Potato

Category: root-veggies

Growing

  • 📍 Zone: 3-10
  • 🌞 Sun: Full sun
  • 💧 Water: Moderate to high; keep soil consistently moist, especially during tuber formation
  • 🌱 Soil: Acidic, fertile, loose, and well-drained soil; avoid compacted or waterlogged soils

Planting

  • How: Plant in 6-inch deep holes, 1-foot trenches, or large pots/containers with good drainage
  • 📏 Spacing: 16 inches apart within rows
  • 📅 When To Plant: Plant once soil is workable in early spring or late fall in milder climates
  • 🌱 Propagation: Propagate using seed potatoes (pieces of potato with at least one eye)
  • ⬇️ Depth: Deep planting, with hilling of soil over emerging shoots as they grow
  • 🤝 Companion:
    • 0: Beans
    • 1: Peas
    • 2: Lettuce
    • 3: Spinach
    • 4: Cabbage
  • 🚫 Avoid Planting Near:
    • 0: Carrots
    • 1: Turnips
    • 2: Cucumbers
    • 3: Other nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers)

Care & Maintenance

  • Hilling: Periodically mound soil up over the lower stems to protect developing tubers from sunlight and increase yield
  • ✂️ Pruning: Generally not required; remove diseased or damaged foliage if needed

Harvesting & Usage

  • ⏰ When To Harvest: Harvest when foliage begins to die back and yellow, before the first major frost
  • ✋ How To Harvest: Harvest on a dry day; stop watering in advance to let tubers dry and skins toughen; gently dig up tubers with a fork to avoid damage
  • 🥫 Preservation: Cure in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place for 1-2 weeks, then store in a dark, cool area; avoid exposure to light to prevent greening
  • ⚠️ Edible Or Toxic: Potato plants are toxic (leaves, stems, green tubers); green coloring on tubers indicates solanine, which is also toxic

Ecological Info

  • 🐝 Pollinators: Potato flowers can attract bees, but tuber production does not depend on pollination
  • 🦌 Wildlife Resistance: Foliage is generally avoided by deer and larger animals; tubers may be targeted by rodents
  • 🌿 Nitrogen Fixer: No