How to grow Potato
Updated October 2026
Potatoes are a cool-season crop grown from certified seed potatoes, planted in early spring across most of the country and in winter in Florida, the Gulf Coast and the low desert. They are planted into cool soil, hilled as they grow and dug once the tops die back. One seed piece can give a pound or more of potatoes.
📖 Our full guide: When to Plant Potatoes: How to Grow Potatoes in the US
Not to be confused with: Potato and sweet potato are not related. Potatoes are grown from tubers in cool weather and belong to the tomato family, while sweet potatoes are grown from slips in summer heat and are a morning glory.
Where to plant
Grow potatoes in full sun in loose, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Heavy, wet soil rots seed pieces and gives misshapen tubers. Slightly acid soil suits them, and keeping the pH at about 5.2 or a little higher, rather than near neutral, keeps common scab down. Do not lime the potato bed unless a soil test calls for it.
Rotate your beds. Do not plant potatoes where potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or eggplants grew in the last three years, as they share diseases such as late blight and early blight.
- North and Central Florida and the Gulf South: plant in January and February for a spring harvest before the summer heat. February 14 is a popular planting day in North Florida.
- South Florida: plant from about September to January, through the cool, dry season.
- Texas: plant in late winter, about four weeks before the last frost (January in South Texas, February farther north), with a fall crop in the warmest areas.
- Desert Southwest and Southern California: plant in fall and again in late winter, avoiding the summer heat.
- Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic, Southern Plains and the Pacific Northwest: plant in late winter to early spring, from about mid-March in much of the Mid-Atlantic. A second crop can go in during midsummer for a fall harvest.
- Northeast, Midwest, Mountain West and Northern Plains: plant in April to early June once the soil reaches about 45°F (7°C) and can be worked.
- Alaska: plant in May or June, choosing early varieties for the short season.
Choosing a variety
- Always buy certified disease-free seed potatoes. Grocery-store potatoes may carry disease and are often treated to stop sprouting, and home-saved seed can pick up disease in a single season.
- Red-skinned varieties such as Red Pontiac, Red LaSoda and LaRouge are reliable in the South, where UF/IFAS recommends them alongside Yukon Gold and Gold Rush.
- Early varieties mature quickly and suit the South and short-season areas. Later, main-crop varieties give bigger yields and store better where the season allows.
- Yukon Gold is a popular yellow-fleshed all-rounder; russets are the classic baking type.
How to plant
- Cut large seed potatoes into pieces of about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces, roughly the size of an egg, each with one to three eyes. Plant small potatoes whole.
- Leave cut pieces in a cool, airy place for a day or two so the cut surfaces dry and seal, which helps prevent rot.
- Dig a trench or furrow 3 to 5 inches deep for early plantings, or 5 to 6 inches for later ones, working in compost and a complete fertilizer.
- Set the pieces cut side down, 8 to 12 inches apart, in rows 24 to 36 inches apart, and cover with soil.
- When shoots reach 6 to 8 inches, draw soil up around the stems, leaving the top few inches of leaves showing. Repeat once or twice as they grow, keeping the hill no more than about 6 inches above the original soil.
Watering and feeding
Keep the soil evenly moist, especially once the plants flower and tubers are forming. About 1 to 2 inches of water a week from rain or watering is a good guide. Uneven watering gives knobby, cracked or hollow tubers. Water at the base rather than over the leaves, which helps prevent blight, and ease off as the tops begin to yellow.
Potatoes are hungry. Work fertilizer into the bed before planting, then side-dress about six weeks later, when tubers begin to form.
Pruning and care through the year
- Hilling covers developing tubers. Potatoes exposed to light turn green and contain solanine, which is bitter and can make you ill, so cut away green parts or discard badly greened potatoes.
- Mulching with straw on top of the hills also keeps light off the tubers and the soil cool and moist.
- Check the plants every few days from late spring for Colorado potato beetles and their orange egg clusters.
Harvesting
For new potatoes, dig carefully around the edges of the plants about 6 to 8 weeks after planting, usually once they have flowered, and take a few small tubers.
For storage potatoes, wait until the tops have yellowed and died back, then leave the tubers in the ground for about two more weeks so their skins thicken. Dig on a dry day with a garden fork, starting well out from the plant to avoid spearing tubers. In the South, dig before the summer heat and rain set in.
Brush off the soil but do not wash them. Cure the potatoes in a dark place at about 50°F to 60°F with high humidity for 10 to 14 days, then store them in the dark at about 40°F to 50°F. Well-cured potatoes keep for several months. Keep them out of the fridge and away from light.
