Growing Potatoes

AGuidetoGrowingPotatoes
in Your Home Garden

InYourHomeGarden

KellyA.Zarka,DonnaC.Kells,DavidS.DouchesandC.RobinBuell
MichiganStateUniversity

Haveyouevergrownpotatoesin
yourgarden?

Arepotatoesnutritious?

Growingpotatoesisfunandnotthathard!
Homegardenerscangrowuniquevarietiesthat
arenotsoldinlocalsupermarkets.Potatoes
comeinalldifferentshapes,sizesandcolors.Did
youknowthattherearepurple,redandyellow
potatoes?Potatoesmakeagreatgardenproject
foryourchildrenorgrandchildren.

Yespotatoesare
nutritious!Theyarea
greatsourceofvitamin
C,potassium,fiberand
protein,allwithnofat!
Potatoes,alongwith
manyothervegetables,
canbepreparedas
partofahealthydiet.
Luckily,potatoesare
versatileandareeasy
toprepare.Whether
baked,boiled,roasted
orfriedtheyarea
deliciousadditionto
anymeal.

Figure2.Source:U.S.Foodand
DrugAdministration

Shouldyoueattheskin?Yes!Werecommend
it!Theskinofthepotatocontainsthemajority
ofthepotato'sfiber,andmanyofthenutrients
arelocatedclosetotheskin.Washthepotato
thoroughly,cutawaygreendiscolorationand/or
sprouts,andenjoyyourpotatowiththeskinon.
Figure1.Childrenlovehelpinginthegardenand
gettingdirtyisanaddedbonus.

Potatoesareimportantinourworld!
Potatoesarethenumberonenongrainfood
cropintheworld.IntheUnitedStates,over1
millionacresareplantedeachyearfor
commercialproduction. Potatoesare
importanttodevelopingnationsaswell.
Potatoescangrowinharshclimatesandmany
potatovarietiescanbeproducedin90daysor
lessonsmallparcelsofland.

Wheredidpotatoescomefrom?
Potatoesarenativetothe
AndeanregionofSouth
America.Europeanexplorers
introducedthepotatoto
Europein1536butitdidnot
arriveintheUnitedStates
until1719whenIrish
immigrantsbroughtthe
potatowiththemtotheNew
World.

MichiganStateUniversityandthePotatoBreedingandGeneticsProgram

Figure3.Peru,South
America.Photocredit:
AllardSchmidt

Allaboutpotatoes
Allaboutpotatoes
ThepotatoisamemberoftheSolanaceae
(nightshade)family,whichincludestomato,
pepper,eggplant,petuniaandtobacco.
Theenlarged,edible,undergroundstorage
portionofthepotatoplantiscalledatuber.
Thetuberdevelopsfromundergroundstems
calledstolons.Dormantbuds(eyes)developon
thetuber.Tuberformationbeginswhenplants
are6to8inchestall,orfivetosevenweeks
afterplanting,andresultsfromtheproduction
andmovementofstarchintothedeveloping
tubers.Manyvarietiesdevelopfruitsand
flowers,butthesepartsarenotedible.The
fruitslooklikesmallgreentomatoesand
containthetrueseedofthepotatoes;however
theyaregeneticallydifferentfromtheparent.
Plantsgrownfromthisseedwillnotnecessarily
resembletheoriginalvariety.Commercial
potatoproductionandhomegardenersuse
tuberpiecescontainingatleastonedormant
bud(eye)thatwillsproutandformapotato
plant.Thesetuberpiecesaresometimes
referredtoaspotatoseedorseedpieces.
Thepotatoisraisedasanannualcrop,however,
tubersleftinthegardenthatdonotcompletely
freezeduringthewinter,mayemergeas
volunteerpotatoplantswhenthesoilwarms
again.

Roundwhite/Longwhite(B):Athinlight
brownskinned allpurposepotatowithfirm,
creamytexture;bestforboilingandfrying.
Varietyexamples:Onaway,Kennebec,Superior
(Round),
Shepody andCalWhite(Long)
Roundredskin(C): Athin,redskinnedpotato
withfirm,creamytexture;goodforboiling.
Varietyexamples:RedNorland,Chieftainand
RedPontiac.
Yellow(D):Thereareseveralvarietieswiththin,
goldenskinsandcreamysmoothyellowflesh;
goodforboilingandfrying,someforbaking.
Varietyexamples:YukonGold,YellowFinn.
RoundRedskinyellowflesh(E):Newvarieties
withvariouscolorcombinationsarebeing
releasedeveryyear.Oneexampleisared
skinnedpotatowithcreamyyellowflesh.Good
forboiling.Varietyexample:RedGold
Purple(F):Avioletpurpleskinnedpotatowith
purpleflesh;forbakingandfrying.Theyretain
theircolorwhencooked.Varietyexamples:
AdirondackBlue,PurpleMajesty
Fingerlings(G):Smallvarietiesthatarenarrow
almostfingershaped.Fingerlingsarefully
maturewhenharvested.Varietyexamples:
Banana,RoseFinnApple.

