Some Easy Tips on Growing Potatoes at Home

1. How to Grow Potatoes at Home

So, you want to know how to grow potatoes at home? Unlike some vegetables, potatoes aren’t too particular about where they grow. However, to optimize your chances of success, follow these potato growing tips from Lady Lee: first, choose a growing method - you can grow potatoes in rows directly in the ground, pots, bins, bags, and towers. Just make sure there is enough dirt (seed potatoes usually need around 6-8 inches of dirt). Be sure you don’t break the sprouts and divide your potatoes before planting, allowing them to sit for two days. Next, you need to make sure you plant your seeds two weeks before the last frost as potatoes are a cold-weather crop (March is usually a good month). Then, all that's left is for you to leave them for approximately three months in the ground. Planters (i.e. bins etc) may need less time.

See post: Lee @ Lady Lee's Home|How to Grow Potatoes

2. Never Rush – Learn How Long to Grow Potatoes For

As a hardy root vegetable, potatoes can grow in almost any condition. However, if you leave them for too long, they’ll eventually wither away. Unearth them too soon and they’ll be too small and too hard to do anything with. According to Hometalker LA Murano you can determine how long to grow potatoes for by watching the leaves. After planting hers in bags, she waits for the leaves to die off. These usually grow and then wither in two months or so. Once the leaves are dead, stop watering for two weeks until everything dries out. At this point, split open the bags and your potatoes should be ready.

See post: LA Murano|The Easiest Way to Grow Potatoes

3. How to Grow Sweet Potatoes

If you fancy an alternative to regular potatoes, those of the sweet variety are a fantastic treat. In terms of how to grow sweet potatoes, Hometalker Sarah Toney has one tip: time. Unlike their starchy cousins, sweet potatoes take a little longer to grow. To get the best results, plant your seeds/sweet potato seedlings around four weeks after the last frost as these are cold-sensitive plants, and you’ll need to harvest them just before the frost returns. In general, sweet potatoes take around 90 to 170 days to mature.

See post: Sarah Toney|Growing and Harvesting Sweet Potatoes

4. Growing Potatoes in a Bucket

A five-gallon bucket is an ideal vessel for growing potatoes. In fact, as you can see with this project from Pamela Scruggs, they’re large enough to produce upwards of 20 potatoes. To replicate her DIY potato planters, take a large plastic bucket and punch some holes in the bottom. Proceed to add approximately six inches of soil and four sprouting spuds cut in half. Add more soil until everything is covered except the tops/sprouts. Finally, roll some hardwire cloth into a cylinder, secure with cable ties, and place on top of the bucket. Line with plastic sheeting and your homemade incubator is ready.

See post: Pamela Scruggs|Potatoes in 5 gal buckets

5. Build Your Dreams – Growing Potatoes in a Tower

Growing potatoes can be a messy business. Because they spread like wildfire, it can be difficult to keep your potato patch neat and under control, so this neat DIY tower from Dan330 is an ideal solution. To recreate this, put four thin metal fence posts in a small circle and wrap with wire fencing. Next, place some straw in the bottom and fill with dirt (approx. two inches). Add a handful of seeds/sprouting potatoes and repeat until you’ve filled your potato tower. Water from the top on a regular basis and leave for a month (possibly up to three months) before peeling back the layers to reveal a tower of potatoes!

See post: Dan330|DIY Potato Tower

6. Take a Load Off with a Raised Bed

We know growing potatoes can be tricky. Even though they’re hardy and thrive in almost all conditions, we’ve already said that they can spread uncontrollably. If you don’t want to contain your potatoes in a tower, this raised bed is ideal. Designed and built by Hometalker Jessica Goodhart, this raised bed can be sized to your needs when you follow these simple steps: first, take four boards (fence posts are ideal) and screw into four legs, then dig four holes equal to the length and width of your boards. Next, place your structure in the holes and secure, then you can fill the bed with dirt and plant your seeds. And there you have it - all cozy!

See post: Jessica Goodhart|DIY Raised Garden Bed

7. Growing Potatoes in Bags

Sometimes, some old potatoes, dirt, and reusable bags are all you need to grow your own root vegetables. As Hometalker 2 Little Superheroes did, you can grow potatoes without breaking the bank. To try this gardening project, all you have to do is add some potting soil to reusable grocery bags. Make sure you don’t use standard plastic bags as they need to survive outside. Once you’ve got your bag, slice some old potatoes and let them sit for two days to prevent disease. Place the halved potatoes in the bag and bury. Top up with extra dirt, roll down the sides to allow rain to get in, and place in the garden!

See post: 2 Little Superheroes|Use Reusable Grocery Bags to Grow Potatoes

8. Growing Potatoes in Pots

Growing potatoes in pots is an ideal solution if you’re short on space. Even if you don’t have a yard, you can use this solution from Walter Reeves to grow your own potatoes. To start, find a suitable pot: Walter’s tip is to use a light-colored pot as they reflect light better and help prevent overheating. Next, drill holes around the perimeter (two inches apart) and fill with perlite. According to Walter, perlite is ideal for growing potatoes in pots because it helps them come out healthy and clean. Finally, leave the pot to dry in the sun for six hours before wetting the perlite and adding your seedlings/sprouts.

See post: Walter Reeves|Planting White Potatoes in a Tub or Bucket

9. Don’t Just Adore, Store Your Produce

What do you do when you’re done growing your own potatoes? Well, unless you’re going to eat them all, you’ll need somewhere to store them. With this rough-and-ready solution from Hometalker Stephen Taylor, all you need is two wooden pallets. To make your own potato storage, dismantle the pallets and make two end frames by screwing the shorter slats into the longest beams. Next, secure the two ends together by screwing four braces across the top and bottom. Finally, create frames for your drawers with the same sized beams you used for the braces. Use the remaining slats as bases for each drawer and slide into place. Simple!

See post: Stephen Taylor|Rough and Ready Veg Storage