How to start a potato
How to Grow Potatoes From Potatoes
It's easier than you think.
By Corey Williams Updated April 16, 2020
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Growing potatoes is surprisingly easy—but you’ve got to know what you’re doing:
How Do Potatoes Grow?
Potato Diagram Getty 4/16/20
Credit: Tigatelu/Getty
Tigatelu/Getty
Unlike many vegetables, potatoes thrive in darkness—that’s why they grow underground.
The potatoes themselves are called “tubers” and they grow on a stem called a “stolon.” The main stems, which grow above ground (that’s how gardeners can easily find their potato plants), are bright green and produce non-edible flowers.
What’s the Best Climate for Growing Potatoes—And When Should You Plant Them?
Potato in Soil Getty 4/16/20
Credit: Ezra Bailey/Getty Images
Ezra Bailey/Getty Images
Potatoes can grow well in all sorts of climates. It’s important to note, however, that potatoes prefer cool (but not frosty) weather.
The best time to plant your potatoes depends on where you live.
“In Southern regions, potatoes can be grown as a winter crop and planting times range from September to February,” according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. “Where winters are relatively mild, you can plant a fall crop in September. In central Florida, gardeners plant potatoes in January; and in Georgia they plant in February.”
Gardeners who live in colder climates, meanwhile, should plant 0 to 2 weeks after their last spring frost.
The most important thing to consider when choosing a planting time is the temperature and texture of the soil, not the season.
The ideal soil temperature for planting potatoes is at least 50°F (10°C).
“The soil should also not be so wet that it sticks together and is hard to work,” the Almanac advises. “Let it dry out a bit first. Like other seeds, potato seed pieces will rot if planted in ground that’s too wet.
”
How Long Does It Take to Grow Potatoes?
Depending on the potato variety you’re growing, they’ll be ready to harvest anywhere from 70 to 100 days.
How to Grow Potatoes
Planting Potatoes Getty 4/16/20
Credit: Westend61/Getty Images
Westend61/Getty Images
When was the last time you saw potato seeds for sale? Probably never (though it is possible). Most potatoes are produced by vegetative propagation, which means a new plant grows from a fragment of an old plant (farmers replant potato pieces and new potatoes grow from those pieces).
This doesn’t mean you can use any old grocery store potato, though. Often, those potatoes have been treated with growth inhibitors to keep them fresh for longer. Organic potatoes may not work either, as any diseases from the previous year will carry over into this year.
Your best bet for a successful potato crop is using certified seed potatoes, which means they’ve been declared disease-free by a government authority.
You can get seed potatoes at your local gardening center.
Once you have your seeds potatoes, you can cut them into smaller pieces—just make sure each piece has at least one “eye,” or bud.
Do this a couple days before you plant. Letting the cut pieces sit for a while can help them seal, which can prevent rotting and disease.
Potatoes grow best in rows in a garden, but you can also grow them in containers (like these). Pick an area that gets at least six hours of full sunlight every day.
To plant potatoes in a garden:
- Dig trenches that are about eight inches deep. Keep the rows about three feet apart.
- In the trenches, plant a seed potato every 12 inches or so. The “eye” should be facing upward. Cover each potato with about three inches of soil.
- After a few weeks, the potato plants will begin to sprout. Then you can gently fill the trench with another few inches of soil, leaving the top of the plant exposed.
This is called “hilling” and it protects the potatoes from the sun, as well as supports the plant. - Hill the potatoes every 1-2 weeks. Maintain even moisture throughout the growing process—1-2 inches of water per week is ideal.
How to Harvest Potatoes
Potatoes in basket Getty 4/15/20
Credit: Ekaterina Smirnova/Getty Images
Ekaterina Smirnova/Getty Images
When your potatoes are ready to harvest depends on the variety you’re growing.
To harvest potatoes:
- Dig them up gently on a dry day.
- Remove only the biggest potatoes and leave the smaller ones alone so they can continue to grow.
- Don’t leave harvested potatoes in the sun too long, as too much sunlight can turn them green and toxic.