F
D

Potatotypesanduses
Potatovarietiesvaryaccordingtoshape,flesh
colorandskinappearance.Theyareclassified
accordingtothetubertypeslistedbelow(see
Figure4).
LongRusset(A):Athickskinnedpotatowitha
longshapeanddrytexture;goodforbakingand
frying(Frenchfries).Thisisthemostpopular
markettypeintheUnitedStates.Variety
example:Goldrush.

Figure4:Potatoescomeinmanyshapesand
colors.Photocredit:U.S.PotatoBoard

VarietySelection,SeedPurchasingandSoilPreparation
VarietySelection
Choiceofapotatovarietyforgrowinginahome
gardendependsonfactorssuchasgardenspace
availability,desireduses,andstorageplans.
Toensurequalityandmaximumproductivity,
purchasecertifiedseedtubers.Certifiedpotato
tuberseedisseedofaknownvarietyproduced
understrictstandardstomaintainseedtubers
thatarevirusanddiseasefree.Savingtubers
fromyourgardenwilleventuallyresultin
decreasedyieldsandsmalltubersduetomore
incidencesofdisease.Forthesamereason,you
donotwanttoplanttubersfromthegrocery
store.Grocerystorepotatoeshavebeentreated
topreventsproutingsoitmaybedifficultto
evengetaplantstartedatplantingtime.
Certifiedpotatotuberseedcanbepurchasedat
areagardennurseriesorthroughtheinternet.If
youareinterestedintryingneworunique
varieties,trypurchasingfromreputableonline
vendorsincluding:
IrishEyesGardenSeeds
http://www.gardencityseeds.net
WoodPrairieFarm
http://www.woodprairie.com
GardensAlive!
http://www.gardensalive.com
Burpee
http://burpee.com
PotatoGarden.com
http://www.potatogarden.com

SeedPreparation
Dependingonthesourceandthequantityyou
buyyouwillreceiveeithersmalltubersorlarge
tubers.Smalltubers(1to2inchesindiameter)
canbeplantedwhole.Cutlargetubersinto
blockshaped,2to21/2ounceseedpieces
(aboutthesizeofanegg)(Figure5).Theseed
piecesshouldbefirm,withatleastoneeye

persectionandamaximumsproutlengthof
1/4to1/2inchtoensureoptimum
germination.Seedtuberscanbecutand
plantedonthesameday,howeverallowingthe
cutsurfacetohealoverfor47daysmay
reducetheriskofseedpiecesrottinginthe
soil.

Figure5: Tuberseedpiececuttings.

SoilPreparationandFertility
Potatoesgrowonawiderangeofsoils,butare
bestsuitedtoasandyloamorasoilthatiswell
drained.Verysandysoilsmayrequireextra
wateringtomaintainadequatesoilmoisture.
Finetexturedsoilsthatarehighinsiltsandclay
maynotbewelldrained,andtheytendto
producepoorlyshapedpotatoes.
Ifpossible,asoiltestcanbeperformedbefore
planting.ContactyourlocalExtensionoffice
fordetailsonsoiltesting.ThebestsoilpHfor
potatoesisbetween5.5and6.0.ApHabove
6.0mayincreasetheincidenceofcommon
scab(adisease)ontubers.Ifasoiltestisnot
available,followtheserecommended
guidelines:
Rototill intotheseedbedabout2poundsper
50feetofrowof121212(NPK)analysis
fertilizer.

PlantingandCareofPotatoesinYourGarden
Besidetherow,apply1/3poundper50feetof
rowof4600(urea)fertilizeroneweekafter
plantemergenceandagainbetween4and6
weeksafteremergence.Insteadofworkingthe
fertilizerintothesoil,waterthoroughlysothat
thefertilizermovesintotherootzone.
Donotamendthesoilwithlimeormanureinthe
sameyearthatpotatoesaretobegrown.Lime
andmanureincreasetheriskofpotatoscab
disease.

PlantingandCare
Potatoesareacoolseasoncrop;ideal
temperaturesforcropgrowthare65to80during
thedayand55to65atnight. Thesoilshouldbe
cultivated6to8inchesdeepinthespring,and
largesoilclodsshouldbebrokenuporremoved
beforeplanting. Plantpotatoeswhensoil
temperaturesareabove45F. Cold,wetsoilat
plantingtimeincreasestheriskofseedpiece
decay,andplantingintocool,drysoilscancause
delayedsproutingandemergenceofthe
potatoes.

