Planting Potatoes in Pots

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Planting potatoes is an easy job that becomes even easier when you plant your potatoes in pots.

What You’ll Need

Seed Potatoes
Soil and compost or organic matter
A large pot with drainage holes (5 gallons or larger)

What to Do

Potatoes should be planted in the spring or early summer for harvest late summer to fall. You’ll need tubers or seed potatoes, which are basically potatoes that have started to sprout. Do not use grocery store potatoes as they are often treated to prevent sprouting. You can purchase seed potatoes online or at your local garden center.

Seed potatoes can be planted whole or cut in half. If you cut your seed potatoes in half, but sure that each half has some “eyes” or growth buds. You may also want to leave your cut seed potatoes out in a sheltered area to dry so that they do not rot where they were cut.

Place a layer of soil in the bottom of your container and place 3-5 seed potatoes on top. Cover with a few inches of soil and water. Add more soil and compost as leaves emerge from the soil. Keep doing this until the pot is full. Be sure to water regularly.

The potatoes are ready for harvest when the top of the plant flowers and then starts to turn yellow and die back. You can simply turn your pot onto the ground or into a wheelbarrow and sift through the soil for your potatoes.

Do not wash these potatoes. Simply place them in a flat cardboard box in a single layer and allow to dry out in a cool dry place. After several days you can store them in a dark, cool and dry area in your home.