Potatoes are a versatile and rewarding crop to grow.
Whether you’re starting from seed pieces or true seeds, follow these steps to cultivate your own delicious spuds.
Choose Your Starting Point
Potatoes can be grown from:
- Seed Pieces: Whole potatoes from last year’s harvest.
- True Seeds: Seeds from a potato plant.
Both methods yield similar results, but true seeds require more time and effort.
Planting Seed Potatoes
Wait until seed potatoes sprout.
Plant them 6 to 8 inches deep in the ground, a raised bed, or a container.
Space them 12 inches apart.
Water well and monitor their growth.
Planting Potatoes
Plant potatoes away from the main vegetable garden.
Use seed potatoes with at least two eyes.
Dip cut surfaces in ground fir bark (a natural fungicide) and let them dry.
Dig a furrow 6 inches deep and place potatoes (eyes facing up) 6 inches apart.
Cover with 3 inches of soil and backfill as they grow.
Starting Potato Seeds Indoors
Sow true seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last spring frost.
Use a shallow seed flat and cover seeds with 1/16-inch of soilless medium.
Provide bright light.
Seedlings will be ready to transplant into small pots when they have at least four true leaves.
Transition them outdoors to harden off.
Remember, whether you’re growing from seed pieces or true seeds, patience and care will yield a bountiful potato harvest.
