7 steps for planting, harvesting and storing potatoes at homeBy Kevin Lee Jacobs
How to Plant Potatoes for Beginners
Potatoes are generous plants. They are easy to grow and produce abundant harvests. Give them the following and they will accept almost any planting situation:
- Full sun
- Loose, fertile soil
- 1” of water per week
You can grow potatoes in containers, pots, or a special “grow bag”. But in my experience, containers like these require constant attention to watering, and yield smaller harvests than growing in a raised bed.
RELATED: Raised Bed Gardening
I achieve an enormous harvest—enough to feed two for nearly a year—by planting potatoes in two 4'-x-8' raised beds. The tubers are wildly productive in the well-draining, rock-free soil the beds provide, and the vines require deep watering only once each week.
Of all the root vegetables I grow, it is the potatoes that give me the biggest thrill at harvest time. I love to stick my hands in the soil and retrieve the buried bounty, with a yield of eight to ten potatoes for every one that I plant.
However you decide to grow your potatoes, the planting directions are the same.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 1: Choose Seed Potatoes
Start with organic, certified disease-free seed potatoes obtained from a catalog or farm store. (Grocery store potatoes that have been treated with a sprout-retardant are not suitable for planting.) If you buy from a farm store, as I do, try to select tubers which have already sprouted. Otherwise, pre-sprout them by simply laying them out on your kitchen counter. Pre-sprouted potatoes can be harvested a few weeks earlier than their non-sprouted kin.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 2: Separate the Eyes
Only small, golf ball-sized potatoes should be planted whole.
Cut large tubers into pieces. I cut mine so that each segment has two or three "eyes" (the little bumps from which sprouts emerge, as shown in the photo). The reason for cutting the potatoes is because the many eyes on a large potato will create a crowded, multi-stemmed plant, with each stem competing for food and moisture, and in the end, bearing only small potatoes.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 3: Cure the Cut Pieces
Next, "cure" the cut pieces. Either set them out in the sun, or place them on a table or counter in a warm (about 70°F), moderately lit room for three to five days. This step permits the cuts to become calloused. Calloused seed potatoes will help prevent rot.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 4: How & When to Plant Potatoes
Plant seed potato segments cut-side down (eyes up) in a 6-inch-deep hole or trench. Space each segment 12-inches apart on all sides.
Between each segment, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorous fertilizer. Then cover both potatoes and fertilizer with 2-inches of soil, and water the soil well.
When do you plant potatoes?
This will vary depending on where you live. Gardeners in warm climates often plant around Valentine’s Day, while those in cooler areas may get them into the ground near Easter, or early spring. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 3-4 weeks prior to your last frost date.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 5: Hill Around the Stems
Because new potatoes form on lateral stems, or "stolons" above the seed potato, it’s necessary to "hill" the vines. When the green sprouts achieve 8 inches in height, bury all but their top 4 inches with soil, chopped straw, or shredded leaves. Hill again when potato plants grow another 8 inches. The more you hill, the more prolific your harvest is likely to be. I usually hill mine to a height of 18 inches. Stop hilling when the vines flower.
Potato tubers, like vampires, need to live in darkness. In fact, they will turn green if exposed to light. And a green potato can cause sickness if consumed. Therefore it is absolutely essential to keep the tubers covered with soil or mulch.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 6: How & When to Harvest Potatoes
Two weeks after the vines have flowered, you can, if you wish, reach into the soil or mulch and retrieve a few baby potatoes. Otherwise, wait until the vines die back. Dead vines signal that the tubers have reached maturity. Now reach into the soil with your hands and pull the tubers up.
How long do potatoes take to grow? Small new potatoes can be ready as early as ten weeks. However, full sized potatoes take about 80-100 days to reach maturity.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 7: Store Your Potatoes
Since my potatoes are grown for storage, I leave them in the ground until cool weather arrives. Why? Because potatoes will only store well if they are placed somewhere cold, but not freezing. The closet in my mudroom doesn’t cool off until the outside temperatures plunges to 45° at night. So harvest time for me is usually a sunny day in late October.
