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Oct 19, 2024

Growing Potatoes: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Potatoes | The Old Farmer's Almanac

Also receive the Almanac Daily newsletter including gardening tips, weather, astronomical events, and more. Have you ever thought about growing potatoes? To us, potatoes epitomize the joy of

Also receive the Almanac Daily newsletter including gardening tips, weather, astronomical events, and more.

Have you ever thought about growing potatoes? To us, potatoes epitomize the joy of gardening—satisfying to plant, quick to grow, and fun to dig up. Our Potato Growing Guide covers planting, growing, harvesting, and storing potatoes.

Potatoes aren’t fussy vegetables, which makes them a fabulous choice for first-time growers. They do well in most soils and almost always produce plenty to hunt for at harvest time. That said, you can do a few things to elevate your crop.

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a cool-weather vegetable that typically yields bigger crops in the northern portion of the United States; however, they can be grown as a winter crop in warmer climates. Potatoes are related to peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants but are adapted to higher elevations and harsher growing conditions; the Incas in Peru first documented them. According to the Maine Potato Board, this vegetable arrived in the American Colonies in 1621 when the Governor of Bermuda sent potatoes to the Governor of Virginia at Jamestown.

The edible part of the potato is the underground “tuber,” an enlarged storage portion of the potato plant. The tuber develops from underground stems called “stolons” once the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall or around 5 to 7 weeks after planting.

Potatoes are nuggets of goodness. The nutrient-rich skin provides 45% of your daily vitamin C and 18% of potassium, plus many more nutrients.

Despite the limited options in the grocery store, gardeners know there’s much more to potatoes than the traditional Idaho white potato. There are over 100 types of potatoes, varying in skin color, flesh color, and size from large to fingerling! Floury types are perfect for roasting or mashing, while firm, waxy potatoes are superb boiled or as salad potatoes. You can learn all about potato varieties in the section below.

Potatoes for planting are called “seed potatoes” and are usually sold in bags or netting. The planting season for seed potatoes starts in the spring, two to four weeks before the last frost.

You’ll need a location with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight and fertile, loose, well-draining soil; hard or compacted soil leads to misshapen tubers. Ideally, the soil is slightly acidic (pH 5.8 to 6.5), and the soil temperature is at least 45º to 55ºF (7° to 13°C). In the fall, mix compost or organic matter into the soil. Learn more about compost, soil amendments, and preparing the soil for planting.)

Garden potatoes can be planted 2 to 4 weeks before the average last frost date. The soil temperature should be at least 55°F during the day and 45°F at night. However, pay more attention to the soil than the calendar to determine planting time. The soil should not be so wet that it sticks together and is hard to work. Let it dry out a bit first. If you have a late and wet spring, you can plant later—through April (depending on location) or even June, especially in containers.

In cooler regions, the early-maturing potatoes are usually planted early to mid-April. In warmer regions, planting times range from September to February; in central Florida, gardeners plant potatoes in January; in Georgia, they plant in February.

See our Planting Guide for the best dates to plant by zip code or postal code.

Potatoes for planting are called “seed potatoes” and are usually sold in bags or netting. Use certified (disease-resistant) seed potatoes from which eyes (buds) protrude. (Do not confuse seed potatoes with potato seeds or grocery produce.

When you get them, break them free, lay them out in a tray (such as an old egg carton), and pop them somewhere bright and frost-free to sprout—such as an indoor windowsill. This is a process called “chitting.” It’s not essential, but chitting helps speed things along so that by the time the potatoes are planted, they’ll be primed and itching to send out roots.

As the video below shows, after a month of chitting, the potatoes produced stout, stocky, green sprouts, which is exactly what we’re after; we don’t want the long, pale sprouts you get when potatoes are left in the dark. But if you haven’t had a chance to chit your potatoes and it’s already time to plant, don’t worry—get them in the ground.

