Planting and Growing Potatoes in the Garden and Containers

Red, white, blue or yellow - grow a few of these tasty vegetables in the garden or container.

Purchase disease-free seed potatoes from a nearby garden center or garden catalogue. Cut whole or large seed potatoes into smaller pieces containing at least one good "eye". Plant them in a 2-3 inch deep furrow, 10 to 12 inches apart, leaving 24 to 36 inches between the plants.

As the plants begin to grow, mound the nearby soil over the tubers until the rows are 4 to 6 inches high. This encourages more tubers to form on the buried stem.

Save space and have some fun growing your potatoes in a planting bag. Fill the bottom few inches of the bag with potting mix. Set the potato pieces on the mix. Cover with several inches of soil. As the potatoes grow, continue adding a couple of inches of soil at a time until the bag is full.

A bit more information: Green spots on potatoes occur when these areas are exposed to sunlight when growing in the garden or stored indoors. The green pigment, chlorophyll and solanine form on the exposed portions. The solanine has a bitter flavor and can irritate your intestinal tract. Just cut away the green portion before eating. Avoid the problem by properly hilling or mulching potatoes growing in the garden and store potatoes in a cool dark location.