How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
No digging, no big yard, fewer pests. A pot or grow bag on a sunny patio can produce a real crop of potatoes.
Potatoes are one of the most satisfying crops to grow in containers. There is no digging a bed, no forking out the harvest and slicing tubers by accident, and far fewer of the soilborne problems that plague potatoes grown in the ground. A few grow bags on a patio, balcony or driveway can feed you, and tipping the bag out at harvest is half the fun.
Container potato calculator
Enter the volume of your container to see how many seed potatoes to plant and roughly what to expect at harvest. Use gallons (the US default) or switch to liters.
How many seed potatoes fit my container?
Why grow potatoes in containers
- No digging, and you can grow on a patio, balcony or driveway with no garden bed at all.
- Fewer soilborne pests and diseases than ground-grown potatoes, because you start with fresh, clean mix.
- Easy harvest: just tip the bag out, no fork and no sliced tubers.
- You can move containers to chase the sun, or pull them under cover to dodge a late frost.
Choosing a container
Bigger is better. Use a container of at least about 10 gallons; more volume means more room for tubers and a bigger crop. Fabric grow bags are ideal because they drain freely and air-prune the roots, but any large pot, tub or bucket works as long as it has drainage holes. Dark colors warm the mix early in the season, which suits cooler regions. In hot climates a lighter color or a little afternoon shade stops the mix from cooking.
Certified seed potatoes versus grocery potatoes
Start with certified disease-free seed potatoes from a garden supplier. Grocery-store potatoes are often treated with a sprout inhibitor so they will not grow well, and they can carry diseases that you do not want to introduce. Certified seed potatoes are bred and inspected for planting, and they give you the best and cleanest start.
Chitting (greensprouting)
Two to four weeks before planting, set the seed potatoes in a bright, cool spot to sprout, with the end that has the most eyes facing up. An egg carton on a windowsill is perfect. Short, stubby green sprouts give the plants a head start. Cut large seed potatoes into pieces so each piece has one or two healthy sprouts, and let the cut faces dry for a day before planting.
The fill-and-hill method
This is the heart of container growing. Hilling buries more stem, and buried stem grows more tubers.
- Start with about 4 to 6 inches of good potting mix in the bottom of the container.
- Set the seed pieces on top, sprouts up, then cover with another few inches of mix.
- As the shoots grow 6 to 8 inches tall, add more mix to bury the lower two thirds of the stem, leaving the top leaves showing.
- Repeat until the container is nearly full. The more you fill and hill, the more tubers you get.
Watering
Containers dry out fast, so check often and keep the mix evenly moist. Water is most critical at flowering and tuber set, when a dry spell can sharply cut the crop. Avoid swinging between bone dry and soaking, which causes problems like hollow heart and split tubers.
Feeding
Potatoes are hungry. Use a fertilizer that is higher in potassium and go easy on nitrogen, because too much nitrogen gives you lush leaves and a poor crop of tubers. A balanced potting mix plus a potassium-rich feed through the growing season works well.
Early versus maincrop
Early varieties are quick, give you new potatoes in as little as 70 to 90 days, and suit containers and short seasons. Maincrop varieties take longer, around 100 to 130 days, but yield more and store better. For a first try in a container, an early variety is the easiest win.
When to plant in the US
Potatoes are a cool-season crop. In most of the US, plant in spring once the danger of hard frost has passed, since light frost only nips the leaves. In Florida and the Deep South, potatoes are a fall and winter crop, planted from roughly January to February (and in the warmest areas as early as fall) to beat the summer heat. See Florida's growing seasons for local timing, and the full potato guide for in-ground growing.
Harvesting
For new potatoes, start gently feeling into the mix around flowering time on early varieties. For a full maincrop harvest, wait until the tops yellow and die back, then stop watering for a week or two and tip the whole container out onto a tarp. Let the potatoes dry for a few hours, brush off the mix, and cure maincrop tubers in a cool, dark, airy place before storing.
Common problems
- Late blight in cool, wet weather browns the leaves and rots tubers. Improve airflow and avoid wetting the foliage.
- Greening from light exposure turns tubers green. Keep them covered with mix, and do not eat green parts, which contain solanine.
- Scab shows as rough patches and is worse in dry, alkaline mix. Keep moisture steady and the mix slightly acidic.
- Hollow heart, a cavity inside the tuber, comes from irregular watering. Keep moisture even.
- Colorado potato beetle is a pest in many regions. Pick beetles and orange egg clusters off by hand; see the pest management guide.
Varieties for US gardens
Early (quick, great for containers)
All-purpose yellow flesh, buttery and reliable.
Early red with smooth skin, good for new potatoes.
Early purple-skinned, white flesh, vigorous.
Maincrop (higher yield, better storage)
Reliable, common and high yielding, a great all-rounder.
The classic baking and frying potato.
Rich yellow flesh and excellent flavor, stores well.
A blue-fleshed novelty that holds its color.
Fingerling
Waxy, nutty fingerling, superb roasted.
Track your container crop in the app
Log your planting date, get hilling and watering reminders, and follow a region-tuned calendar from chitting to harvest.
Open the app →Common questions
What size container do I need for potatoes?
Use at least about 10 gallons. Allow roughly 2.5 to 3 gallons of mix per seed potato, so a 10 gallon container suits three or four seed potatoes. Bigger containers give bigger crops.
How many potatoes will one container produce?
Expect about 2 to 3 lb per seed potato in a well-managed container, so a container with three or four seed potatoes can yield roughly 6 to 12 lb.
Can I plant potatoes from the grocery store?
It is better to use certified seed potatoes. Grocery potatoes are often treated with a sprout inhibitor and can carry disease. Certified seed potatoes are inspected and bred for planting.
Do I need to chit potatoes before planting?
It is not essential, but chitting (sprouting them in light for two to four weeks first) gives the plants a head start and is especially helpful for early varieties and short seasons.
Why are my potatoes turning green?
They were exposed to light. Keep tubers covered with mix as they grow, and do not eat green parts, which contain solanine and can make you ill.
When do I plant potatoes in Florida?
In Florida and the Deep South, potatoes are a cool-season crop. Plant in winter, around January to February in much of the state, so they mature before the summer heat.
How do I know when to harvest?
For new potatoes, harvest around flowering on early varieties. For a full crop, wait until the tops die back, then tip the container out.
Source: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Potato; UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103).
See also: Potato in the plant library →
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