A great way to get more seed potatoes for free is to cut them in half. But only do this if they’ve got plenty of “eyes,” which appear as small dimples and are where the sprouts emerge from. For this reason, you want to place the end with the most eyes facing upwards.

At least two days before planting, use a clean, sharp paring knife to cut large potatoes into golf ball-size pieces, with one to two eyes each. This time allows the pieces to heal or form a protective layer over the cut surface, improving both moisture retention and rot resistance. Do not cut up seed potatoes that are smaller than a hen’s egg; plant them whole.

There are different approaches to planting potatoes. (See a demonstration in the above video, if needed.)

Note: In cool growing seasons, potato vines may sport berries. The berries are the fruit. Cut one open and see how it resembles its cousin, the tomato. Potato berries are poisonous and inedible. Plus, their seeds will not produce potato plants that resemble the parent. Discard them.

Practice yearly crop rotation with potatoes in order to avoid pests and diseases.

There are three classifications for potatoes based on when you harvest (vs. when you plant). If you harvest for storage, be sure to choose the right type:

Also, decide on the texture and flavor of your potatoes, and how you’d like to eat them:

Some popular potato varieties, such as ‘Yukon Gold’, fall somewhere in between truly waxy and mealy.

There are over 100 potato plant varieties! Go beyond the Idaho potato to explore more exotic and delicious options. See our article on choosing the best potato varieties!

Early Varieties:

Mid-Season Varieties

Late Varieties

Harvesting potatoes is fun! It’s like unearthing nature’s treasures. Harvest potatoes on dry days. Dig up gently, being careful not to puncture the tubers. Avoid cutting or bruising potato skin. The soil should not be compacted, so digging should be easy. Potatoes can tolerate light frost, but when the first hard frost is expected, it’s time to get out the shovels and start digging potatoes.

Harvesting at the right stage keeps tubers from sitting about too long and upping the chances of a slug or disease attack, particularly for maincrop spuds.

Earlies are the first to be lifted, usually while the plants are still in flower. Your tubers should be about the size of a hen’s egg or a touch bigger, but it’s up to you how big you want them. Use a fork and work your way in from the edge of the plant, taking care to avoid stabbing into the potatoes themselves. Once you’ve loosened the plants, you can lift them to expose most of the spuds, but be sure to dig around in the soil for any you’ve missed!

Dig up maincrop spuds once the foliage is dying back towards the end of the growing season. I find it easier to cut back the foliage before digging up the potatoes on a dry day. Leave the potatoes on the soil surface for a few hours so the skin can dry off a bit. Don’t leave them there any longer, or they may start to turn green.

Extra tips for knowing when and how to dig up potatoes:

If you are harvesting potatoes to eat within a few days, storage is not an issue. You can store anywhere. To store potatoes for keeping, however, you need a dark, cool (38° to 40°F) place; if it’s too warm, potatoes will sprout and be susceptible to disease. Also, it needs to be somewhat humid; potatoes are 80% water, so if it’s too dry, potatoes wither and dry out.

If you happen to have a damp cellar, you’re all set! Otherwise, consider an extra refrigerator set a few degrees higher than normal with tubers in dark-colored plastic bags that are perforated (with many holes cut in the side) for air movement. Avoid all light to prevent greening. Or, consider an unheated entrance, spare room, closet, attic, cabinet, or insulated garage. To elevate humidity, you could place large pans of water in front of air source.

Even after harvest, potatoes still use oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, so they must have fresh air and ventilation. Never put potatoes in airtight containers. Use perforated bags, as mentioned above. Do not store potatoes with apples; the fruit’s ethylene gas causes spoilage.

Find more tips on getting potatoes ready for the root cellar.

What I say is that if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.–A. A. Milne, English writer (1882–1956)

Folklore offers many “best days” for planting potatoes:

Did you know: Potato promoter Antoine Parmentier convinced Marie Antoinette to wear potato blossoms in her hair.

Grated potatoes are said to soothe sunburnt skin.

