For me, potatoes represent food security. A shelf of potatoes in my pantry means I have plenty of nutritious food to eat.

Potatoes are an easy plant to grow. You can even save some potatoes from this year's harvest to plant as "seeds" for next year's crop. This builds self-sufficiency in your garden and pantry.

Potatoes do well with organic no-till methods. You can grow potatoes with no-dig soil practices, and they can also be grown in containers.

Regenerative gardening principles benefit potatoes. Crop rotation, mulch, and cover crops are all great for potato health. These regenerative methods also help the soil and the environment.

If you learn more about how to grow potatoes and use these techniques, you will have success. Add in regenerative gardening techniques and your whole garden will thrive.

I’ll share my techniques for planting potatoes and break down the steps in this guide.

1. Where to source potatoes
2. What varieties of potatoes to plant for your growing zone
3. When to plant potatoes by zone
4. How to plant potatoes: depth, spacing, and best practices
5. How many potatoes you can plant in the space that you have
6. How to plant potatoes in containers
7. When the potatoes are ready for harvest
8. How regenerative gardening practices will improve your potato yield

→ TL;DR: How to grow potatoes
‍When to plant potatoes?
Plant potatoes in spring after the last frost. They can be sown up until mid-May in most climates. In zone 9 or above, you can also plant potatoes in autumn to harvest in spring.

‍How to plant potatoes?
Plant potatoes 10-12 inches apart after last frost. Cover potatoes with 6 inches of compost, soil, or mulch. Two months after planting, “hill up” the potatoes with more compost, soil, or mulch.

‍When to harvest potatoes?
Harvest potatoes once the foliage has died back, or before first frost.

Before you grow potatoes:

1. Choose Organic and Disease-Tested Potatoes

It’s very important to grow potatoes that are tested for common diseases. Certain diseases spread through the potatoes. This causes contamination of your soil for years to come.

Look for potato seed that is “certified.” Certified seed potatoes are inspected by a state agricultural board or university. These third party sources verify that the tubers are free of disease. Sometimes certified potatoes are labeled "blue tag." This certification is in addition to any organic labels.

It’s important to note that certified potatoes are not guaranteed to be disease-free. However, it’s great reassurance that you’re less likely to bring disease into your garden.

Here is a list of Organic Seed Potato companies that sell certified potatoes

• Grow Organic, California: Organic seed potatoes that are from certified stock
• Grand Teton Organics, Idaho: Organic seed potatoes from certified stock
• Carter Farms Organic, North Dakota: Organic seed potatoes from certified stock. I’ve purchased my stock of German Butterball potatoes from them. You can select 2.5 lbs of any variety up to 48 lbs.
• Keene Garlic, Wisconsin: Organic seed potatoes from certified stock
• Wood Prairie Family Farm, Maine: Organic seed potatoes from certified stock. They are one of the only sources in the US for Sarpo Mira potatoes, a blight-resistant variety.

→ Tip: 99.9% of the time, seed potatoes refers to potato tubers, not true potato seed from the flower.

Can you plant sprouted potatoes from the grocery store?

In my experience, sprouted potatoes from the grocery store don’t yield as big of a harvest.

I learned from Cultivariable that conventionally grown potatoes have anti-sprouting chemicals on them. These sprout inhibitors allow potatoes to last longer on the shelves. This may delay their time to sprout in your garden and ause other growth issues.

Additionally, you don’t know if the store-bought potatoes carry any diseases or pathogens that could transfer into your garden.

2. Select which kind of potatoes to grow

If it’s your first year growing potatoes, I suggest you plant a few varieties to see what does well in your garden. Also, make note of the taste and texture of different varieties. It’s better to grow potatoes that you’ll enjoy eating.

There is quite a diversity of colors, sizes, and maturity times when it comes to potatoes.

Colors:

Potatoes come in many colors. Sometimes the skin and flesh are the same color, but sometimes they are different colors.

Skin color can be the standard red and gold with white to beige flesh.

There are also varieties with red flesh or blue flesh. Some potatoes have multi-colored skin!

