Plant certified seed potatoes when the soil is workable and about 45°F. Cut large tubers so each piece has eyes, let the cut dry, then set pieces cut-side down.
Plant certified seed potatoes when the soil is workable
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| When | When the ground can be worked and the soil is about 45°F | Do not plant into cold, wet ground, which rots the seed piece |
| Seed | Certified disease-free seed potatoes from a garden center or catalog | Do not plant grocery potatoes, which may be treated so they will not sprout |
| Depth | About three to five inches, often a four-inch furrow | Do not set pieces on the surface, where they dry and green |
| Spacing | Eight to twelve inches in the row, with rows two to three feet apart | Do not crowd pieces if you want large storage tubers |
Wait until the soil is workable in spring and has warmed to about 45°F. A light frost will not kill the crop, but a long stretch of cold, wet ground rots the seed piece. [1] potato starts from a seed tuber, not from the tiny true seed in the berry. Buy certified stock, then plant pieces about ten to twelve inches apart and three to five inches deep. [2] A six-ounce tuber can make four pieces. Set them in a furrow, cut-side down, and cover. [3] Small whole seed potatoes, about an inch to an inch and a half across, can go in whole. [4] Sun, weekly water, and hilling stay on How to Grow Potatoes.
- Buy certified disease-free seed potatoes. Skip grocery tubers and last year's garden tubers.
- Plant when the soil is workable and about 45°F, in a furrow three to five inches deep.
- Space pieces eight to twelve inches apart in the row, with rows two to three feet apart. Close spacing favors new potatoes; wider spacing favors large storage tubers.
- Cover with soil. Keep the surface from baking dry until shoots show, then hill as the stems grow on How to Grow Potatoes.
When do I plant potatoes?
When the ground can be worked and the soil is about 45°F. Do not plant into cold, wet ground.
How deep do I plant seed potatoes?
About three to five inches, often a four-inch furrow, with pieces eight to twelve inches apart.
Cut pieces with eyes, let them callus, then set them cut-side down
Every piece needs at least one eye, the small dent that sends the new shoot. Two eyes is better. Cut large tubers into chunks about an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half across, then lay the pieces in a single layer at 60 to 70°F for a day or two so the cut dries and forms a skin. Plant that healed piece cut-side down, with the eyes pointing up, so the shoot does not have to fight its way around the cut.
Can I plant a grocery potato?
Grocery potatoes may be treated so they will not sprout, and they can carry disease. Use certified seed potatoes.
If the cut still looks wet, wait another day before you plant. A dry, callused face is less likely to rot in cool soil.
FAQ
Do I need to chit them first?
You can, but you do not have to. Green-sprouting keeps whole tubers in the dark until they sprout, then in light so the sprouts stay short. Most home crops go in as callused pieces.
Can I grow potatoes from true seed?
The usual crop is a seed potato. The tiny seeds in the green berries do not come true, so you will not get the variety on the bag.
Related guides
Recommended plants
References
- [1] Iowa State University Extension -
https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/growing-potatoes-home-garden - [2] University of Minnesota Extension -
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-potatoes - [3] University of Maryland Extension -
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/growing-potatoes-home-garden - [4] Penn State Extension -
https://extension.psu.edu/potatoes-in-the-garden-and-the-kitchen
This note is part of Potato Guides.
More planting notes by plant are gathered in Planting Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors