How to grow potato

Solanum tuberosum · Solanaceae · Vegetable

Potato is a cool-season vegetable in the Solanaceae family, almost always sown straight into the ground where it will grow. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and steady, even moisture. From sowing to first pick is about 70–120 days. It shrugs off a light frost but a hard freeze will damage it.

Grower’s note: Plant certified seed potatoes, not grocery-store ones. Hill soil or mulch over the stems as they grow to stop greening. New potatoes ~10 weeks in; storage potatoes after the tops die back.

Sowing

Sow about 4″ deep, into soil between 45–80°F — germination is quickest near 65°F. It is slow and often erratic to germinate (14–28 days). It does not transplant well, so sow it in its final position rather than starting it in pots.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 12″ along the row with roughly 32″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is one plant per 4 square feet. Allow at least 18″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 16″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

As a cool-season crop, potato does its best growing in the mild weather of spring and fall and tends to bolt or turn bitter in summer heat.

Quick facts

When to plant potato

Companions

Common problems

Pests: Colorado potato beetle, flea beetle, wireworm, aphids.

Diseases & disorders: late blight, early blight, common scab, blackleg.

Same family (Solanaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.