How to Plant Potatoes

Planting Potatoes – Details about what I did (See pictures in previous post.)

So I really did plant my potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day despite the cold this year.

The ones is the tote are Yukon Gold.  I don’t have as much luck with them, so I planted some of them in the tote to experiment with and some in the ground.  In the ground are blue, red, Yukon Gold.  Cal White will be planted soon.

The planting beds are about 2 ½ feet wide and 6 feet long.  There are two rows in each bed with 6 seed potatoes in each row.  Seed potatoes are the potatoes you use to grow new plants with. I save the little ones from my garden and plant them the next year.

My husband decided to dig trenches 10 inches deep this year in hopes of more potatoes.  Usually we dig about 6 to 8 inches.  We laid the little potatoes left over from last year in the trenches and placed part with the most eyes on it facing up.  Then we covered the potatoes with 2 inches of soil.

I bought a pH tester and am watching the pH this year.  The pH is currently at 7.3.  I should be 4.8 to 6.5.  When the potato plants get 4 inches tall I am going to add 2 inches of peat moss.  Peat moss will lower the pH.  The pH in peat moss is about 4.5. I could add the peat moss to the soil I took out of the ground, I think I will try this first and then mix the soil and peat moss and maybe compost for the next covering of the plants. I’m in the mood to experiment this year.

Planting Potatoes in a Container (See pictures in previous post.)

As you can see from my pictures my container is a clear tote.  It measures 32” x 13” x 13”.  A clear container is not good for planting in, because you don’t want the roots exposed to the sun and the sun makes potatoes green.  Green potatoes are poisonous.

I lined my tote with flattened 12-pack soda boxes.  They were free, sturdy, flexible, and in the recycle bin.  I then added 2 inches of soil.  I placed 4 Yukon Gold seed potatoes on top of the soil and covered it with 2 more inches of soil.  My tote does have a crack in the bottom at one end.  I will watch it so make sure the excess water can drain out through there.

You can plant your potatoes in any container that is at least 12 inches across and 12 inches tall.  Experiment like me and let me know your results. See How to Plant and Grow Potatoes for more details.

How to Plant and Grow Potatoes

Start all potatoes with certified seed potatoes.  These are free from disease.  Do not use potatoes from the store.  They are sprayed with a growth inhibitor.  If the potatoes are large, cut them into pieces with 2 or 3 eyes per piece.  The eyes are the little indentations where the sprouts grow from.  You can let the pieces dry for 24 hours if you want.  I do not take the time to do that.  I cut and plant right away.

Dig trenches about 6 to 8 inches deep.  Place your potatoes in the trenches with the eyes facing up.  Plant them about 8 inches apart. Now cover the potatoes with 2 inches of soil and wait for them to grow.

When the plants get about 4 inches tall cover them with 2 more inches of soil.  When they get 4 inches above the soil level cover them with 2 more inches of soil.  Keep doing this until you get the trenches filled back up.

Now you have the option of piling more soil around the plants, piling straw around the plants, or doing nothing.  It is up to you and how many potatoes you want. The piling is officially called “hilling up”.

Potatoes grow off of the roots.  The more roots the more potatoes.  That is why you want to keep hilling up as the plant grows.

Harvest your potatoes anytime after the plants have died or cover them once winter starts and dig them up as needed all winter if you don’t have indoor storage space.  If kept indoors they must be kept cold or they will start to grow.  I keep mine in a refrigerator that is for storing produce all winter.

Dos, Don’t, and Things You Should Know about Potatoes

Don’t eat the green potatoes that are exposed to the sun.  They are poisonous.

Keep the soil evenly moist.

Dry soil causes knobby potatoes.

Dry then wet soil can cause the new formed potatoes to start growing like seed potatoes.  It can also cause hallow centers in the potatoes.

Too much nitrogen causes brown hard spots on the skins.

Potatoes like sandy soil.

Don’t worry about the leaves freezing.  Mine do every year.

Keep the pH below 6.5 for best results. Compost, peat moss and soil sulfur lower pH.  This should be worked into to soil weeks before planting.

Fresh potatoes will cook in ½ the time or less than store bought.

It takes a day or two for the peels to harden.

I dig some tiny potatoes after the flowers bloom to have new potatoes and peas for dinner.