Vegetable · Tuber
Potatoes
Solanum tuberosumA reliable, high-yielding staple grown from seed tubers rather than seed, forming new potatoes underground along buried stems. Hilling soil around growing plants both protects developing tubers and boosts the harvest. The one rule: always hill up, since sunlight turns exposed tubers green and bitter.
Sow depth
4 in
Spacing
12 in · rows 24 in
Sun
Full sun
Germination
14–21 days to shoots
Time to harvest
70–100 days
Difficulty
Easy
When to sow potatoes
- Sow from about 2 weeks before your last expected frost until about 4 weeks after your last expected frost.
Plant seed tubers — chit them in a cool, bright spot before planting.Set whole small tubers or cut larger ones into pieces with an eye each.Plant into a trench and cover, once the risk of hard frost has passed.
Hill regularly — mound soil around stems as they grow taller.Water consistently once tubers begin forming to avoid misshapen growth.Keep beds weed-free; potatoes compete poorly with fast-growing weeds.
Dig gently with a fork — start from the outside to avoid spearing tubers.Harvest new potatoes once plants flower, for a smaller, tender crop.Wait for tops to die back fully for a mature crop that stores well.
Companion plants
Beans fix nitrogen that heavy-feeding potatoes benefit from, while marigolds help deter nematodes.
Watch out for
Colorado potato beetle — Striped adults and red larvae strip foliage through summer. Handpick regularly and check leaf undersides for egg clusters.