Growing Potatoes: How to Plant & Harvest Potatoes
7 steps for planting, harvesting and storing potatoes at home By Kevin Lee Jacobs
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Potatoes are generous plants. They are easy to grow and produce abundant harvests. Give them the following and they will accept almost any planting situation:
- Full sun
- Loose, fertile soil
- 1” of water per week
You can grow potatoes in containers, pots, or a special “grow bag”. But in my experience, containers like these require constant attention to watering, and yield smaller harvests than growing in a raised bed.
RELATED: Raised Bed Gardening
I achieve an enormous harvest—enough to feed two for nearly a year—by planting potatoes in two 4'-x-8' raised beds. The tubers are wildly productive in the well-draining, rock-free soil the beds provide, and the vines require deep watering only once each week.
Of all the root vegetables I grow, it is the potatoes that give me the biggest thrill at harvest time. I love to stick my hands in the soil and retrieve the buried bounty, with a yield of eight to ten potatoes for every one that I plant.
However you decide to grow your potatoes, the planting directions are the same.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 1: Choose Seed Potatoes
Start with organic, certified disease-free seed potatoes obtained from a catalog or farm store. (Grocery store potatoes that have been treated with a sprout-retardant are not suitable for planting.) If you buy from a farm store, as I do, try to select tubers which have already sprouted. Otherwise, pre-sprout them by simply laying them out on your kitchen counter. Pre-sprouted potatoes can be harvested a few weeks earlier than their non-sprouted kin.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 2: Separate the Eyes
Only small, golf ball-sized potatoes should be planted whole.
Cut large tubers into pieces. I cut mine so that each segment has two or three "eyes" (the little bumps from which sprouts emerge, as shown in the photo). The reason for cutting the potatoes is because the many eyes on a large potato will create a crowded, multi-stemmed plant, with each stem competing for food and moisture, and in the end, bearing only small potatoes.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 3: Cure the Cut Pieces
Next, "cure" the cut pieces. Either set them out in the sun, or place them on a table or counter in a warm (about 70°F), moderately lit room for three to five days. This step permits the cuts to become calloused. Calloused seed potatoes will help prevent rot.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 4: How & When to Plant Potatoes
Plant seed potato segments cut-side down (eyes up) in a 6-inch-deep hole or trench. Space each segment 12-inches apart on all sides.
Between each segment, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorous fertilizer. Then cover both potatoes and fertilizer with 2-inches of soil, and water the soil well.
When do you plant potatoes?
This will vary depending on where you live. Gardeners in warm climates often plant around Valentine’s Day, while those in cooler areas may get them into the ground near Easter, or early spring. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 3-4 weeks prior to your last frost date.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 5: Hill Around the Stems
Because new potatoes form on lateral stems, or "stolons" above the seed potato, it’s necessary to "hill" the vines. When the green sprouts achieve 8 inches in height, bury all but their top 4 inches with soil, chopped straw, or shredded leaves. Hill again when potato plants grow another 8 inches. The more you hill, the more prolific your harvest is likely to be. I usually hill mine to a height of 18 inches. Stop hilling when the vines flower.
Potato tubers, like vampires, need to live in darkness. In fact, they will turn green if exposed to light. And a green potato can cause sickness if consumed. Therefore it is absolutely essential to keep the tubers covered with soil or mulch.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 6: How & When to Harvest Potatoes
Two weeks after the vines have flowered, you can, if you wish, reach into the soil or mulch and retrieve a few baby potatoes. Otherwise, wait until the vines die back.
Dead vines signal that the tubers have reached maturity. Now reach into the soil with your hands and pull the tubers up.
How long do potatoes take to grow? Small new potatoes can be ready as early as ten weeks. However, full sized potatoes take about 80-100 days to reach maturity.
Photo by: Kevin Lee Jacobs.
Step 7: Store Your Potatoes
Since my potatoes are grown for storage, I leave them in the ground until cool weather arrives. Why? Because potatoes will only store well if they are placed somewhere cold, but not freezing. The closet in my mudroom doesn’t cool off until the outside temperatures plunges to 45° at night. So harvest time for me is usually a sunny day in late October.
