Sow seed potatoes three inches deep and 12 inches apart. For traditional row plantings, keep rows three to four feet apart. In beds using intensive planting.

Related Articles

• 1 Grow Potatoes in Seaweed
• 2 Grow La Ratte Potatoes
• 3 Plant the Eye of a Seed Potato
• 4 Plant Solanum Jasminoides

The strongest and healthiest potato plants grow from certified seed potatoes, which you can buy in garden centers and from seed catalogs. When it comes to planting a potato you bought from the grocery store, the odds of germination are lower and those of disease are higher. If you find a potato that has sprouted at home, you can plant it and grow potatoes as an interesting experiment or as a gardening lesson for children. Geist reservoir indianapolis.

1

Cut large sprouted potatoes into smaller pieces. Make sure each piece has one or two 'eyes,' which are the small sprouts from which the plant will grow.

2

Prepare the potato garden in the spring when the soil has warmed and has begun to drain. Squeeze a handful of soil from the garden. If it flicks apart like cake, it is ready for planting. Dig the potato patch 12 inches deep and mix in a 3-inch layer of compost.

3

Plant the potato pieces in rows. Place the pieces 12 inches apart, and set the rows 24 inches apart. Cover each potato piece with 3 inches of garden soil.

4

Water the ground thoroughly and keep the area moist but not soggy.

5

Cultivate around the potato plants as they grow to remove any weeds that appear. Use a hoe to pull soil up in a hill around the stems of the plants. Keep increasing the size of the hill through the growing season. This will help keep the potatoes nearest the surface from moving up into the sunlight.

6

Dig the potatoes after the leaves have withered and the plant has died back. Use a shovel or garden fork to dig all the potatoes, which will be connected to the roots underneath the plant.

Tip

• Plant one potato in potting soil in a barrel. Keep adding potting soil as the plant grows, and dump out the barrel in the fall after the plant dies for easy harvesting.

About the Author

Working in sunny Florida, Anne Baley has been writing professionally since 2009. Her home and lifestyle articles have been seen on Coldwell Banker and Gardening Know How. Baley has published a series of books teaching how to live a frugal life with style and panache.

Photo Credits

• Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images