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The Ultimate Guide to Growing Potatoes: From Planting to Harvest

Potatoes are a rewarding crop to grow in your garden, and with a bit of preparation and care, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you plant, care for, and harvest your potatoes, whether you’re growing them in the ground or in containers.

1. Preparing Seed Potatoes

When to Plant: February is the ideal time to start planting your potatoes.

How to Prepare:

1. Cutting: Slice your seed potatoes into 2- to 3-ounce pieces, ensuring each piece has 2-3 "eyes" (sprouts).
2. Curing: Lay the cut pieces on paper and let them dry for about 3-4 days.
3. Dusting: Coat the pieces with dusting sulfur to protect against diseases.

Fertilization: Since potatoes are heavy feeders, mix garden fertilizer into the soil before planting.

2. Planting Potatoes

Steps:

1. Digging: Create a trough about 6-8 inches deep and 4 inches wide.
2. Spacing: Place the seed potato pieces in the trough. Space them 12 inches apart for standard-size potatoes or 15 inches apart for larger ones. For baby potatoes, plant as close as 4 inches apart.
3. Covering: Cover the seed potatoes with 3-4 inches of soil mixed with straw to keep the soil loose and aerated. Save some of the dug-out compost/soil to use for hilling later.

3. Hilling Potatoes

Why Hilling Matters: Hilling helps protect the growing tubers from sunlight, which can turn them green and toxic. It also encourages more tuber production.

How to Hill:

1. First Hilling: When the plants reach 8-12 inches tall, mound 3-4 inches of soil or straw around the stems.
2. Subsequent Hillings: Repeat hilling 2-3 weeks later, and then add 1-2 inches of soil weekly as the plants grow.

Moisture Management: Ensure the soil is well-drained and avoid letting it stay soggy. Water early in the day to prevent moisture from sitting on the foliage overnight. Treat any fungal spots with an organic fungicide.

Watering: During flowering, which indicates tuber formation, ensure the plants receive enough water. For baby potatoes, you can start harvesting 2-3 weeks after flowering. For larger potatoes, wait until the foliage has died down in late fall.

4. Growing Potatoes in Containers

Why Containers? Growing potatoes in containers is perfect for small spaces and simplifies harvesting.

Choosing a Container: Use a large bin, trash can, Tupperware, or burlap sack. Ensure containers have drainage holes or use breathable materials like burlap.

Planting:

1. Preparation: Fill the container one-third full with a well-drained garden soil mix and add garden fertilizer.
2. Seed Potatoes: Cut seed potatoes into 2-inch chunks with several eyes. Plant them 5-7 inches apart, covering with 3 inches of moist soil.
3. Adding Soil: As the plants grow to 7 inches, add more soil, continuing until the container is full.

Watering: Keep the soil moist but not soggy.

5. Harvesting Potatoes from Containers

When to Harvest:

• After the plants flower and turn yellow.
• For new potatoes, you can start harvesting 2-3 weeks after flowering.

How to Harvest:

1. Stopping Watering: When the plants turn yellow, stop watering and wait a week.
2. Harvesting: Dump the container or dig through the soil to collect the potatoes.
3. Curing: Clean the potatoes and let them cure for two weeks before storing.

By following these tips, you can enjoy a successful potato harvest whether you’re growing them in your garden or in containers. Happy planting!