🥔 How to Plant Potatoes Like a Pro: A Complete Guide for Raised Beds and Backyard Gardens

🔖 Table of Contents

1. Why Grow Potatoes?

2. Best Time to Plant Potatoes

3. Choosing the Right Potato Variety

4. Raised Beds vs. Ground Planting

5. Soil Preparation for Potatoes

6. How to Cut and Cure Seed Potatoes

7. Spacing Guidelines (with Chart)

8. How Deep to Plant Potatoes

9. Hilling and Watering Tips

10. Companion Plants for Potatoes

11. Common Potato Growing Mistakes

12. When and How to Harvest Potatoes

13. Storing Your Potatoes

14. Free Potato Spacing Printable

15. Final Thoughts

🥔 1. Why Grow Potatoes?

Potatoes are one of the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow. Whether you’re working with a sprawling homestead or a small backyard raised bed, this starchy staple is perfect for gardeners of all levels. They store well, feed your family, and offer that satisfying “treasure hunt” come harvest time.

🌱 2. Best Time to Plant Potatoes

Potatoes love cool weather, so the best time to plant is 2–4 weeks before your last expected frost date. For most zones in the U.S., this means planting from late March to early May.

💡 Pro Tip: If the soil feels too cold, wait until it hits at least 45°F (7°C) before planting.

🥔 3. Choosing the Right Potato Variety

Not all potatoes are created equal. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

Choose early, mid, or late-season potatoes depending on how soon you want to harvest (or plant multiple for staggered harvests).

🌿 4. Raised Beds vs. Ground Planting

Raised beds are ideal for controlling soil quality, reducing weeds, and improving drainage. Traditional ground planting is great if you’re working with lots of space and decent soil.

Raised Bed Benefits:

• Warmer soil = faster growth

• Easier to harvest

• Neater layout and spacing

🛠️ 5. Soil Preparation for Potatoes

Potatoes thrive in loose, well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. Avoid heavy clay or overly compacted soil.

Amend with:

• Compost

• Aged manure

• A balanced organic fertilizer (avoid too much nitrogen)

🚫 Skip fresh manure—it can encourage scab on potatoes.

🔪 6. How to Cut and Cure Seed Potatoes

Seed potatoes can be whole or cut into chunks—each with at least one “eye.”

Steps:

1. Cut potatoes 1–2 days before planting.

2. Let them cure in a cool, dry place. This forms a callus over the cuts to prevent rotting.

💡 You can skip cutting if your seed potatoes are already small.

📏 7. Spacing Guidelines (With Chart!)

Proper spacing = healthy plants and big tubers.

📥 Get your free printable cheat sheet here

⛏️ 8. How Deep to Plant Potatoes

Plant seed potatoes:

• 4–6 inches deep

• Eyes facing upward

• Cover lightly with soil

As the plants grow, hill soil around the base every 1–2 weeks to keep tubers covered and prevent greening.

💦 9. Watering and Hilling Tips

• Water consistently—1 to 2 inches per week

• Avoid overwatering or soggy soil (hello, rot!)

• Hill soil or mulch as plants grow to block sunlight from tubers

🌿 You can also use straw or leaf mulch to “hill” naturally.

🌼 10. Companion Plants for Potatoes

Good neighbors:

• Beans

• Cabbage

• Corn

• Horseradish

Bad neighbors (avoid planting nearby):

• Tomatoes

• Peppers

• Cucumbers

📌 Companion planting improves pest resistance and boosts yield!

❌ 11. Common Potato Growing Mistakes

1. Planting too early in cold, wet soil

2. Not hilling as plants grow

3. Overcrowding (use that spacing guide!)

4. Using store-bought potatoes with sprout inhibitors

5. Neglecting pest control (Colorado potato beetle, anyone?)

🧺 12. When and How to Harvest Potatoes

• New potatoes: 2–3 weeks after flowering

• Mature potatoes: When vines die back (usually 90–120 days after planting)

Use a garden fork and be gentle—don’t stab your precious spuds!

🥶 13. Storing Your Potatoes

After harvest:

1. Cure for 1–2 weeks in a cool, dark place with good ventilation

2. Store in a bin, paper bag, or box—not plastic

3. Keep between 38–45°F in a dark spot

Avoid storing near onions—they release gases that spoil potatoes faster.

📥 14. Free Potato Spacing Printable

Need a quick visual guide while planning your potato patch?

🎁 Grab our FREE Quick Potato Spacing Cheat Sheet
This printable includes:

• Spacing rules

• Raised bed layouts

• Planting depth

• Hilling tips

• Common mistakes to avoid

👉 Download the cheat sheet here

🌿 15. Final Thoughts

Planting potatoes is one of the most fun, forgiving, and rewarding parts of homesteading. Whether you’re filling raised beds or rows in your backyard, the right planning and spacing can turn a few seed potatoes into pounds of food for your family.

Be sure to grab the free printable, check out our other planting guides, and tag us on social media if you use it—we’d love to see your garden grow!