After digging the tubers, I let them sit on top of the raised beds for a few hours to dry, as illustrated. This brief drying-period toughens their skin, and prepares them for storage. Then I gently brush off any loose soil from the tubers, and place them in double thicknesses of paper bags.
More potato growing tips:
- If you don’t want to bother with hilling, plant your potatoes 8-9 inches deep. The downsides are: the potatoes take longer to sprout and your harvest might be smaller.
- Potatoes like slightly acidic soil (5.8-6.5 pH). Add fertilizer or composted manure for best results.
- When growing potatoes in containers, a good soil recipe is 1 part peat moss, 1 part organic potting soil and 1 part cow manure.
- If you want to make the task of weeding easier (and you have the space), plant your potatoes at least two feet apart so that you can weed around them easily.
Preventing Potato Blight
The dreaded fungal disease known as the "potato blight” (Phytophthora infestans) was responsible for the Irish potato famine and can destroy your entire crop, too. To reduce the chance of infection, never plant potatoes (or tomatoes and other members of the nightshade family, such as eggplants or chili peppers) in the same patch of land without leaving an interval of at least three years.
Also, promptly remove any volunteer potatoes that emerge in your garden. The disease overwinters in tubers left behind during the previous year’s harvest.
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How to cook potatoes in the oven: 13 best recipes And in vain.
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01. Classic oven potatoes
Photo: norikko / ShutterstockIngredients
- 4 large potatoes;
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- salt to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- 30 g butter.
Preparation
Rinse the potatoes and pierce all sides several times with a fork. Brush with olive oil, salt and season with spices.
Place the potatoes on the oven rack, preheated to 180°C and bake for 60-75 minutes. Check readiness with a fork: the potatoes should be soft.
Make a slit in each potato, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a piece of butter.
2. Baked potatoes with rosemary and garlic
Photo: koss13 / ShutterstockIngredients
- 900 g potatoes;
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- 4 garlic cloves;
- salt to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- ½ bunch fresh rosemary.
Preparation
Wash the potatoes well. Cut in half or quarters if tubers are too large. Place potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, pepper and chopped rosemary. Leave a few sprigs of rosemary for serving.
Stir the potatoes and place in a preheated oven at 220 °C for about an hour. Turn potatoes periodically. If the crust is not crispy enough for you, increase the cooking time by 15 minutes. Garnish vegetables with fresh rosemary before serving.
3. Lemon Baked Potato
Photo: freeskyline / ShutterstockIngredients
- 700g potatoes;
- 1 lemon;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- a few sprigs of thyme;
- 4 tablespoons olive oil;
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt;
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
Preparation
Wash the potatoes with a stiff brush and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut potatoes in half or quarters if tubers are too large and place in a bowl.
Cut the lemon lengthwise into quarters. Squeeze the juice out of them into a bowl with potatoes and put lemon quarters in the same place. Add minced garlic, chopped thyme, oil, salt and pepper and mix well.
Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 230°C for about 30 minutes. Turn slices occasionally until browned.
4. Potato baked in salt
Photo: Vankad / ShutterstockIngredients
- 8 large potatoes;
- 2 egg whites;
- 4 tablespoons of sea salt;
- 50 g butter.
Preparation
Wash potatoes and pierce each potato 2-3 times with a fork. Dip it first in lightly beaten proteins, then roll in salt and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 1.5 hours. Then raise the temperature to 200°C and bake for 1 more hour.
Shake off excess salt before serving. Make a deep cut on each potato and put a small piece of butter inside.
5. Baked potatoes with sour cream and cheese
Photo: Yurchenko Iryna / ShutterstockIngredients
- 4 potatoes;
- 1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons olive oil;
- 180 ml sour cream;
- 60 g softened butter;
- 2 tablespoons of milk;
- a few green onions;
- ¾ teaspoon salt;
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper;
- 50 g grated hard cheese.
Preparation
Wash the potatoes, brush with olive oil, place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 45 minutes. Check the readiness of the potatoes with a fork or knife.
