Growing Potatoes in Your Home Garden
Tutorial for Container Grown Potatoes
Have you ever wanted to grow potatoes at home? You can! It’s easy and rewarding. And, potatoes are one of the early garden crops you can plant, along with lettuce, carrots, radishes, and other cool-season crops. Do you have any potatoes in your pantry that have sprouted eyes? Perfect. Grab them, a knife, and a cutting board. Cut pieces of potato with the eyes still intact. Now set them in a big bowl and let them cure for a couple of days to prevent pests from gravitating to your potato starts when you plant them.
A few years ago, I learned the time to plant potatoes here in Zone 7 is in between Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. It’s such an easy way to remember when to plant. Last year, I learned that growing potatoes in pots is the smartest way to grow potatoes in my urban backyard. I share my backyard with voles who love to harvest my garden crops, so I’ve had to devise measures to keep them out. Containers work well for this.
Find a large container — 5-gallon is best. If there aren’t drainage holes, add some. Add a few inches of potting soil to the bottom. Then, lay your potatoes down a few inches apart on top of the soil. Now, add about six inches of soil on top of the potatoes, making sure all the potatoes are covered. Walk away and let nature do its work. It will rain eventually and help your potatoes along with their growth.
And, then you will begin to see lush green foliage!
When you green leaves emerge from the top of the soil, about six inches high, cover them completely with more soil. Keep repeating this until the green part of the plant is poking over the rim of your container. Now water them regularly and keep an eye on them. You won’t want to harvest your potatoes until the green tops start browning. The plant is using the energy from the leaf to make a more robust tuber — the part of the potato plant that we eat.
If you’re like me, you are impatient and will start rummaging around in the soil before the green top dies back. Digging in the soil for potatoes is like digging for buried treasure. It’s so much fun! If you find any grubs, just take them out and throw them on the ground away from your garden. The birds will appreciate a snack!
I love my small new potatoes for frying on the stovetop and often harvest more of these than the large ones. That’s a decision you’ll have to make for yourself. If you want to try frying up new potatoes, I suggest cutting them thinly, adding a bit of olive oil or butter to your pan, and seasoning them with salt and pepper. Cook them to the consistency you like. They’ll taste delicious!
Let me know if you have any questions or potato growing tips. And, here’s a link to a video tutorial I made on Instagram for planting potatoes: Instagram.
