Do you ever wonder how far apart to plant potatoes? In this complete guide, we explain everything you need to know about potato spacing, from raised beds to rows. Maximize your harvest this season!
How do you plant potatoes in a way that maximizes their production? Potatoes are a garden favorite that are easy to grow but require a little planning in advance. As long as your conditions are right, a successful yield is not hard to achieve! We’ve discussed growing potatoes in a bucket, and how to grow potatoes in general. We’ve even focused on harvesting potatoes at the perfect time. But before you get your potatoes in the ground, you need to know how far apart to plant them for optimal growth. When you grow potatoes, spacing is key. Let’s talk about potato plant spacing for a bountiful harvest!
How Far Apart To Plant Potatoes by Location
Spacing is crucial. After all, you’ll need room for your plants to develop. The question is how much space you have available. Whether your space is measured in inches or feet, potatoes can be grown. It’s just a matter of planning!
Square Foot Gardens
Raised bed made from wood with square foot spacing for planting potatoes.
In square-foot gardens, plant one plant per section.
Is your growing area compact or do you have room for sprawling rows? If space is limited and you’re maximizing it using a square-foot garden set-up, try planting a fingerling variety that can adapt to 12 x 12 inch spacing.
People who want to grow full-sized potatoes in a square-foot garden should begin by enriching the soil. It should be at least 12 inches deep. Then, remove all but an inch or two of the soil, reserving it for later. Evenly space and plant potatoes at a rate of one per square foot. A square-foot grid will help with spacing.
Once you have your potatoes in place, cover with another inch of soil. As the plants grow, hill more soil up around the stem. Make sure that the potatoes themselves are never exposed to direct sunlight, as this can cause the potato to develop a green splotch that will be inedible.
A 4 x 4 foot garden bed can house a total of 16 potato plants using this method. The potatoes may be baby potatoes (a little smaller than if they were grown in a larger garden bed), but they’ll still be good to eat!
Farm-Style
Young potato plants in trenched farm growing in clay soil.
Start by digging a trench to space your potatoes correctly in rows.
For a more traditional potato planting approach, start by digging a trench in the garden. Aim for one that’s at least 6 inches wide and about 8 inches deep, as this allows you to amend. Apply a couple inches of compost to the base of the trench. Space your trenches 2-3 feet apart.
Make sure each seed potato has at least two eyes. These eyes are where the plant develops. Large seed potatoes with lots of eyes can be cut into pieces. If you do slice them into smaller segments, wait a few days to let the cut sides dry to prevent rotting or disease susceptibility.
Once your seed potatoes are ready to plant, set one into the trench every 12 inches. Add enough compost to ensure that your seed potatoes are about 2-3 inches deep. Once planted, water and maintain the growing potatoes. As they develop, add more compost and soil to keep them covered.
Bags And Buckets
Gardener mulching potted sweet potato plants with garden straw.
Use a large container to leave room for the plant to mature.
Are you really limited on space? Don’t panic. I’ve planted potatoes in grow bags or 5-gallon buckets in the past, and still harvested plenty of potatoes. When growing potatoes in containers, drainage is key.
Add about 3 inches of compost and soil to the bottom of the container. Plant no more than one to two seed potatoes per container, depending on size. Treat them as you would with other methods, adding more soil as necessary to keep the potatoes covered.