planting potatoes 101

everything you gotta know to grow your own taters!

Potatoes are one of my favorite veggies to grow (and hands down the most fun to harvest), and around St. Patrick’s day is a good time to plant them here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, so today I’m sharing all my tips for growing potatoes!

*A note that if you live in a colder, more northern climate you’ll want to hold off planting potatoes just yet… the rule of thumb is to wait until early spring when soil temperatures reach 45°F or higher (which is probably another month away for all you northerners).

BEFORE YOU PLANT

1. Source your seed potatoes from a reputable local farm/garden store (for local friends, we source ours from Country Farm & Home in Pittsboro… I just saw an email that they have lots of potatoes still available). While you technically can plant potatoes from the grocery store, your best bet is to buy seed potatoes that are specifically bred to be used to for growing potatoes (as grocery store potatoes are often treated to prevent sprouting).

2. It’s recommended to “green sprout” your seed potatoes a 1-3 weeks before you plant them, which means putting your whole seed potatoes in a box and leaving them in a warm (60-85 F) and dark place to encourage their eyes to begin sprouting (a closet or pantry both work great). Be careful when handling to avoid breaking off sprouted eyes.

3. If your potatoes are large (over 4-5 ounces) and have lots of eyes, you can cut them into smaller pieces, which allows you to get more out of each potato. Think of the size/weight of a chicken egg as your ideal size, and try to have at least 2 eyes per seed piece. If you are going to cut your potatoes, cut them with a sharp paring knife 24-48 hours days before you plant, to allow the cut part of the potato to heal over (to avoid the potatoes from rotting in the ground).

PLANTING YOUR POTATOES