There's nothing better than just one potato, when you have more of it. Potatoes are delicious, multifunctional, and quite easy to grow. All you have to do is plant the potato tubers in a sunny yard, or in a large pot that can be placed on the back deck. After that, wait for about 5 months to harvest the ripe potatoes. When it's ready to be harvested, dig up the potatoes, then eat and enjoy your own garden potatoes!
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Method 1 of 2: Growing Potatoes in the Yard
Step 1. Choose a location on the page that gets a lot of sun
Potatoes will grow well if they get 8 hours of sunlight a day, but are not suitable for growing in places that are too hot. Choose a lawn location that gets sunlight, but not too much heat. The preferred temperature is around 21 °C, but it can survive slightly hotter temperatures as long as it is not exposed to more than 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight a day. Ideally, you should plant potatoes at the end of the dry season.
Experienced gardeners recommend planting potatoes in late winter (in a country with 4 seasons), but the timing can vary depending on where you live
Step 2. Buy potato seeds at the farm shop
The best way to grow potatoes is to use tubers, but you shouldn't use just any potato. You should get potato seeds (in the form of tubers) which are sold in farm shops. Potatoes that you buy at the grocery store are usually sprayed with pesticides that can spread disease to all parts of the plant. So you have to buy the seed bulbs at the farm store.
Some of the varieties of potato seeds to try include russet, yukon, fingerling, etc… The farm shop will have several options available, and they can bring in seeds that aren't there if you order them
Step 3. Allow potato tubers to sprout within 1 week before planting
Unlike potatoes sold at the grocery store, seed tubers have tiny bumps called shoots. Once planted, these shoots will form a new potato plant. These shoots are very important for the growth process. Place the seed bulbs in a dry, warm location (in a bowl in a sunny kitchen), and leave them there for one week.
Within a week, the potatoes will have sufficient time to grow shoots that are about 1-1 cm long. This means that the seeds are ready to be planted
Step 4. Cut the potatoes into pieces about 5 cm in size
Small potatoes can be planted whole, but those larger than a golf ball should be cut into pieces about 5 cm wide, each containing at least 2 buds. People generally cut potatoes into half "hamburgers". Return the chopped potatoes to the warm place you used to put them in the past week. Let the potatoes stay in this place for 2 to 3 days before planting.
Step 5. Apply fertilizer to the land that will be used to grow potatoes
Use a garden fork to mix the compost on the site. Potatoes like loose, loamy soil (a mixture of clay, sand, and humus) so you'll need to work the compacted parts to give the soil good ventilation. Make sure the fertilizer is covered with soil at least 5 cm thick. Otherwise, the potato roots may be damaged.
If compost isn't available, use a factory-made balanced fertilizer, superphosphate, or bone meal, all of which can be found at the farm store
Step 6. Plant the potatoes in the holes about 30 cm apart for each seed
Insert the diced potatoes into the holes about 10 cm deep, with the buds up and facing the sun. Cover the potatoes with soil and water well.
Potatoes usually need 3–5 cm of water per week, including rainwater. Potatoes like moist soil, but not waterlogged
Step 7. Make a mound on the potatoes 5 weeks later
You can do this by raising the soil around the potato stalks to create a sloping mound about 30 cm high around the potato stalks. This will force the new potatoes to grow on top of the previously planted seedlings. You can cover the entire plant with soil, or leave the leaves exposed (this can come in handy later, as leaf discoloration can be used to identify potato growth).
Continue making mounds once a week. This is to protect the small, newly sprouted potatoes from direct sunlight
Step 8. Harvest potatoes within 70 to 100 days after planting
About 5 months after planting, the potatoes will begin to show signs of ripening. The leaves will turn yellow and die, and this indicates that harvest time is almost here. Let the potatoes remain in the soil for about 2 to 3 weeks, then dig up the potatoes with a garden fork and scoop them out by hand.
Many species of potato can be harvested in about 10 weeks because they are suitable for eating. However, you can leave them in the soil if you want larger potatoes
Method 2 of 2: Growing Potatoes in a Pot
Step 1. Fill part of a deep and large pot with planting media
The bigger the pot the better (potatoes need a lot of space to grow), but the pot should be at least 40 liters in size to accommodate 4-6 potato seedlings. If you want to plant more than 6 seedlings, choose a pot the size of a barrel.
The pot must also have a large enough drainage hole. Reusable black plastic pots (available at garden supply stores) are perfect for growing potatoes. The black color retains the warmth, and the bottom has drainage holes
Step 2. Plant the potato seedlings at a distance of about 15 cm from the other seedlings with the shoots on top
Potatoes should not come into contact with other potatoes or the edges of the pot as this can stunt growth. After planting, cover the potatoes with a 15 cm thick planting medium. Water the planting medium until the water flows from the bottom of the pot. Place the pot in a sunny, but not hot, location on the back or front deck. Choose a place that gets 6 to 8 hours of sunlight a day.
Do not put too many seeds in the pot. A distance of 15 cm between seedlings is the minimum amount of space that will allow potatoes to grow well
Step 3. Water the potatoes when the top 5 cm of soil has dried
The degree of dryness of the soil depends on the weather where you live. So check the soil to find out when it's time to water it. To test it, stick your finger into the ground. If it feels dry, you should water it. Water the soil until the water drains from the bottom of the pot.
If you live in a hot climate, the soil will dry out more quickly and require frequent watering. Do the examination 2 times a day
Step 4. Add planting medium when potato shoots emerge from the soil
Potatoes will shoot about 3 cm high when they are in their growth period. So you have to keep adding soil periodically. Mix the soil with a fertilizer (5-10-10 fertilizer purchased at the farm store is sufficient) for the potatoes to grow healthily and quickly.
Step 5. Harvest the potatoes when the leaves have turned yellow
After 18 to 20 weeks, the potatoes in the pot are ripe. Dig up the potatoes by hand, or roll over the pot and scoop out the potato tubers that are inside.
