, you will see the potato begin to sprout. When the plant is about 6 inches tall, then add another 3-4 inches of soil… be sure to leave a couple of inches of plant exposed.
Continue to add 3-4 inches of soil every couple of weeks until you have a hill that is about 4-5 inches tall. One of the reasons that you want to do this is so that potatoes growing near the top of the soil line are not exposed to sunlight. When this happens, they turn green and bitter. Let those potato vampire babies stay in the darkness! You also get more potatoes when you hill around the plant.
You can also mulch the potatoes with 8-10 inches of straw, which will act as a great layer protection against weeds and water loss.
You don’t need to grow potatoes in a dedicated garden space. That’s part of what makes them so fun! They can also be grown in containers of all kinds and potato towers.
Lauresa recently tried out growing her potatoes in a DIY potato tower and is loving it.
How to Make Your Own Potato Tower
Potato towers are quite easy to construct and you get loads of potatoes. You will need some wire fencing, a t-post, straw, seed potatoes, potting soil and compost or aged manure.
Make a cylinder about 2-3 feet in diameter with the wire fencing. Use your t-post to keep it from falling over. Just drive it into the ground somewhere along the edge. Note that Lauresa removed the grass around the area to avoid weed-whacking or grass growing up the wire fencing.
The next part has two stages:
Stage 1: Line the bottom and sides with straw, then add about a six inches of soil mixed with compost or aged manure. On top of each layer of soil, add about 4-6 seed potatoes with the eyes pointed out.
As you build, keep a layer of straw on the perimeter of the cylinder and the soil in the middle. There should be about 8-12 inches of soil between each layer of seed potatoes.
Stage 2: Once you get halfway up, stop! Top your tower with a layer of straw. Now wait for those lower potatoes to sprout before continuing your planting to the top. Top the tower with more straw when you reach the top.
Now you can just leave your tower be, other than giving it a good soak once a week. You’ll have a green potato bush in a few weeks!
This potato tower used:
3 feet steel galvanized fencing
one 6 foot t-post
1/3 of a bale of straw
2 bags of compost
1 large bag of potting soil
6 pounds of seed potatoes
When it’s time to harvest the potatoes, simply knock the tower over and search for the potatoes! We recommend knocking the tower onto a tarp for easier clean up! Find out when to harvest below.
If you replicate Lauresa’s potato tower, here are two suggestions for improvement. First, move the tower far enough from the house that it gets sun from all sides. Second, make sure to plant either new potatoes OR storage potatoes, since you’ll need to harvest them all at once and these finish growing at different times. Red potatoes worked great!
How do I know if my potatoes are done growing?
Okay. Now for the most asked potato related question (and one that I obviously had)… how do you know when your potatoes are ready for harvest?
New potatoes are ready to be harvested when blossoms appear on the plant. Don’t wait for the plant to die back, simply dig in and harvest the potatoes you need… leave the rest in the ground for later. The longer the potatoes stay in the ground, the fatter they will get, but don’t leave them for more than 2-3 weeks after the plants stops flowering You can also stagger your planting to keep you in potatoes for most of the summer!
Storage potatoes are almost ready when the leaves turn yellow and dry and then die back. Why almost? At this point, you will want to trim the plant down to the ground and then leave the potatoes in the ground for 2 weeks. This process is known as curing and is essential to extending the shelf life of storage potatoes.
After 2 weeks, harvest carefully using a garden fork or gloved hands.
Potato Preservation and Storage
Storage potatoes will need to undergo an additional curing stage after they are harvested. To cure, leave the potatoes in a single layer on newspaper or cardboard in a cool place with good ventilation. Some people recommend high humidity as well. You will leave the potatoes for 5-14 days.
After curing is complete, potatoes can be stored in brown paper sacks or cardboard boxes in a cool, dark place. A root cellar, cool basem*nt or garage works best. Do not store them in the fridge or freezer.
Potatoes are fun to grow! Some people claim it’s an art form, but we recommend giving them a go. Are you growing potatoes this year? And how do you store your potatoes? Lauresa and I are in hot humid areas with no basem*nt or cellars, so we’d love to hear your suggestions!
Potato Fast Facts
Crop Rotation Group: Root Plats
Planting Method: Direct Sow
Structural Support: None Needed
Number per Square Foot: 1
Days to Harvest: 70 days for new potatoes. 120 days for storage potatoes.
