Growing notes
Potatoes require more fertilizer than other vegetables and need sunny locations to grow well. Hill soil up along plants as they grow to provide loose soil for developing tubers and prevent shallow tubers from exposure to light and turning green.
Harvest signs
New potatoes can be dug about seven to eight weeks after planting. Harvest mature tubers after the plants have dried or when tubers have reached full size. For storage potatoes, harvest after the vines have died and the crop is mature - if the skin is thin and rubs off easily, the potatoes are not fully mature.
▶Planting reference— Depth, spacing, pH, light
▶Pests & diseases— colorado potato beetle, cutworms, aphids, potato scab, +3 more
Companions & antagonists
Common questions
How much water does potato need?
Potato is fairly drought-tolerant once established and can dry out further between waterings. A soil-moisture range of about 40–60% is plenty — overwatering does more harm than a little dryness.
Can I grow potato in a raised bed or container?
Potato prefers an in-ground bed with room to spread its roots, but a large, deep container works if that's what you have.
Does potato come back every year?
No — potato is an annual. It completes its life in one season, so you replant it each year.