How to grow Potatoes
Solanum tuberosum
Plant in spring, dig buried treasure.
Potatoes thrive in the cool weather of spring. Plant a few weeks before your last frost, hill them up as they grow, and you'll be digging your own potatoes by midsummer — kids love the treasure hunt.
Grow Potatoes with step-by-step help for your exact yard.
Start free in Seededly →Potatoes at a glance
| Sun | Full sun |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 5.0–6.0 |
| Spacing | 12 in |
| Harvest | Jul → Sep |
| Plant | Mid-April |
| Seed | Seed potatoes |
How to grow Potatoes, step by step
Get seed potatoes
- Buy certified seed potatoes (not grocery ones).
- Cut large ones so each piece has 1–2 eyes; let them dry a day.
Plant & hill
- Plant 4 in deep, 12 in apart, in mid-April.
- As shoots grow, mound soil or straw over the stems — “hilling” makes more potatoes and keeps them from greening.
Harvest
- Dig “new potatoes” a couple weeks after flowering.
- For storage potatoes, wait until the tops die back, then dig and cure in a dark, airy spot.
Potatoes problems & fixes
Potatoes — Green patches on the potatoes: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Exposed to light. Hill soil over them and store in the dark; cut green parts off before eating.
Potatoes — Chewed leaves, striped beetles: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Colorado potato beetle. Pick off the beetles and orange egg clusters by hand.
Potatoes — Rotten tubers: what's wrong and how do I fix it?
Too wet, or blight. Plant in well-drained soil and don’t harvest into wet ground.
Recommended potatoes varieties
- Yukon Gold — Best all-rounder. Buttery, all-purpose, and reliable everywhere.
- Kennebec — High-yield. Productive and stores well; great for fries.
- Red Pontiac — Red. Easy red-skinned potato with tender flesh.
Potatoes month-by-month
| January | Order seed potatoes. |
|---|---|
| February | Chit (sprout) them in light. |
| March | Cut and dry seed pieces. |
| April | Plant mid-month; start hilling. |
| May | Hill again; flowers form. |
| June | Dig the first new potatoes. |
| July | Main harvest of earlies. |
| August | Tops die back — dig storage spuds. |
| September | Finish digging; cure them. |
| October | Beds cleared. |
| November | Storing in a cool, dark spot. |
| December | Plan next year — rotate the bed. |