Sizes:

Most potatoes are “standard” size, but fingerling potatoes are much thinner in size.

Maturity Times:

Early season maturity potatoes will be ready to harvest in around 60 days.

Mid-season maturity potatoes are ready to harvest in 70-100 days.

Late-season maturity potatoes are ready to harvest in around 120 days.

Here is a chart of popular potato varieties and their color, size, and maturity time. I’ve also input any disease resistance.
‍All information sourced from Carter Farms, Grand Teton Farm, and Wood Prarie Farm

Best potato varieties to grow in your garden:

My favorite potato to grow is German Butterball.
I first heard of this potato from this episode of Bon Appetit. It has a wonderful creamy texture. German Butterballs are great for mashed potatoes or hash browns. I've found they also hold up well when oven-roasted as french fries.

The best potato for both taste and disease resistance is Sarpo Mira.
Where to find Sarpo Mira potatoes in the US? The only source I’ve seen that carries Sarpo Miras in the US is Wood Prairie Farm.

This variety is extremely blight resistant, and is widely available in the UK. If you’ve had an issue with blight in the past, this variety could be a game changer for you.

Tip→ Most seed potatoes are ready to order in February. Order early to be sure to get the varieties and quantity that you want!

3. Calculate how many pounds of potatoes you’d like to harvest, or how many you can fit in the space that you have

→ Rule of Thumb: Plant 1 pound of seed potatoes for every 10 foot row in your garden. A 10 foot row will grow around 8 potato plants A 10 foot row will yield around 10 pounds of potatoes

Amount of potatoes to plant for any length of row:

A standard measurement is that 1 pound of seed potatoes will plant out a 10 foot row in your garden.

If you have a 50 ft row, buy 5 pounds of potato seed. You’ll get around 50 seed potatoes to plant.

How far apart to plant potatoes:

It’s best to plant potatoes 8-12 inches apart.

How deep to plant potatoes:

Plant potatoes 6 inches deep initially. When the foliage grows around 1 foot above ground, add more soil to them so that they are around 8-10 inches deep.

Grow potatoes in a bag or container:

According to Gardeners Supply, 3 seed potatoes can be planted in a 12 gallon grow bag.

Take diameter into consideration with your grow bags as well.

A grow bag with a 19-20 inch diameter can grow around 3 seed potatoes. You will yield around 10-12 pounds of potatoes. Plant out 10 grow bags of this size to yield 100 pounds of potatoes for a year’s supply for one person.

A grow bag with a 35 inch diameter could grow 6-8 seed potatoes. You will yield around 16-24 pounds of potatoes. Plant out 5 grow bags of this size to yield 100 pounds of potatoes for a year’s supply for one person.

I’d lean towards giving potatoes in containers more space to grow. This will help you to be more likely to harvest larger potatoes. This will also allow for more air flow through the foliage and help prevent some disease issues.

Amount of potatoes to plant for yield:

Potato yield will vary based on the type you plant and your growing conditions.

However, Utah State University says that a 100 foot row can produce around 100 pounds of potatoes. They also recommend that you plant 100 feet of potatoes per person in your household.

This means that 10 pounds of potato seed plants a 100 foot row, and yields up to 100 pounds of potatoes at harvest time.

Here’s a handy chart for how many potatoes you should plant based on planting area and desired yield:

4. Prepare the soil for your potatoes

In general, potatoes do well in loamy soil. Select a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. I’ve experimented with shadier spots in the garden when growing potatoes. It seems like areas that have found around 5-6 sunlight hours are the minimum for a a good yield.

I’ve also found that potatoes need far more water if you plant them in a sunny spot. Any area that gets more than 9 hours of sunlight per day with temperatures  above 90 degrees will need more water. Intense heat and sunlight can cause the foliage to die back prematurely.

Soil that is heavy clay will have poor drainage and can cause fungal issues. Compacted clay can also yield smaller potato tubers.

If your soil is compacted, you may want to loosen it with a broad fork.

Another alternative is to plant your potatoes in grow bags. The potatoes will perform really well in containers, and will be easy to harvest.

