How to Plant Potatoes for an Awesome Harvest
March is quickly approaching and with it comes the opportunity to start getting in the garden for Virginians. St. Patrick’s day is the marker for the best time for planting potatoes in the garden. Today we are going to be sharing our tips for how to plant potatoes for an awesome harvest!
Potatoes are one of my very favorite things to grow in the garden. They are the first thing I plant in the new year and are so much fun for the kids and I to dig up together in the fall. You can also get an enormous return on your investment. For example, last year we planted 30 pounds of seed potatoes and got a return of almost 500 pounds of harvested potatoes!
I am going to share with you my favorite hacks for how to plant potatoes for an awesome harvest!
Know the Moon Phases to Plant Potatoes
This may seem silly, but my granny always said to make sure the moon was in the right phase when planting your potatoes. While it may seem silly, there is science behind planting with the moon phases and I have always had exceptional luck with growing potatoes while being aware of the phase of the moon.
Always plant potatoes and other root crops during the waning phases of the moon cycle. During this time, growing energy shifts to under the surface and helps your plant get the best start in life.
Chit Potatoes Before You Plant Potatoes for Maximum Growth
Chitting potatoes is key to getting the harvest you want. What is the world is chitting you ask? Chitting is the process of sprouting your potatoes before planting. If you have ever gone into your pantry and found your potatoes looking back at you, you have then chitted potatoes.
It is important to know what kind of harvest you want. Do you want a lot of small potatoes or do you want larger potatoes? The way you chit your seed potato will depend on your yield.
I prefer to have fewer but larger potatoes so I typically will remove all put 2 or 3 eyes. I also will cut larger potatoes in half, leaving 2 to 3 sprouts on each half. If you cut potatoes, you should allow them to cure for a few days before planting to prevent rotting.
Companion Plant When You Plant Potatoes
I am a big advocate for companion planting. Companion planting is when you plant complimentary and mutually beneficial plants close to one another in order for both plants to thrive.
When it comes to potatoes, their best friend is the green bean. Green beans help to add nitrogen back to the soil that potatoes will deplete. Green beans will also help ward off the potato bug and likewise the potato helps to keep away bean beetles. It is a win win!
If you have not considered companion planting, I highly encourage it as a way to reduce pesticides in your garden!
Keep Potatoes Covered
Potatoes like the dark coolness of the soil and will quickly turn green when exposed to the sun. This green is toxic and cannot be eaten. Make sure to keep your potato rows hilled up or mulched to prevent exposure and ensure all your potatoes are delicious.
Let the Plants Die
I have a really hard time with this one, because I get so excited to see what is below ground. In order to maximize your harvest and the shelf life of your potatoes, you need to leave them in the ground until the leafy greens die back. Once the greens die, the potatoes are ready for harvest.
If you are wanting new potatoes throughout the summer, you can certainly harvest one plant at a time to throw in with a pot of fresh green beans!
How to Plant Potatoes
There are so many different ideas out there for growing potatoes and each has merit depending on where you live and the space you have. From growing in buckets to growing in ground, you really can’t go wrong with potatoes as long as you have good soil and time.
Potatoes are seriously one of the easiest, hands off plants to grow in my opinion.
When physically planting the potatoes, it is important to remember to plant the potatoes 6 to 8 inches below ground with the eyes looking up! Remember, the further you place your spuds apart the more room there is for your spuds to grow. I typically place mine about a 14 inches apart give or take, and this yields nice, big potatoes. Last year we had a 2 pounder!
As for the rows, you want to have a nice walk path to make for easy hilling. I strive for about 3 foot for a path.
How to Plant Potato FAQs
Can I just put a potato in the ground?
For best success rate, the potato should have at least one eye before planting. As long as there is a sprout present, you should have a high likelihood of a potato plant from forming.
Can you grow a potato from a store bought potato?
You sure can grow a potato plant from a store bought potato! That is the great thing about potatoes, the tuber itself is the seed. As long as there are sprouts present, put it in the ground and grow more! Each year, we have leftover potatoes from our previous harvest that have sprouted through the winter. We use these sprouted “seed” potatoes for our next years harvest, saving us money!
How many potatoes will grow from one potato?
How many potatoes you get from each planted spud will depend on how far apart you plant them and how many sprouts you had on the potato. Each sprout will yield a minimum of 3 potatoes: a large potato, a medium potato, and a new potato. With 3 sprouts on the planted spud, you are looking at an average of 9 potatoes per plant. I have had some varieties that produce more and have gotten upwards to 12 spuds per plant.
Do potatoes need a lot of water?
Potatoes do need a relatively high moisture content in the soil, but that doesn’t necessarily mean watering every day. Deeply watering once or twice a week coupled with heavy mulch of straw will keep the relative moisture at the optimal level.
To test your soil moisture, you will want to stick your finger about an inch into the soil and feel moisture. Moist dirt will cling to your finger more readily than dry dirt. If your finger comes out clean, water.
How long do potatoes take to fully grow?
Potatoes have a long growing season. Planting starts in March and you can expect plants to reach full maturity in about 90 to 100 days. You should wait until the green starts to yellow and die back before harvesting for maximum production.
Enjoy Your Awesome Potato Harvest!
I hope this article has inspired you to try to plant potatoes this year if you have not before! We love growing and harvesting potatoes as a cheap source of food for our family. Let us know in the comments below if you plan to give growing potatoes a try!
Also, if you are looking for a delicious recipe for your newly grown potatoes, check out one of our favorites, scalloped potatoes!
Happy Gardening and Healthy Eating!
