Plant Potatoes in Pots

Potatoes are a hearty crop that can grow almost year-round in the right conditions. Planting potatoes in pots minimizes the amount of space you need, and it also reduces the risk of pest infestation and disease. The main thing you need is a deep, heavy pot, since potatoes grow underground and need plenty of soil space.

Steps

Selecting Potatoes and Supplies

1. Buy seed potatoes. Unlike the potatoes you purchase at the grocery store, seed potatoes, also known as "tubers," are grown for the purpose of replanting and are not meant for consumption. Some “table stock” potatoes can also be used for planting purposes, but they do not usually produce a strong crop.
2. Know when to plant what potatoes. There is a wide range of potato varieties to choose from, but they generally fall under five basic categories: first early, second early, early main crop, main crop, and late main crop. Know what category your selected potato variety falls under will tell you when to plant and harvest it.
   • Plant first early varieties toward the beginning of the year, as early as February, and harvest them around May.
   • Plant second early varieties a few weeks after first early varieties, around March, and harvest them around June or July.
   • Plant early main crop potatoes around April and harvest them around August or September.
   • Plant main crop varieties in the middle of spring, around May or June, and harvest them around October.
   • Plant late main crop potatoes as late as July and harvest them in November or December.
3. Select a large container. A potato plant needs roughly 2.5 gallons (10 liters) to develop. The larger your pot, the more potatoes you can grow.
4. Make sure your pot has plenty of drainage holes. The seed potatoes will rot if they sit in excess water for an extended period of time, and drainage holes are necessary to prevent this from occurring. If the pot or container you choose does not have any holes, drill two or three into the bottom.
5. Prepare your growing medium. A mixture made of equal parts potting soil and multi-purpose compost will provide your tubers with a nutritional medium rich in organic material. You can also mix in a few handfuls of fertilizer for added nutrition. Consider an organic fertilizer, like chicken pellets, bone meal, fish meal, or seaweed.

Chitting (Sprouting)

1. Leave your seed potatoes in a cool, dark place. A cupboard or closet in the basement works nicely. Keep them in an egg carton or other container to support them and check back each day to look for eyes.
2. Move your potatoes to a light yet cool location once a few eyes have developed. Keep the potatoes in this location, with the majority of the eyes facing upward, until short, dark green shoots form.
3. Trim off excess eyes. The more eyes you have, the more spuds you can grow; however, the more potatoes you grow off one tuber, the smaller the potatoes will be. Select the three strongest eyes and rub the rest off with your finger or dig them out with a sharp knife.
4. Cut the potatoes in half. If you do not want to trim the eyes off the potato, cut the potato in half and treat the halves as two separate seeds. Each half should weigh between 1.5 and 2 ounces, and each should also have two or three eyes on it.
   • Allow the cut halves to callous over. The exposed portions should dry out and callous over if you set them out for a few days to dry.

Planting

1. Cover the bottom of your pot with crocks (broken clay pot pieces) or small stones. These materials aid the drainage process by drawing water away and preventing it from sitting in the soil too long.
2. Fill your pot with 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of your growing medium. Lightly pat the medium down with your hands to make sure that the soil is solid and firm enough to hold the potatoes in place so that they do not sink as they get heavier.
3. Place your seed potatoes in the pot. The majority of the eyes should face upward. Space the tubers apart evenly and do not overcrowd the pot. As a general guide, a pot with a diameter of 12 inches should only contain about 3 seed potatoes.
4. Cover your tubers with an additional 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 centimeters) of growing medium. Use your hands to pat the soil down firmly, but do not press so hard that you crush the seed potatoes.
5. Water lightly. The soil should be moist to the touch but not soggy.

Daily Care and Harvesting

1. Add more growing medium as the plant shoots up. Only the top 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) should be peek through. Keep adding medium until you reach the rim of the pot. Ideally, the soil will be about 18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 centimeters) deep.
2. Keep your potatoes consistently watered. The soil should be moist, but never soggy and never completely dry. You can usually test it by sticking your fingertip into the soil.
   • During the summer, you may need to water your potatoes twice a day, especially if you live in a hot, dry climate.
   • During cooler weather, most potato plants only need about 1 inch of rainfall per week to thrive, but if your area goes for an extended length of time without much rain, you may need to water your potatoes manually. Place a rain gauge near your potted potatoes to determine whether they receive enough precipitation from week to week.
3. Set your potatoes out in an area that receives partial sun and partial shade. Potatoes need sunlight but do poorly when exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period of time.
4. Check the pH of the soil with litmus paper or another pH test. This should be done around mid-season, especially if the leaves look yellow or weak. Potatoes thrive in a soil with a pH of about 6.0.
   • Add more compost or manure if you need to decrease the pH.
   • Add agricultural lime if you need to increase the pH.
5. Fertilize your potatoes once every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer. Providing your potato plants with food will lead to a larger, richer crop.
6. Watch out for pests. Many pests, like the potato leaf hopper, can be plucked off by hand. Others may require the use of an organic pesticide to ward off or kill.
7. Keep an eye out for disease. Many diseases, like blight, are contagious, so if your potatoes show signs of disease, you should immediately move them away from other plants.
8. Rummage around the dirt a few weeks after your plants flower. The first few potatoes will be ready at this time, and you can pluck or twist them off the root. Generally, potatoes that are at least the size of an egg will be ready, but you should pull each spud above the soil and check its color before removing it. Green potatoes are unripe and poisonous.
9. Stop watering two weeks before your final harvest. You will be able to tell when the remainder of your potatoes is almost ready by observing how much the foliage has died back. Once the leaves and stems are completely yellow, your potatoes are ready.
10. Pull out the dead stems and leaves. Wear gloves to protect your hands. Remove any potatoes hanging onto the dead foliage and dig around the soil for any that may have gotten lost in the pot.

Tips

• You can also grow potatoes inside thick fabric bags. The instructions are virtually the same as above.

Warnings

• Be mindful of any chemicals you use on your potatoes, including fertilizers and pesticides. Many chemicals are not safe for human consumption, so you should always read the label before application.

Things You'll Need

• Seed potatoes (tubers)
• Large pot
• Soil
• Compost
• Fertilizer
• Pesticide
• Sharp knife
• Crocks or gravel
• Watering can
• Litmus paper

Related Articles

• Grow Sweet Potatoes
• Grow Potatoes in a Trash Can
• Grow Potatoes in a Wire Cage
• Grow Potatoes in Barrels
• Prevent Potato Scab
• Troubleshoot Potato Problems
• Clean Potatoes in the Dishwasher
• Celebrate the International Year of the Potato
• Use Potatoes from the Garden for Seed Potatoes

Sources and Citations

• Grow Blog: Growing Potatoes in Containers
• Container Gardening for Food: How to Grow Potatoes in Containers

See also

• Hill Potatoes
• Earth Up Potatoes
• Grow Potatoes Indoors
• Plant Potatoes
• Grow Sweet Potatoes
• Grow Potatoes in a Wire Cage