Potatoes can also be successfully planted on top of the ground. You can cover them with a heavy organic mulch, such as organic straw or organic spent hay. This is the Ruth Stout method of growing potatoes. It works great for regenerative gardeners who do not want to till the soil, but who don’t have the correct soil conditions for a good potato yield.

It's also beneficial to amend the soil with organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure. This will improve soil texture and nutrient content.

When can you grow potatoes:

In most growing zones, potatoes are planted in the spring after the last frost. They can be planted up until early May to get a yield before first frost.

If you live in zone 9 or above, you can also plant potatoes in the autumn to enjoy a spring harvest.

How to grow potatoes:

How to grow potatoes in the ground:

To grow potatoes in the ground, you have two options.

The first option involves creating a trench around 6 inches deep. Then, plant potatotes about 1 foot apart inside the trench. Cover the trench with compost and the dug out soil. Lastly, cover the row with a healthy layer of organic straw. This will help the soil to retain moisture and regulate the soil temperature. As a bonus, straw mulch will eliminate any weeds that you’d otherwise need to deal with around your potato plants.

The second option is similar to the Ruth Stout method that I'll explain below. In this method, you will place your potatoes on top of your row in the garden at 1 foot intervals. Then, cover the potatoes with at least 6 inches of mature compost and mulch. This method involves more materials, but follows the regenerative practice of minimizing soil disturbance.

With either option, water in your potatoes if no rain is in the forecast.

‍According to Washington State University, potatoes do well when given an fertilizer that is high in potassium and nitrogen. It is best of the potassium levels are as high or higher than the nitrogen levels. For regenerative gardeners, choose organic inputs.

Once the potato foliage is around 1 ft tall, hill them up with an additional 4 inches of soil, compost, and/or organic matter.

How to grow potatoes with the Ruth Stout Method:

Ruth Stout revolutionized the way people grow potatoes with her method that involves spent organic hay. Her method can also work with organic straw.

Essentially, Stout recommends that you place the potatoes in a row on the ground. The ground can have grass on it, or it can be heavily compacted. In Stout's method, soil quality doesn't matter too much, because if you implement her practice continually, your soil quality will improve. The potatoes should be spaced at 1 ft intervals.

Then, cover the potatoes with 6-8 inches of organic straw or hay. I'd also recommend the addition of compost if you have it on hand. I've found that any small space between the straw will inevitably let some light in and cause your potatoes to be green. Green potatoes have toxins in them, and I don't recommend eating them at all. The addition of the compost helps the potatoes to grow in a dark environment.

‍According to Washington State University, potatoes do well when given an fertilizer that is high in potassium and nitrogen. It is best of the potassium levels are as high or higher than the nitrogen levels. For regenerative gardeners, choose organic inputs.

When the potatoes have grown about 1 ft tall, hill up the potatoes with another 4-6 inches of spent hay, straw, and/or organic matter.

How to grow potatoes in a grow bag or containers:

If you want to grow potatoes in a container, you’re in luck. Potatoes perform excellently in pots or grow bags. With container potaotes, you can control the quality of the soil. Continter grow potatoes are all quite easy to harvest.

You can grow potatoes in grow bags as small as 5 gallons with 1 potato plant per 5 gallon bag.

A standard 12-15 gallon grow bag can fit 3 potato plants.

If you have the space for a 35.5” wide grow bag, this 60 gallon grow bag would be perfect for growing potatoes You could grow 6-8 potatoes in a grow bag of this size.

To plant your potatoes in a grow bag or bucket:

1. Fill up the container about 1/2 full with organic material of some kind. This can be leaves, mature compost, garden soil, organic straw, or or organic hay.

2. Place your potatoes on top of the soil and cover with another 4-6 inches of organic material. If you have a grow bag, you can fold the bag down a little so that the soil level is flush with the top of the bag.

