Potatoes For Beginners

Potatoes fresh from the ground are something I never knew I needed in my life. How is it even possible that they taste that much better? I don’t know. But they are so creamy and mashable and delicious.

They are easy to grow, easy to store, and can be used in so many meals.

Planting Your Potatoes

Potatoes are a root vegetable that likes loose soil with good drainage, lots of sun, and plenty of water.

Prepping Your Soil

Since some pretty major growth happens underground with potatoes, it’s really important to have soil that is nice and loose.

Our favorite method for creating the optimal growing conditions for potatoes is to dig our holes using an ice auger! We’re able to get nice and deep and loosen everything up below ground.

Potatoes also prefer soil that is slightly acidic, with a pH of 5.0-7.0. Fortunately though, they aren’t too picky about this and will grow well in most areas.

Cutting Your Potatoes

It’s totally acceptable to cut your larger seed potatoes before planting. You should leave them roughly 2 inches large, and make sure to leave 1-2 eyes on each piece. Smaller potatoes can be left whole.

It’s best to cut with a sharp blade and let them sit for a day or two to callous over before planting to prevent rot. I personally don’t know how necessary this is though as we’ve never had issues just plopping them in the dirt right away. Shh…

Planting

We grow our potatoes in rows roughly 2 feet apart, and space them 18-24 inches apart within the rows. You want to make sure they have plenty of room for growth underground, and to be able to pull enough nutrients from the soil.

We dig our holes with an ice auger a few feet deep, which you might be thinking is overkill….and you might be right. But gosh it works so well to get everything nice and loose, and it gives the roots ample room to grow with ease. We produce so many potatoes off of one hill using this method. If you have an auger and the space, I highly recommend it. Leave the majority of the soil in your hole, as you only want your potatoes to be 2-4 inches deep.

If you don’t have an ice auger, fear not! The other option is to dig holes or a trench with a spade. You want to dig your holes deeper than you need them to be (6-8 inches should do the trick) to help loosen the soil. (Same concept as the auger, just not as intense).

When you place your potatoes in the soil, make sure one of the eyes is facing up. This is where your potato will start to sprout from.

You can leave some of the dirt to the side and only cover your potatoes about 2 inches. Once they start to sprout from the dirt you can push the rest of the dirt over top of them as they continue to grow and create a bit of a mound. This will make sure there is plenty of growth below ground and you’ll produce more potatoes.

Caring For Your Potatoes

We like to cover our potato bed in mulch to prevent weed growth. Straw or grass clippings are great choices, just make sure that what you are using is weed free.

This year we decided to try pine shavings as mulch because we had it on hand. Since potatoes like slightly acidic soil, we are hoping it’s a good fit. I wouldn’t cover my whole garden in this though as not all plants like the acidity that pine shavings will bring. I’ll let you know how it works out!

Keep your potatoes well watered to encourage root growth, especially during the flowering stage and immediately after. When the plants are flowering, that is when they are forming tubers below ground. That is why this stage is so important to maintain water. They should get 1-2 inches of water or rainfall per week.

This also means that you should be pinching off your potato blossoms as soon as they appear. Since tubers are forming at the same time, they serve as competition for nutrients and energy. Removing the blossoms will increase your yields.

When the foliage starts to die and turn yellow, you no longer need to water. This will help the potatoes start to cure before you harvest.

Harvesting and Storing

If you’re planning to store your potatoes, wait to harvest until 2-3 weeks after the foliage has died back. The potatoes will cure underground and they will last much longer.

Gently dig potatoes with a sturdy fork. Wiggling the fork around on the outer edges will help loosen the soil and make it easier to get the potatoes out without damaging them. Your fork will still probably go through a few, just eat those ones first.

Cure your potatoes by allowing them to sit unwashed for 2-3 days. You can do this by leaving in the field if it’s dry, or in a covered area like a porch or garage if it’s rainy. This step is crucial for storing your potatoes as it allows the skins to mature a bit more before you wash them.

To store your potatoes, find an area that is dark, cool, and dry. Some airflow and ventilation are best to prevent rot. And ideally they’d be kept around 40 degrees. We store ours in our basement which stays around 60 degrees and has humidity so they don’t last as long as they could. We’ve had potatoes through December though in these conditions.

Companion Plants

Utilizing companion plants is a great way to deter bugs, inhibit weeds, and provide vital nutrients back into the soil by planting things near each other or interspersed together for the benefit of both plants.

Improve growth and flavor by planting: beans, corn, yarrow, thyme, basil, cabbage, and parsley.

Deter bugs by planting: Sage, catmint, nasturtium, marigolds, coriander, and green beans (which also add nitrogen to the soil, and benefit from the potato because it deters the Mexican beetle from eating the beans).

Attract beneficial bugs by planting: Petunias, alyssum, chamomile, and basil.

Avoid

Keep potatoes away from the following:

Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and raspberries become more susceptible to blight when they are planted near potatoes

Sunflowers, carrots, turnips, and onions can actually inhibit the growth of potato tubers.

Tools You Might Need

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I hope this helps you get started on your veggie garden! Let me know if you have any questions or more tips to grow potatoes, or what you’d like help with next.

If you’re local in Southern MN check out our Farm Stand to see what’s growing.