One food many people want to plant for themselves is potatoes, and they often wonder how deep you plant potatoes, which makes sense.
Potatoes are well known for their versatility, and only a few people do not enjoy eating dishes made with potatoes.
However, there are a lot of aspects about growing potatoes that people do not know, and one of the most frustrating things about gardening is when you mess up one step and the whole yield is ruined.
Because of this, it is important to know all the necessary steps before you start planting the potatoes.
One of the most important pieces of information you need about planting potatoes is how deep you should be planting them.
The best technique we have found to get the best results when we are planting potatoes is to plant them in rows. So when doing this, you want to dig a trench that is around 6 to 8 inches deep.
Then you will plant each of your pieces of potato, with the cut side down and the eyes pointing up, and space these apart so you plant one every 12 to 15 inches apart. If you’re curious about how many potatoes you’re likely to yield, read here.
As well as this, you will want each of your rows to be spaced around 3 feet apart.
However, it is worth keeping in mind that if you are working with less space, or if you are growing baby potatoes, you can give them a little less space.
Then you will want to fill your trench with about 4 inches of soil and then you can let your plants grow and fill in your trench.
You will also need to mount more soil around the plants as they keep growing.
Before you plant them, you will want to cultivate your soil to ensure that there are no weeds in the soil, and that the soil has been loosened, this makes it, so the plants can get established more quickly.
So, now you know about how deep you should be planting your potatoes, the rest of this article will be dedicated to more information which is helpful when growing your own potatoes!
Table of Contents
More About Planting Potatoes
When you are growing potatoes, you will want to try and do this in full sun as this is when they will thrive.
These are plants that root aggressively, so you will want to plant them in soil that is loose and light as well as well-drained.
The acidity you should aim for is somewhere between pH 5.0 and 7.0. Luckily though, potatoes are generally quite adaptable, and should usually give you quite a good crop even if they do not get the best conditions.
However, you will still want to try and keep weeds out of your potato patch. Also, it is worth noting to not grow potatoes in the same spot every year and rotate around.
You want to only reuse a spot if potatoes have not been grown there for at least 3 to 4 years.
When Should You Be Planting Potatoes?
We think the best time for you to be growing potatoes is as soon as you can work on the ground in early spring, however, you will also want to keep in mind what the soil temperatures are as well.
They will not actually start to grow until the temperature of the soil has gotten to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and the soil should be moist, but definitely not water logged.
It is worth noting that the potatoes will be able to put up with some frost, however, you will need to give them some frost protection if you know a more hard freeze is coming.
If you want to be able to store the potatoes for as long as possible, then you could even plant a crop as late as mid-June, so you can harvest them quite late.
Should You Cut Potatoes?
A week or so before you are planning to plant your potatoes, you will want your seed potatoes to be put in an area that is directly exposed to sunlight and has a temperature between 60 and 70 Fahrenheit.
This will make them start to sprout. Then a couple of days before you are going to plant them, you can use a clean and sharp knife to slice the big seeds up into smaller ones.
You will want these pieces to be about 2 inches and have 1 or 2 buds or eyes. Then you can plant your smaller potatoes whole as well (see more about potato plants here).
You should plant them when they are smaller than a golf ball. A callous will soon form over the cut, so the potato does not start to rot.
How Should You Water Your Potatoes?
To ensure that your potato vines will stay well watered in the summer months, especially when they start to flower and after this, you will want to keep them watered regularly.
This flowering period is actually incredibly important for the potatoes as this is when they are making their tubers and getting their important water supply, and this is what creates a good crop.
You should aim to give them 1 or 2 inches of water every week, however, when the foliage starts to yellow and die back, you can stop the watering to help cure the potatoes so they will be ready to harvest!
When To Know You Should Harvest Your Potatoes?
You can harvest baby potatoes between 2 to 3 weeks after they have finished flowering. If you plan to store your potatoes, do not dig them up for 2 to 3 weeks after the foliage dies.
Summary
Hopefully this article has given you all the information you need about planting potatoes and how deep you should do it.
While you do not need to follow all of our guidelines completely, try to stick to them as closely as possible as this is the perfect balance of not wasting any space, but also not overcrowding your potatoes.
If you overcrowd them, it will very likely affect the quality of your harvest which can of course be very frustrating.
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- How to grow mushrooms in Georgia
- How deep do tomato roots grow?
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