Planttuberseedpieces3to4inchesdeep.
Leaving30to36inchesbetweenrowsand
spacingseedpieces9to12inchesapartin
therowwillgenerallyproduceanacceptable
yieldofmediumsizedtubers(Figure6).Five
poundsofseedpotatoesshouldplant40
feetofrowwith12inchesbetweenseed
pieces.Youcanexpecttoharvest3to5
poundsofpotatoesperpotatoplant.Larger
tubersareproducedatwiderplantspacings,
thoughsomevarieties,forexample,Yukon
Gold,developgrowthdefectssuchashollow
heartatawiderspacing.
Potatoplantsshouldbehilledwhenthe
plantsare8to12inchestall(Figure7).

Figure7:Whentheplantsare812inchestall
theyshouldbehilledtokeeptuberscoveredand
preventgreening.

Moundthesoiltoaheightof3to6inchesand
approximately12to15inchesfromthebaseof
theplant.Usecaretopreventdamagetothe
plantroots,whichmayextend8to12inches
fromthebaseoftheplant. Hillingmaintains
suitablesoilcoverfortubersastheyexpand.
Tubersthatbreakthesoilsurfacemayhave
greenareasthatcontainbittertasting
glycoalkaloids andshouldnotbeeaten.Discard
orcutoffthegreenportions.
Figure6:Plantseedpieces3to4inchesdeepand
space9to12inchesapart.

PlantingandCareofPotatoesinYourGarden
Avoidplantingpotatoesinthesamelocation
yearafteryear.Tolowertheriskofdisease
andinsectproblems,donotplantinareas
wheretomatoes,peppers,eggplants,radishes
orbeetsweregrownthepreviousyear.

organismthatcausesdiseaseonlyontubers.
Somevarietiesaremoreresistantthanothers
toscab;tolerantvarietiesincludeOnawayand
Superior.Tuberswithscabarefinetoeat.Just
peelorcutoffthecircularroughskin.

WaterRequirements
Potatoesareverysensitivetosoilmoisture
anddobestwithaconsistentsoilmoisture
level.Evensoilmoisturelevelsthroughoutthe
rootzoneshouldbemaintained,thoughover
wetandsaturatedconditionsshouldbe
avoided.Ingeneral,1inchofwaterperweek
fromrainfallorirrigationisadequate.As
muchas2inchesperweekmayberequired
onsandysoilswithloworganicmatter.
Drysoilalternatingwithperiodsofsaturated
soilcanresultinpoorqualitytuberswith
defectssuchasknobs,growthcracks,hollow
heartandinternalbrowning.Longperiodsof
excessmoisture,particularlynearmaturity,
mayleadtodecreasedyieldsandpoorquality
tubers.

PestandDiseaseControl
Youcanhelpalleviatepestproblemsby
changingthelocationinyourhomegarden
wherepotatoesareplanted,throughregular
inspection,andbyremovingvolunteer
potatoplants,whichcanserveasahostfor
diseasesthatcandamagethenewcrop.

Figure8:Commonscabdiseaseinpotato.

InsectssuchastheColoradopotatobeetle
(Figure9)canbecontrolledbydestroyingeggs
whicharelaidontheundersideoftheleaf.This
canbedonebycrushingtheeggsorremoving
theleafwiththeeggsanddisposingofthemin
thetrashawayfromthegarden.Additionally,
youwillwanttoremovelarvaandadultsby
hand,disposingofthemwhenthenumbersare
small.
Thepotatoissubjecttoseveralseed,foliarand
tuberdisordersthatmayaffectqualityand
appearance.SeeTable1(Page6)for
informationonthepotatodisordersmost
commontohomegardeners.

Shallowcultivationispreferredforweed
control.Forlateseasonweedcontrol,pull
weedsinsteadofhoeingthemtoprevent
tuberdamage.Mulchescanbebeneficialin
weedcontrolaswellashelpingtomaintain
soilmoisture.
Scabdiseasemaybeaproblem(Figure8).
Scabiscausedbyacommonsoilborne

Figure9:TheColoradopotatobeetleeggs,larvae
andadultstages.