Growing in pots
Potatoes grow well in a grow bag, a large tub or a heavy-duty sack at least 20 inches (50 cm) deep. Plant two or three seed pieces in the bottom few inches of potting mix and add more mix as the shoots grow, as you would when hilling. Water often, as containers dry out quickly, and tip the bag out to harvest.
Companion planting
Potatoes need room, sun and rotation more than companions. The plants to keep away are their own relatives, which share blight.
Good companions
- Bush Beans Grow happily between rows and add little competition.
- Nasturtium Its flowers bring in pollinators and predatory insects.
- Marigold Brings in hoverflies and other beneficial insects.
- Sweet Corn Grows in a separate row without competing much, and uses a similar rotation slot.
- Beans
- Corn
Keep apart
Avoid planting these close to potato.
- Tomato Same family. Tomatoes and potatoes share late blight and early blight, so keep them apart and rotate beds.
- Bell Pepper Same family, with shared diseases; keep it out of the potato rotation.
- Eggplant Same family, and a favorite of the Colorado potato beetle and flea beetles.
- Pumpkin Sprawling vines shade potatoes and compete for space and water.
- Cucumber A sprawling vine that competes for water and space; give it a bed of its own.
Pests and diseases
Colorado potato beetle is the main pest across much of the country, and late blight is the disease to fear in cool, wet weather. Certified seed, rotation and steady watering prevent most problems.
Pests to watch for
- Colorado potato beetle Yellow and black striped beetles, clusters of bright orange eggs under leaves, and plump red or orange larvae that strip foliage. Handpick into soapy water and crush egg masses.
- Flea beetles Many tiny round holes in the leaves, worst on young plants.
- Aphids Clusters of small soft insects under leaves; they also spread potato viruses.
- Wireworm Narrow tunnels bored through the tubers, worst in beds that were recently lawn.
- Potato leafhopper Leaf tips and edges turn yellow, then brown and curl (hopperburn), mainly in the East and Midwest.
- Loopers
Diseases to watch for
- Late blight Greasy, dark gray-green patches on leaves and stems that spread fast in cool, wet weather. Dig up and bag affected plants; do not compost them.
- Early blight Brown spots with target-like rings on older, lower leaves.
- Common scab Rough, corky patches on the tuber skin, worst in alkaline or limed soil and dry spells while tubers form.
Common questions
Can I plant potatoes from the grocery store?
It is better not to. Store potatoes are often treated to stop them sprouting and can carry diseases such as late blight into your garden. Buy certified disease-free seed potatoes from a garden center or seed supplier.
When should I plant potatoes?
In most of the country, plant about 2 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost, once the soil reaches about 45°F and can be worked. In Florida and along the Gulf, plant in winter, from about January to February in the north and as early as fall in South Florida. Choose your region at the top of the page for the months.
Why are my potatoes green, and are they safe to eat?
Potatoes turn green when light reaches them, in the ground or in storage. The green layer contains solanine, which is bitter and can make you sick. Cut away all green parts, or discard badly greened potatoes. Hilling soil or straw over the tubers prevents it.
How do I know when potatoes are ready to dig?
New potatoes can be taken about 6 to 8 weeks after planting, once the plants flower. For potatoes to store, wait until the tops die back, then leave the tubers in the ground about two more weeks so the skins toughen.
Should I cut seed potatoes before planting?
Large ones, yes. Cut them into pieces of about 1 1/2 to 2 ounces with at least one eye each, and let the cut surfaces dry for a day or two before planting. Plant small seed potatoes whole.
What causes rough, scabby patches on potato skins?
Common scab, a soil disease that is worst in alkaline or freshly limed soil and when the soil dries out as tubers form. Keep the soil slightly acid, water evenly and rotate beds. The potatoes are still fine to eat once peeled.
How do I store homegrown potatoes?
Cure them unwashed in a dark place at about 50°F to 60°F with high humidity for 10 to 14 days, then store them dark and cool at about 40°F to 50°F. Keep them out of the fridge and away from light.
Sources we checked: University of Maryland Extension: Growing potatoes in the home garden; UF/IFAS Florida Fresh: Potatoes, Irish; UF/IFAS Extension Baker County: It's potato planting time; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: Irish potatoes; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Rio Grande Valley homeowner vegetable guide; Iowa State University Extension: How can I control Colorado potato beetles?; University of Idaho Extension: Late blight management in the home garden (BUL1022); Cornell Vegetables: Potato scab; Penn State Extension: Potato leafhopper on vegetables.
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