3. Add organic fertilizer that is high in potassium. According to Washington State University, potatoes do well when given an fertilizer that is high in potassium and nitrogen. It is best of the potassium levels are as high or higher than the nitrogen levels. For regenerative gardeners, choose organic inputs.
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4. Water in your plants.
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5. When plants are 10-12 inches tall, cover with another 4-6 inches of soil, compost, or organic material. If you have a grow bag, you can unfold the bag so that the height of the soil is flush with the top of the grow bag.
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6. When it's time to harvest, you can dig out your potatoes or dump the grow bag out. Reuse the soil for growing something else after harvest. Just freshen up the soil with some compost or other organic material.

Potato water requirements

I’ve found that the heavy mulch that I apply to my potato plants helps to reduce the amount of water they need.

If you have hot and dry summers, mulch over potatoes with a few inches of light colored organic straw. This will keep moisture in and soil temperatures down.

Also, this study from 2019 shows that intercropping potato with hairy vetch helps reduce the water requirements for the crop.

If you mulch and receive around 1 inch of rainfall a week, then I’d say that is enough for your potatoes to thrive. During dry weeks or extreme heat, provide water to your potatoes.

If you have potatoes in containers, they will likely need to be watered a little more frequently, as containers are prone to drying out faster than in-ground soil.

Signs of stress from lack of water include droppy and wilted foliage.

Regenerative gardening techniques for growing potatoes

Interplant/Companion Plants for Potatoes

I like to plant my potatoes in rows where the rows have herbs and flowers at the ends of each row and in the center of each row. This allows for beneficial insects to come into the space. This also makes it easy to tend to the potatoes in terms of hilling them up.

Here are what scientific studies show works for companion plants to pair with potatoes:

• Potatoes + Hairy Vetch are a great combo if you live in an area with hot dry summers. This study from 2019 found that hairy vetch supported the soil, added nitrogen, and reduced erosion.
  ‍Another study echoed these results, and found that the potato harvest was 2-3 times greater than monocropped potatoes.
  ‍The USDA reports that if tomatoes are planted into hairy vetch cover crop residue, damage from the potato beetle decreases. I'd reckon that the results woult be the same with potatoes.
• Potatoes and Flowers: According to Oregon State Extension, ladybugs are beneficial insects that help control potato pests. UMN shares that ladybugs are attracted to dill and alyssum, and I always see ladybugs on Queen Anne's Lace in my garden.
• Potatoes and Phacelia: OSU also notes that lacewings are helpful for naturally reducing the pest population. This study from 2021 found that Lacewings preferred Phacelia (Bee's Friend). Phacelia is also a great plant for bees, so it's a great all around flower to have in your sustainable garden.

Mulch your Potatoes

Mulch added to your potato rows will help to ensure an abundant harvest for a number of reasons.

First, the mulch will help to retain water, which is perfect for those in hot and dry areas.

Second, the mulch adds organic matter to the soil, which helps to build soil health over time.

Third, mulch will help protect the potatoes from light. This is essential as potatoes exposed to light will turn green and be toxic.

Lastly, straw mulch has been shown to reduce damage to the crop by the Potato Beetle and blight.

Cover Crop Before and After Growing Potatoes:

If you plan ahead an plant hairy vetch in the area where you'll sow your potatoes next, you can help prevent damage from the Colorado Potato Beetle. The USDA found that when tomatoes are planted into a mulch made from hairy vetch cover crop, that tomato plants were more resilient to the beetle damage. This may have a parallel when potatoes are planted into hairy vetch mulch.

UMass Amherst recommends a cover crop of rye before the potato crop. Then, the rye can be terminated with a crimper or with a scythe. Let the rye dry to turn into straw, which the potatoes can then be planted into. According to UMass, this can help minimize damage by the Colorado Potato Beetle.

Your potatoes will be harvested from September-November. Regenerative gardening looks to maximize photosynthesis to store carbon in the soil. You can do this with a cover crop, sown after the potatoes are harvested.

Look for varieties of cover crop that do well when sown in cooler weather. Daikon radish can be a great choice if you noticed that your soil was compacted.

Compost Application for Potato Plants:

Add compost to the potatoes when you plant them to increase soil organic matter levels. Compost also helps balance out the structure of both clay and sandy soils.

