Potatoes are the backbone of the vegetable garden: easy to grow, generous in yield, and far tastier freshly dug than anything from a shop. A few rows of seed potatoes in spring can fill a store cupboard for months, and there is something deeply satisfying about digging up your dinner.
Potatoes grow from tubers, not seed, and the main skills are chitting, planting at the right depth and earthing up as the plants grow.
Potatoes at a glance
| Growing factor | What potatoes need |
|---|---|
| Sun | full sun |
| Soil pH | 5.0–6.0 |
| Days to germination | 14–28 |
| Days to maturity | 70–120 |
| Spacing | 12 inches |
| Water needs | moderate |
| Cold tolerance | frost-tolerant |
| Family | Solanaceae |
Starting seeds
This is a direct-sow crop: the seed goes straight into the garden where it is to grow, and the plants are not transplanted. Prepare a fine, weed-free seed bed, sow at the depth shown on the seed packet, and keep the bed evenly moist until seedlings appear — expect germination in 14–28 days.
Sow too early into cold, wet soil and germination stalls; sow too late and the plants run out of season. Use our frost-date calculator and the hardiness-zone finder to place your sowing window. Zones 11–13 are frost-free, so sowing windows there are set by heat and rain rather than frost — check your local extension service.
Potatoes are grown from seed potatoes — small tubers saved for planting — rather than from seed. Set them out to chit in a cool, bright place a few weeks before planting, so short, sturdy green shoots form, and plant them once the soil has warmed up a little. Plant each tuber with the shoots facing up, and cover with soil. Use certified seed potatoes rather than shop-bought eating potatoes, which can carry disease.
Transplanting and planting out
Potatoes are not transplanted; the key job after planting is earthing up. As the shoots grow, draw soil up around the stems in stages until you have a ridge — this keeps the developing tubers in the dark, stops them turning green, and gives them room to swell. Keep the ridge topped up through the season and mulch between rows to hold moisture in the soil.
Space plants 12 inches apart — crowding is one of the commonest causes of small harvests. Our plant-spacing calculator works out how many plants fit your bed.
Soil and feeding
Potatoes grow best in rich, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Dig in compost before planting: it improves heavy soil, helps light soil hold moisture, and feeds the soil life that feeds your plants. Aim for a soil pH of 5.0–6.0 — a simple soil test will tell you where you stand, and garden lime or sulfur can nudge pH up or down over a season, so test before you amend rather than guessing.
Feed lightly and steadily rather than in one heavy dose: too much fast nitrogen late in the season pushes leafy growth at the expense of the part you eat. Our fertiliser calculator works out amounts for your bed size, and the soil-volume calculator tells you how much mix a new bed needs.
Watering
Water needs are moderate: keep the soil evenly moist, watering deeply when the top inch or two dries out. Deep, infrequent watering builds deeper roots than a daily sprinkle.
Water at the base of the plant, in the morning, so the leaves dry quickly and the water reaches the roots. Our watering calculator gives a starting point for your bed size, and the watering schedule generator can build a routine around it. A mulch layer cuts evaporation and keeps moisture even.
Sunlight and temperature
Potatoes need full sun — a spot that gets sun for most of the day. Our sunlight calculator can check your spot.
This crop is rated frost-tolerant for cold tolerance, so it stands up to light frosts and is at its best in the cool seasons. In Zones 11–13, which are frost-free, heat rather than cold is the limit — grow it in the cooler months, with afternoon shade in the hottest weather. Our hardiness-zone finder will confirm your zone, and the frost-date calculator gives you the frost dates to plan around.
Pests and diseases
The pests and diseases most often reported on potatoes are Colorado potato beetle, aphids, wireworms, flea beetles. Healthy, well-watered plants resist attack better than stressed ones, and rotating beds so the Solanaceae family does not repeat in the same spot helps keep soil-borne problems down.
- Colorado Potato Beetle — a striped yellow-and-black beetle that can defoliate plants; hand-pick adults and crush the orange egg clusters under leaves.
- Aphids — small sap-sucking insects on new growth; wash off with a strong jet of water and encourage ladybirds.
- Wireworms — soil-dwelling larvae that bore into roots and tubers; worst in ground that was recently grass.
- Flea Beetles — tiny jumping beetles that chew shot-holes in leaves, worst on seedlings; row cover keeps them off young plants.
Inspect plants weekly, especially leaf undersides, and act early. Our pest-identifier helper can help identify what you are seeing.
Companion plants
Good companion plants for potatoes include:
- Beans — fix nitrogen in the soil
- Corn — a traditional mixed-planting partner
- Cabbage — a compatible brassica neighbour
- Marigolds — their roots discourage some soil pests
- Horseradish — traditionally said to deter the potato beetle
Our companion-planting finder can suggest more pairings for your bed plan.
Harvesting
Early potatoes are ready once the plants flower and the tubers are a useful size — feel in the soil with your hand before you start digging. Maincrop potatoes are left until the foliage yellows and dies back, then dug on a dry day with a fork, working from the edge of the row so you do not spear the tubers. Let them dry in the sun for an hour or two, then store them somewhere cool, dark and frost-free.
Expect the crop to be ready about 70–120 days after sowing, though weather and variety shift that window by a week or two either way. Our harvest-date calculator works out your expected harvest date from your sowing date, and the vegetable-yield estimator can estimate how much a bed should produce.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Green tubers | tubers exposed to light | Earth up thoroughly so no tubers see daylight, and keep the ridge topped up. |
| Small tubers | dry soil while tubers are swelling | Water well during dry spells, especially from flowering onwards, and mulch to hold moisture. |
| Blight on leaves and tubers | wet weather and poor airflow | Water at the base, space plants well, and remove affected foliage promptly. |
Green tubers
Earth up thoroughly so no tubers see daylight, and keep the ridge topped up.
Small tubers
Water well during dry spells, especially from flowering onwards, and mulch to hold moisture.
Blight on leaves and tubers
Water at the base, space plants well, and remove affected foliage promptly.
Frequently asked questions
When should I plant potatoes?
Sow once the soil is workable in spring — this crop is rated frost-tolerant for cold tolerance, so it can go in early. For zone-specific timing, see zone 4 or zone 7, and check your local extension service for the dates that fit your area.
How long do potatoes take to grow?
Potatoes take 70–120 days from sowing to maturity, and seed germinates in 14–28 days. Weather and variety shift the harvest window by a week or two, so judge readiness by look and feel rather than the calendar alone.
How far apart should I plant potatoes?
Space plants 12 inches apart — that is the room a mature plant needs, and crowding means poor airflow and small harvests. Our plant-spacing calculator works out how many fit your bed.
Do I need to chit seed potatoes?
Chitting — letting seed potatoes sprout in a cool, bright place before planting — gives early varieties a useful head start and helps you spot any damaged tubers. It is less important for maincrop types, which catch up quickly in warm soil.