How to Grow Potato

Potato Germination Information

Potato Seed Germination How to Sow Potato:
  • Best sown indoors at a temperature of 68-86° and at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds
  • They will germinate in 10-15 days
  • They are not often grown from seed, unless they are a variety that is true from seed
  • They are generally grown from pieces cut from certified “Seed Potatoes"
  • Each 11/2 inch square piece should contain at least one eye
  • Plant the pieces 2-4 inches deep
  • Plant them 2 weeks before last frost and look for sprouts in 2 weeks
  • When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed

How to Grow Potato:
Transplanting: For seed grown types, transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves

Spacing: Space them 9-12 inches apart in rows spaced 24-36 inches apart

Lighting: Site in full sun

Soil: Site in a slightly acid (pH of 4.8 to 5.4), light, rich soil with excellent drainage. Keep plants evenly watered and fertilize prior to planting

Additional Care: When the plants are 6-8 inches tall, mound soil around the stem to keep the potato tubers from turning green. Repeat the mounding when the plants are 18 inches tall. Tuber production will be best in climates with cool summers

Appearance and Use:

This spreading annual vine is grown for its edible tubers that form underground on the roots. They are rounded or oblong and colored white, red, or purple. Dig the small “new” potatoes when the tops begin to flower; dig the full sized potatoes 2 weeks after frost has blackened the stems. In warm southern areas the plants go dormant before frost, so harvest the tubers when the plants turn yellow


About Potato:
Botanical name: Solanum tuberosum
Pronunciation:  so-la’num tu-be-ro’sum
Lifecycle:  Annual
Origination: Solanaceae; native to Peru