Crop Rotation with Potatoes:

Crop rotation is a regenerative gardening practice that reduces pest and disease issues. Studies show that a 3-4 year break from certain plant families makes for healthier crops. Crop rotation avoids a lot of disease and pest issues.

Potatoes are part of the nightshade family. Be sure not to plant it in areas where other nightshades have been recently planted. These other nightshade plants include:

• tomatoes
• eggplant
• peppers
• tomatillos

No-till potato methods:

No-till garden practices preserve soil structure, moisture, and microbial activity. This can enhance potato tuber development, nutrient uptake, and water retention. All together, the yield and health of your potatoes is improved.

When soil is tilled, it releases its sequestered back into the atmosphere.

There is an alternative to tillage. In compacted soil, use a broadfork to loosen the soil. This has worked great for my garden in the past.

As mentioned earlier in this article, the Ruth Stout method of gardening works well if you would otherwise feel the need to till the soil and want to avoid it.

Grow potatoes without any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers:

Regenerative gardening focuses on healthy soil, healthy food, and a healthy planet. This means no synthetic pesticides or herbicides. Synthetic inputs create soil that is void of the normal microbe-plant relationships. These chemicals are also made from petroleum products. Overall, synthetic inputs add greenhouse gases into the environment.

Potatoes are a pretty robust crop that responds well to organic inputs.

According to Washington State University, potatoes do well when given an organic fertilizer that is high in potassium and nitrogen. It is best of the potassium levels are as high or higher than the nitrogen levels.

Avoid these potato problems

Potato Pests: The Colorado Potato Beetle

Here are some tips to prevent damage from the Colorado Potato Beetle in your garden:

• UMass Amherst shares that potato beetle damage is reduced when the plants are mulched with straw.
• Be observant of your potato plants and pick off any potato beetles that you see. A solution of soapy water or diluted neem oil spray can help too.
• Of course, crop rotation is another effective way to reduce the incidence of pests and disease in your garden.
• UMass Amherst also emphasizes the importance of crop rotation in the prevention of Potato Beetle from year to year.
• If you plant your potatoes early, be sure that they have growth (chitting) on them. This will give them a head start for more resiliency (UMass)
• Oregon State Extension shares that Ladybugs, Minute Pirate Bugs, and Lacewings all help with pest control on potatoes. Plant flowers and herbs around your potato patch to attract these beneficial insects.

Avoid Potato Blight

Here are some tips to prevent late potato blight in your garden:

• Water your potatoes with drip irrigation or at the base of the plant to avoid water backsplash onto the leaves
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• Source your potatoes from a certified source to reduce your chances of blight transmission. If you've had blight in the past, look for blight resistant varieties such as Sarpo MIra.
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• Crop rotation is essential to reduce the possibility of blight in your garden. In addition to potatoes, avoid any nightshade plant, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and tomatillos for a 3-4 year rotation.
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• UMN states that straw mulch will help prevent blight transmission from the soil to the leaves.
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• UMN also notes that you can remove up to 33% of a plants leaves. You can remove infected leaves and dispose of them in the garbage to help prevent further blight damage.

When to Harvest Potatoes

Harvest potatoes once 80% of foliage has died back, or before first frost.

You can use a garden fork or shovel to carefully dig up the tubers. Be cautious not to damage them. I have a hard time not damaging potatoes this way, so I just harvest them with my hands.

How to Store Potatoes

Potatoes must be correctly cured and stored to be kept for any length of time.

After harvest, let the potatoes cure for a week in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area to toughen their skins.

Next, store potatoes in a cool and dark location.

I store potatoes in a room that does not receive heat from our wood stove during the winter. I also have the potatoes underneath a blackout curtain. This allows me to store potatoes for several months before they sprout.

Regenerative gardens grow self-sufficiency and sustainability

When you grow potatoes in a regenerative way, you also support the health of the soil and the planet. Potatoes are a simple crop to grow, and when you apply regenerative techniques, you're more likely to have a bountiful harvest.

Before you go...

Are you just getting started with gardening? Have a look at the books I recommend to help you start your garden with expert tips and tricks.