A Complete Guide to Growing the Best Potatoes in Your Garden 🥔 www.SeedsNow.com

Preparing your seed potatoes: 

When your potatoes arrive, make sure if they have already begun to sprout that you leaves these sprouts on.  Breaking them off can delay growth and even limit the amount of vines that eventually will emerge from your seed potato. Seed potatoes that are roughly the size of an egg may be planted whole, but if they are larger make sure to cut them into smaller pieces, each one with a strong eye if possible.

Where to plant your seed potatoes:

When choosing a location try to find soil that is deep, loose and well-drained. Most of the varieties we carry will have aggressive root systems which will benefit from moisture retentive soil as well. Even if your soil is less than ideal, keep in mind that potatoes are quite adaptable and will produce decently even in less than quality soil.  Aim for a pH ranging from 5.2-6.8. When fertilizing don't give your potatoes too much nitrogen. If you do, they'll grow plenty of leafy vines but won’t produce very many tubers.

When and how to plant your seed potatoes:

For optimum growth, the soil temperature should range from 55 deg. F. to 70 deg. F. The width between rows and overall plant spacing is determined by the size of your garden, however, gardeners can get by with as little as 2 feet between rows. Dig a shallow trench about 6-8 inches deep and plant the seed pieces 10-14 inches apart in this trench. Using a rake, cover the seed with 3-4 inches of soil. Do not fill the trench completely. 

Use "hilling" techniques while your potatoes are growing:

When the stems are about 8 inches high, gently hill the vines up with soil scraped from both sides of the row with a hoe. Leave about half of the vine exposed. Hilling puts the root system deeper where the soil is cooler while the just scraped-up soil creates a light fluffy medium for the tubers to develop into. All tubers will form between the seed piece and the surface of the soil. Another hilling will be needed in another 2-3 weeks and yet another as well, 2 weeks after the second. On subsequent hilling, add only an inch or two of soil to the hill, but make sure there is enough soil atop the forming potatoes that they don't push out of the hill and get exposed to light.

Harvesting your Potatoes:

Try to wait for the tops of your plants to die back naturally, so your harvest will be a little bigger and your potatoes just a tad richer. Dry soil is definitely preferred when harvesting; the tubers come up a lot cleaner and with much less effort. Once the tops are dead, rest the tubers in the ground, undisturbed for two weeks to "cure," while the skins toughen up, protecting the tubers from scuffing and bruising during harvest and storage. It is better to harvest in the cool morning hours.

Shop all Organic Seed Potatoes!

To learn more, visit:

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published

BECOME A BRAND AMBASSADOR! Join the affiliate team

Earn a 25% commission from every sale you refer. Learn More ◆ Affiate Program Registration

Already have an affiliate account?
Login/Affiliate Dashboard

FEATURED POSTS

VIEW ALL BLOG POSTS
Your Guide to Gardening Through all 4 Seasons

Your Guide to Gardening Through all 4 Seasons

As the weather becomes consistently cold (in late October and early November, in the upper Midwest), you can work at preparing your garden for winter. There are several aspects to winter preparation.
How to Deal with Squash Bugs

How to Deal with Squash Bugs

Squash bugs can destroy crops and are quite the nuisance. Check your squash plants daily for signs of squash bugs and their eggs.   What to look...
How to Save 🍅 Tomato Seeds

How to Save 🍅 Tomato Seeds

There are several ways that you can save your heirloom tomato seeds, but here are two of the most popular techniques.  Fermentation Method: Choos...
How To Tell When 🍆 Eggplant Is Ripe

How To Tell When 🍆 Eggplant Is Ripe

Eggplant is a versatile fruit often used in Italian dishes such as ratatouille, caponata, and lasagna. Eggplant easily absorbs the flavors of wh...
Start these NOW for a fall garden!

Start these NOW for a fall garden!

Summer will soon be over but having a thriving vegetable garden doesn't have to end when summer does. With a little bit of planning, and p...
How Many Plants a 12″ Container?

How Many Plants a 12″ Container?

Here is a suggested number of plants that will grow successfully in a 12″ container. It would be a waste of money and time to start more seeds...
Why Won't My Root Veggies Grow?

Why Won't My Root Veggies Grow?

You’ve put in all the work, planted your root veggies with care and all season you’ve been eyeing their gorgeous leafy green tops and waited with a...
Seed Planting & Spacing Guide (printable)

Seed Planting & Spacing Guide (printable)

← GO BACK TO GROW GUIDES Here is a cheat sheet you can save to reference all of the planting and spacing specs for each of your seeds. Click on the...

SHOP OUR ENTIRE SEED CATALOG

Browse through hundreds of different varieties

📙 SEED CATALOG {A - Z}
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

ENTER THE SEED SHOP ❱

YOU RECENTLY VIEWED