Eating Garden

How to Grow Potatoes

Solanum tuberosum

A cool-season vegetable grown from small seed potatoes or pieces, with the harvest forming out of sight under loose soil.

At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Takes some care

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

    6 to 10 hours of sun a day

  • Water

    Average thirst

  • First harvest

    90 to 120 days

    from sowing

  • Plant spacing

    8 to 12 in apart

More about this plant

Start with certified seed potatoes, keep the developing tubers covered and water evenly while they form. You can dig small new potatoes after flowering or wait for the tops to die back for a storage crop.

  • Grows for one season.
  • Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
  • A good one to grow together with children.

Optional local dates

Planting dates where you live

The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.

Optional local dates

Get planting dates for where you live

Save a city or a U.S. ZIP so we can turn local frost records into useful dates. Every crop guide still works without this.

A U.S. ZIP uses official NOAA frost records. Other countries use weather-station records, or a climate reconstruction where stations are missing. Coordinates are used once and not stored. We save only a place label and climate summary in a private browser cookie. You can clear it anytime.

Helpful gardening guides

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

  • Sow outdoors 0 to 3 weeks before your last spring frostPlant when the soil is workable and at least 45°F. Potatoes handle a light frost, but not a hard freeze.
  • Ready to pick about 90 to 120 days from sowing.

What you need

  • How to start itFrom seedYou can sow it straight into the ground.
  • How deep to plant3 to 5 in
    Planting depth: 3 to 5 in below the soil surface. Drawing is not to scale.
  • How far apart8 to 12 inLeave 24 to 36 in between rows.
    Leave 8 to 12 in between plants and 24 to 36 in between rows. View from above; drawing is not to scale.

Step by step

  1. Buy certified seed potatoesChoose firm, disease-free seed potatoes. Grocery-store potatoes may carry disease or be treated to prevent sprouting.
  2. Plant in warming soilSet whole small potatoes or cut pieces 3 to 5 inches deep, with the cut side down and at least one good eye on each piece.
  3. Leave room for each plantSpace pieces 8 to 12 inches apart and keep 24 to 36 inches between rows.
  4. Hill soil around the stemsWhen stems reach about a foot tall, mound soil around them. Repeat as needed so developing potatoes never see sunlight.
  5. Water deeply and evenlyAim for about an inch a week while tubers form, adjusted for rain and your soil.
  6. Choose your harvestDig a few tender new potatoes after flowering, or wait until the tops die back for potatoes that store longer.
  7. Let storage skins toughenLeave mature tubers in the ground for about two weeks after the tops die back, then dig in dry soil.

Common mistakes

  • Planting grocery-store potatoesThey may carry disease or have been treated to stop sprouting. Use certified seed potatoes.
  • Letting tubers see sunlightUncovered potatoes turn green. Keep hilling soil around the stems as the plants grow.
  • Swinging between dry and soaked soilUneven water can cause cracks, hollow centers and misshapen potatoes.
  • Digging storage potatoes too soonWait for the tops to die back, then give the skins about two more weeks to toughen.

Water

Average thirst

Give about an inch of water a week when rain is lacking. Soak deeply once or twice rather than sprinkling the leaves each day.

  • Too dry
  • About right
  • Too wet
  • If it goes drySuffers quickly when dryTuber growth slows and potatoes may become knobby, hollow or misshapen.
  • If it stays wetRots quickly in wet groundTubers crack or rot and leaf diseases spread more easily.

Looking after it

  • FeedingAn occasional feed helpsFollow a soil test. If more feeding is needed, add it as the plants begin active growth rather than late in the season.
  • MulchAfter hilling, a thick layer of clean straw helps keep the soil cool and evenly moist.

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: New potatoes are ready after the plants flower. Storage potatoes are ready after the tops die back and the skins no longer rub off easily with a thumb.

Dig on a dry day with a garden fork, starting away from the plant so you do not spear the tubers. Use cut or bruised potatoes first.

  • Keeping itKeeps 180 to 240 daysLeave unwashed storage potatoes in a dark, airy place until their skins are firm, then keep them in a cool, dark, ventilated box or bag. Do not store green or damaged potatoes.

Common problems

  • Aphids

    Common, worth watching for

    Check curled or sticky leaves and use a correct diagnosis before treating.

    What to look for: Clusters on the tips and under leaves, sticky leaves, and ants running up the stems.

    What to do & prevention

    Prevention: Do not overfeed with nitrogen, which makes the soft growth they love. Leave a few flowers nearby for ladybirds.

    What to do: Knock them off with a jet of water, or rub them off by hand. Insecticidal soap for a heavy attack.

  • Early blight

    Common, worth watching for

    Brown leaf spots can spread upward and reduce the plant's ability to feed its tubers.

    What to look for: Brown spots with rings inside them, like a target, on the lower leaves first.

    What to do & prevention

    Prevention: Mulch so rain cannot splash soil onto the leaves. Do not grow tomatoes in the same spot two years running.

    What to do: Take off the affected leaves as soon as you see them and keep the plant fed and watered.

Is this right for you?

Cool spring weather and moderate summer temperatures. Hot soil slows tuber growth, while hard freezes damage the plants.

  • LightFull sunAbout 6 to 10 hours of direct sun a day.
  • ShadeNeeds full light
  • SeasonA cool season cropUsually grown in spring.
  • FrostSurvives a light frost
  • HeatStruggles in heat

Soil

  • Soil pH6.0 to 6.5A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
  • Soil it likesSandy, Loam
  • DrainageWants well drained ground
  • RichnessAverage ground is fine

Add finished compost or other organic matter to help the soil stay loose, hold steady moisture and drain well.

Use a soil test before adding fertilizer. Wet, heavy ground raises the risk of rot and misshapen tubers.

The year at a glance

Measured from your last spring frost, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

  1. Sow outdoors

    0 to 3 weeks before your last spring frost

Questions people ask

When can I dig new potatoes?

Try a few once the plants have flowered, often about 6 to 8 weeks after planting.

Why are my potatoes green?

Light reached the tubers. Keep them covered with soil or mulch, and do not eat green parts.

Why are my potatoes misshapen or hollow?

Uneven moisture is one common cause. Keep the soil from swinging between very dry and very wet while tubers form.

Can I wash potatoes before storing them?

No. Brush off loose dry soil and wash them when you are ready to cook. Damp skins spoil faster in storage.

Also filed under: Vegetables

Where this came from

Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

Sources & review dates
Looking after it
University of Minnesota Extension, Growing potatoes in home gardens · checked 2026-09-15 · Hilling and mulch
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