Let the potatoes cool, cut off the top and remove the core with a spoon. Mix potato pulp with sour cream, butter, milk, chopped onion, salt, pepper and cheese. Stuff the potatoes with the resulting mixture and put in the oven for another 20 minutes.
6. Accordion potatoes with bacon, cheese and sour cream
Photo: koss13 / ShutterstockIngredients
- 4 potatoes;
- 60 g butter;
- 1 garlic clove;
- salt to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- 4 slices of bacon;
- 100 g grated cheddar;
- 100 ml sour cream;
- a few green onions.
Preparation
Rinse the potatoes well and make many deep vertical cuts in them. Lay the tubers on a baking sheet and stuff some of the cuts with bits of butter and thin slices of garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Put in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for about an hour.
In the meantime, fry the bacon until crispy and cut into pieces. Remove potatoes, stuff with cheese and bacon, and return to oven for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Garnish potatoes with sour cream and chopped onion before serving.
7. Greek Potato with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Photo: P Kyriakos / ShutterstockIngredients
- 3-5 large potatoes;
- 5 tablespoons olive oil;
- 2 teaspoons dried garlic;
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano;
- salt to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- 150 g Greek yoghurt;
- ½ lemon;
- a few sprigs of parsley;
- a pinch of paprika;
- 100 g feta cheese;
- a handful of cherry tomatoes;
- 1 small cucumber;
- a handful of olives, better than Kalamata;
- a few sprigs of dill.
Preparation
Wash potatoes and cut into long wedges. Place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Spread the potatoes skin side down and place the baking sheet in preheated to 190 °C oven for 35-40 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce. To do this, mix yogurt, lemon juice, chopped parsley and paprika.
Sprinkle the cooked potatoes with feta pieces, tomato wedges, cucumber cubes, chopped olives and chopped dill. Serve potatoes with yogurt sauce.
8. Jamie Oliver Potato Gratin
Photo: Karl Allgaeuer / ShutterstockIngredients
- 200 ml milk;
- 300 ml heavy cream;
- 1 bay leaf;
- 2 garlic cloves;
- sea salt to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- 2 ¹⁄₂ kg potatoes;
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme;
- 1 small piece of butter;
- a handful of grated parmesan;
- 6 slices of bacon - optional;
- a little olive oil - optional.
Preparation
Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, add the bay leaf and thinly sliced garlic. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. After that, cook the mixture over low heat for a couple more minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices. Add the potatoes and most of the minced thyme to the pot of milk. Mix and place in a rectangular baking dish, greased with butter.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about an hour. If potatoes start to burn a little, cover with foil.
Garnish the finished dish with the remaining thyme and, if desired, the bacon pieces toasted in olive oil.
9. Potatoes stuffed with beef and vegetables
Photo: Paul Fourie / ShutterstockIngredients
- 4 large potatoes;
- 120 ml milk;
- 30 g butter;
- salt to taste;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil;
- ½ onion;
- 1 garlic clove;
- 250 g ground beef;
- 2 tablespoons flour;
- 300 g any frozen or fresh vegetables;
- 200 ml beef broth;
- 100 ml water;
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme;
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano;
- ground black pepper - to taste.
Preparation
Rinse potatoes well and pierce all sides several times with a fork. Microwave for 5 minutes, then flip and microwave for another 5 minutes. Check readiness with a knife or toothpick: the potatoes should be soft inside.
Cut off the top of the potato, scoop out almost all the flesh with a spoon and put it in a bowl. Add milk, butter and salt to the pulp and purée.
Heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute chopped onion and garlic on it. Then put the minced meat in the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add flour and stir. Add vegetables, broth, water, thyme, oregano, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until the filling has thickened.
Lay the potato skins on a baking sheet and fill them with the meat mixture. Place the cooled puree in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and cover the filling with it. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes until the puree is browned around the edges.