CommonProblemsinHomePotatoGardens
Table1.Potatodisorders,causesandremedies
Symptom

PossibleCause

Remedy

SeedDisorders
Rottedseedpieces

Soiltoowet/coldortoohot/dryatplanting Plantwholeseedwhensoiltemp.is>45F

FoliarDisorders
Rhizoctonia:developsincoldwetsoilsand Plantwhensoiltemp.isabove45F;plant
Reddishbrowndecayorlesionson
sprout,belowgroundstemandstolons whenseedisplantedtoodeep(>34
seedpieces34inchesdeep
inches)
Black,wetrotofstem,mostlyatgroundBacterialsoftrot;referredtoas"Blackleg" Plantwhole,certifiedseed
level
Reducedplantgrowth,palegreenor Leafrollvirus
Purchasenewcertifiedseedandcontrol
yellowleafcolorandinwardrollingof
aphidstopreventspread
lowerleaves
Olderleaveshavesmall,dark
Earlyblight
Removeinfectedfoliagefromgarden area
brown/blacklesionswithconcentric
Avoidplantstressesbysupplying
rings.Usuallyonmaturingorstressed
adequatewaterandnutrients
plants.
Dark,watersoakedareasonleavesand Lateblight
Removeinfectedfoliage fromgardenarea
stems.Mayseeawhitemoldgrowthon
Keep foliagedrybywateringatthebase
theundersideofinfectedleaves.
oftheplant.
Yellowingoflowerleavesandearlyleaf Normalmaturingornitrogendeficiency
Addnitrogentothesoilandwater
drop
Leafandpetioledefoliation;presence Coloradopotatobeetle
Byhandcollectinsectsinacontainer,
oflarvae,adultbeetlesand/orbright
placeinfreezerfor1houranddiscard.
orangeeggmassesontheundersideof
leaves.
Leafdamageincluding:irregularholes, Insectdamagefrompotatoleafhopperor Byhand collectinsectsinacontainer,
drybrownleafmargins,inwardleaf
cabbagelooper
placeinfreezerfor1houranddiscard.
rolling

TuberDisorders
Greenskin
Raisedand/orpittedcorkyareas

Exposuretosunorotherlight
Developsovertime
Commonscab

Knobby,misshapentubers

Physiologicalfrominconsistentmoisture
levels
Splitsinthetuberthatarehealedover Physiological (for example:inconsistent
"growthcracks"
moisture levels)
Large,shallowgougesintubers
Whitegrubs(largebrown/creamlarvae
oftencurledintoaCshape)
Browncavitiesneartheheartofthe
tuber"hollowheart"

Physiological(seedpiecesplantedtoofar
apart;inconsistentmoisturelevels)

Hillaroundplants,storepotatoesinthe
dark
Usecertifiedseedofresistantvarieties.
Avoidlimeormanuretheyearpotatoes
aregrown.Avoidcarrots,beetsand
radishesaspriorcrops
Provideuniformgrowingconditions
Provideuniformgrowingconditions
Gardensnearlonggrassareatgreater
risk
Plantseedclosertoavoidoversized
tubers;waterconsistently

PlantingandCareofPotatoesinYourGarden
Harvesting

Storage

Timeofmaturityvariesforeachvariety.
Indicatorsoftubermaturityincludecomplete
vinedeath,skinset(tuberskindoesnotpeel
fromthefleshwhenpressureisapplied)and
desiredtubersize.Maturetubersstorebetter
andarelesslikelytobruiseordecaythan
immaturetubers.

Fortwotothreeweeksafterharvest,store
tubersinthedarkat55to60Fwithhighrelative
humiditytohealbruisedanddamagedareasthat
couldprovideentrancefordiseaseorganisms.
Storeonlythehealthypotatoesthatare
reasonablyfreefromsoil.

Neworsmalltuberscanbeharvestedearly
withoutdestroyingtheentireplantbycareful
diggingandremovingsomeofthetubers.The
remainingtubersshouldbelefttogrowand
reachfullmaturity.
Harvestpotatoesbeforeaseverefrost.Usea
spadeorforktoloosenthesoilandgentlylift
thetubersoutofthesoil(Figure10).Toprevent
greeningandsunburndamage,donotallow
tuberstobeexposedtolightafterharvesting.

Afterhealing,properstorageconditionsshould
includecooltemperatures(near40F),darkness
topreventgreening,highhumidityandadequate
ventilation.Storingtubersinplasticbags(orany
tightlysealedcontainer)willrestrictthe
movementoffreshairaroundthetubersand
canleadtorot.Storeabovefreezing(rootcellar)
orgarageifitdoesnotfreeze.

Acknowledgements
Theauthorswishtoexpresstheirappreciationto
thefollowingforeffortsinproducingthisguide:
MSUPotatoBreedingandGeneticsProgram.
DanielZarka,JosephCoombs,KimberlyFelcher,
KarenRenner,RichardChase,AnnaZarka,Evan
Zarka
VisitMSUsPotatoBreedingandGenetics
Programwebsiteat
https://www.msu.edu/~douchesd/

Figure10:Sincepotatoesgrowunderground,
harvesttimeisalwaysabigsurprise!

MichiganStateUniversityandtheMSUPotatoBreedingandGeneticsProgram