Potato Garden Basics

For a successful potato garden, designate a space in your garden layout that will be the areas for your potatoes. When planting potatoes, you will start your potatoes from potato pieces – that is, actual pieces of the potato. The potato seeds may be small pieces with an eye in each piece, or they may be actual small potatoes.

If it is a piece of a potato, it will be cut into small pieces about 1 1/4 ounce or 2 ounces with an eye in each piece. For organic gardening or home gardeners, it is most reliable to start out with small, whole certified seed potatoes that are sold in seed catalogues or through garden supply outlets. Avoid planting the potato eyes that are less than one ounce, which may be too small for the average gardening success.

In the garden, plant the potato seed pieces 10 to 12 inches apart. Dig about one to three inches deep for each potato seed. Rows should be spaced 24 to 36 inches apart. With the garden space being sometimes limited, it may be difficult to plant potatoes with 214 inches between rows in your layout. If you can, it's good. The potato plants shade the soil in this planting method of keeping them spaced in the garden which makes the soil more conducive temperature wise for growing the potatoes.

Potatoes Like the Cold

Potatoes like the cold and are one of the first items in the garden to be planted. It is possible to plant potatoes in March or April. If it is too early to plant in the garden, when there is still damp, cold soil, it may result in the seed rotting. Mid season and late potatoes may be planted as late as the first of July. The late potatoes from the garden are best for winter storage. Gardeners should make the soils improved with mulch or compost organic matter in order to keep it clumpy, fertile and well drained.

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