10. Crispy Parmesan Potato Wedges
Photo: chettarin / ShutterstockIngredients
- 3 large potatoes;
- 5 tablespoons olive oil;
- 1 tablespoon dried garlic;
- 1 tablespoon Italian herbs;
- salt to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- 50 g grated Parmesan;
- a few sprigs of parsley.
Preparation
Wash the potatoes well and cut into long thin slices. Put them on a baking sheet, pour oil, sprinkle with seasonings and mix. Lay potatoes skin side down and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 25-27 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and golden. Sprinkle chopped parsley over baked potatoes and serve with Caesar sauce or other dressing of your choice.
11. Oven baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese sauce
Photo: Cesarz / ShutterstockIngredients
- 4 potatoes;
- 2 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons olive oil;
- 1 tablespoon salt;
- 2 heads of broccoli;
- 100 ml skimmed milk;
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch;
- 100 g grated hard cheese.
Preparation
Wash the potatoes and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Pierce potatoes on all sides with a fork and season with salt. Place the tubers on the oven rack and bake at 220°C for 45-50 minutes.
10-15 minutes before the end of cooking, place the broccoli florets on a baking sheet, drizzle with a tablespoon of oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and place in the oven.
Combine milk and starch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then add the remaining butter and cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth.
Place the cooked potatoes on a serving platter, cut off the top, arrange the broccoli on top and pour over the cheese sauce.
12. Baked potatoes with egg, cheese and bacon
Photo: Ruslan Mitin / ShutterstockIngredients
- 3 large potatoes;
- 4 tablespoons olive oil;
- salt to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- 30 g butter;
- 3 large eggs;
- 50 g grated cheddar;
- 3 slices of bacon;
- 2 green onions.
Cooking
Wash the potatoes well with a stiff brush. Pierce the tubers on all sides with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in the microwave for 8 minutes.
Place the slightly cooled potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment, cut off the top and remove the core with a spoon. In the resulting hole, put a piece of butter, egg, cheese and chopped fried bacon. Sprinkle with chopped onion.
Stuff the other potatoes in the same way. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes until the egg white is white.
13. Oven baked potatoes with mustard, cheese and beans
Photo: timages / ShutterstockIngredients
- 6 large potatoes;
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- salt to taste;
- 85 g butter;
- 1 tablespoon mustard;
- 6 green onions;
- 230 g grated hard cheese;
- 600 g canned beans.
Preparation
Wash potatoes, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Put on a baking sheet and put in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for 1 hour.
Cut slightly cooled potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the pulp with a spoon. Mix it with butter, mustard, salt, minced onion, ⅔ cheese and beans. Stuff the potato skins with the mixture, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
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Rustic potato, step-by-step recipe for 1444 kcal, photos, ingredients
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Recipe from Yulia Vysotskaya
Mashed potatoes with leeks
I saw this recipe in France. When you whip sweet leeks with potatoes, you almost don’t feel it, and the puree turns out to be very tender and very expressive, moreover, the calorie content of the dish
Julia Vysotskaya
You can make this Spanish omelet with potatoes fried the day before.
Julia Vysotskaya
% DV
2%
3%
3%
Based on your
age, weight and activity. It is a reference information.
Login or register and we will be able to display your daily intake of proteins, fats and carbohydrates
Login / Register0535 1 kg
| butter | 25 g |
| smoked paprika 3 3 t.5 900 |
| 1 pinch |
Sauce
| sour cream l. |
| 2 st. l. |
| canned cucumbers | 1 pc. Add a photo
Step by step recipe with photoPeel the potatoes and cut lengthwise into six pieces. Boil potatoes in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Throw away in a colander. Then return to the pot again. Melt the butter in the microwave, add the paprika and stir. Drizzle the potatoes with herb oil, close the lid and shake it until all the slices are in the oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the potatoes in a single layer. Bake at 250°C for 30 minutes. Stir the potatoes a couple of times with a spatula for an even crispy layer! Prepare the sauce. Mix sour cream and mayonnaise, grated pickled cucumber, chopped garlic and dill, salt and pepper in a bowl. If the cucumber is not sour enough, then add lemon juice (1 tsp). To mix everything. 
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