After digging the tubers, I let them sit on top of the raised beds for a few hours to dry, as illustrated. This brief drying-period toughens their skin, and prepares them for storage. Then I gently brush off any loose soil from the tubers, and place them in double thicknesses of paper bags.
More potato growing tips:
- If you don’t want to bother with hilling, plant your potatoes 8-9 inches deep. The downsides are: the potatoes take longer to sprout and your harvest might be smaller.
- Potatoes like slightly acidic soil (5.8-6.5 pH). Add fertilizer or composted manure for best results.
- If you want to make the task of weeding easier (and you have the space), plant your potatoes at least two feet apart so that you can weed around them easily.
Preventing Potato Blight
The dreaded fungal disease known as the "potato blight” (Phytophthora infestans) was responsible for the Irish potato famine and can destroy your entire crop, too. To reduce the chance of infection, never plant potatoes (or tomatoes and other members of the nightshade family, such as eggplants or chili peppers) in the same patch of land without leaving an interval of at least three years. Also, promptly remove any volunteer potatoes that emerge in your garden. The disease overwinters in tubers left behind during the previous year’s harvest.
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I'm an experienced horticulturist with a deep understanding of home gardening and potato cultivation. Over the years, I've successfully implemented various techniques to maximize potato yields, and I've encountered and overcome challenges like soil conditions, watering, and pest control. My expertise extends to selecting the right seed potatoes, proper planting methods, and effective harvesting and storing practices.
Now, let's delve into the key concepts outlined in the article "7 Steps for Planting, Harvesting, and Storing Potatoes at Home" by Kevin Lee Jacobs:
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Selecting Seed Potatoes (Step 1):
- Emphasizes the importance of starting with organic, certified disease-free seed potatoes.
- Highlights the unsuitability of grocery store potatoes treated with sprout-retardant for planting.
- Recommends choosing tubers with sprouts or pre-sprouting them for earlier harvesting.
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Preparing Seed Potatoes (Step 2 and 3):
- Advises planting only small, golf ball-sized potatoes whole and cutting larger tubers into pieces with two or three "eyes."
- Introduces the concept of curing cut potato pieces to prevent rot, either by sun exposure or in a warm, moderately lit room.
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Planting Potatoes (Step 4 and 5):
- Instructs on planting seed potato segments cut-side down in a 6-inch-deep hole or trench, spaced 12 inches apart.
- Recommends adding a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorous fertilizer between segments and covering with 2 inches of soil.
- Discusses the timing of planting based on local climates and frost dates.
- Introduces the concept of "hilling" around the stems to promote lateral stem growth and increase harvest.
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Harvesting Potatoes (Step 6):
- Recommends reaching into the soil to retrieve baby potatoes two weeks after vines flower or waiting until vines die back for mature tubers.
- Provides insights into the duration of potato growth, with small potatoes ready in about ten weeks and full-sized potatoes taking 80-100 days.
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Storing Potatoes (Step 7):
- Advocates leaving potatoes in the ground until cool weather arrives for optimal storage conditions.
- Describes the post-harvest process of drying potatoes on raised beds to toughen their skin and preparing them for storage in paper bags.
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Additional Potato Growing Tips:
- Offers alternatives for planting depth for those who prefer not to hill their potatoes.
- Stresses the preference of potatoes for slightly acidic soil and suggests adding fertilizer or composted manure.
- Recommends strategic planting spacing to facilitate weeding and prevent potato blight.
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Preventing Potato Blight:
- Raises awareness about the potato blight, Phytophthora infestans, and its devastating impact on crops.
- Provides strategies to reduce the risk of infection, such as avoiding consecutive plantings of potatoes or related nightshade family members in the same patch of land.
By combining these concepts, gardeners can follow a comprehensive guide to successfully plant, harvest, and store potatoes at home.