The most common potato disease is scab, which causes rough, scabby patches on the skin. These can be peeled off along with the skin, so it’s not all bad. But scabby potatoes ain’t half ugly! So avoid scab in the first place by watering to keep the soil consistently moist at the critical time when tubers are developing—basically once the foliage has started to bush out. Adding compost or other organic matter to the soil before planting should help improve water retention, too. It’s also worth seeking out scab-resistant varieties.

Potato blight, or late blight, is a little trickier to dodge. It strikes after a period of warm, wet weather, seemingly out of the blue. Blight causes dark patches on the leaves as it takes hold—then it spreads with devastating speed, killing off your entire crop. There are a few blight-resistant varieties, but the choice is very limited. The good news is that early varieties are usually harvested before the blight arrives later in summer. Check regularly, and if you do spot the tell-tale signs of blight, act fast to cut back the foliage before it spreads to the potatoes belowground—then harvest them as soon as possible.

Potatoes can be prepared in many ways: boiled, mashed, cut into pieces and roasted, french-fried, scalloped, made into dumplings or pancakes, grated into hash browns, and even brewed as alcoholic beverages.

Most potato dishes are served hot, but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips.

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Harold Van Beke Jr (not verified)

1 month 2 weeks ago

This is my first time planting potatoes I planted at the end of apirl there growing very tall and the white flowers are there when do I harvest them

John Landry (not verified)

2 months 3 weeks ago

My potato plants have grown 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall. I placed the potato seeds to close together when planting. It was kind of fun to see them growing andtaking over my small raised garden beds. I will harvest middle to end of August. Looking for a useable crop. [ Skill level - 6 ] Thanks for all the great information. I hope to use the info in the future. [ THANKS ] John

Mary Pelcher (not verified)

6 months 2 weeks ago

I was not able to harvest my potatoes last summer. Will they report in the spring? Or what should I do for a new crop this year?

The Editors

6 months 2 weeks ago

In reply to I was not able to harvest my… by Mary Pelcher (not verified)

Hi, Mary. If you live in a place where the ground does not freeze over in the winter, your potatoes likely continued to grow and will now be crowded and small. When you dig them up, check to make sure they are not green and that the skin is still firm.

Kk (not verified)

8 months 2 weeks ago

I have had a problem with scab. But last year, when I dug my potatoes they were beautiful. I had moved my potatoes to a totally new location. After storing in the basement, they are now developing a rough skin that doesn’t look like scab. The potatoes are solid and beginning to sprout, but when I peel them they have tiny pepper size dots that I cut out. I plant red Pontiac potatoes. What is causing this? The potatoes show no rot or softness. I do not use manure but do use leaves that are composted. I would be grateful for any suggestions. Thank you KK

The Editors

8 months 2 weeks ago

In reply to I have had a problem with… by Kk (not verified)

Hi KK,

That was a great idea to grow your potatoes in a new location to avoid another issue with scab. Sounds like it led to a successful year and harvest.

Black spots or dots in potatoes can be attributed to internal bruises caused by the movement of your potatoes after harvest or how they are stored together. It could also be the result of sugar concentrations brought on by a number of pre- or post-harvest conditions. You are doing the right thing by removing the areas, but the condition should be generally harmless.

Mark Keith (not verified)

1 year ago

I plant Russets but my potatoes are very small…why?

The Editors

1 year ago

In reply to I plant Russets but my… by Mark Keith (not verified)

Hi, Mark. Was your entire crop of potatoes very small? It is not unusual for potatoes to vary in size and to have some large, some medium, and some small ones. If they were all small, it was probably a water issue which could be that alternate wet and dry conditions stunted their growth. Potatoes prefer evenly moist conditions.

First timer (not verified)

1 year 1 month ago

Wonderful information on this site!I’m harvesting Yukon Golds from a container for the first time. Is it safe to consume the seed potato along with the others?

gary guido (not verified)

1 year 3 months ago

my potatoes are 2-5 ft. tll....do i cut them back or let them keep growing

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