How to Plant and Hill Potatoes (Ground, Bags and Buckets)
Planting depth and spacing for potatoes, how and when to hill potatoes, hilling with straw, and growing potatoes in bags, buckets, raised beds and containers.
Plant seed potatoes 10 cm (4 in) deep and 30 cm (12 in) apart in rows 60–75 cm (24–30 in) apart. When the shoots reach about 15–20 cm (6–8 in), pull soil around the stems to hill them, leaving the top leaves uncovered. Repeat every 2–3 weeks until the plants flower.
Why Hill Potatoes?
- Tubers exposed to light turn green and become toxic (solanine).
- More buried stem gives more space for tubers.
- Hills protect young shoots from late frost and keep soil cool and loose.
How to Hill
- Use a hoe to draw soil from between the rows up around the stems.
- Cover all but the top 5–10 cm of foliage.
- Finish with a ridge about 20–30 cm high.
Instead of soil, you can mulch with a thick layer of straw or hay, which keeps soil moist and makes harvest easy.
Potatoes in Bags and Buckets
- Use a grow bag or bin of at least 40 litres (10 gallons) with drainage holes; a 5-gallon bucket holds 1–2 seed potatoes.
- Add 10–15 cm of potting mix with compost, set the seed potatoes, cover with 10 cm.
- As shoots grow, keep adding mix until the container is nearly full ("hilling" in a container).
- Water regularly: containers dry out fast.
- Harvest by tipping out the container.
Raised Beds
Raised beds are ideal: loose, warm soil and good drainage. Plant in a grid 30 cm apart and hill with extra soil or straw.
More Potato Guides
- How to Grow Potatoes: The Complete Guide
- When to harvest potatoes
- How to store potatoes
- Why potatoes are small
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep do you plant potatoes?
About 10 cm (4 in).
When should I hill potatoes?
When plants are 15–20 cm tall, then every 2–3 weeks until flowering.
How many potatoes can I grow in a 5-gallon bucket?
One or two seed potatoes.
TarlaTapan guides focus on practical, field-tested growing advice. Corrections and suggestions are welcome at info@tarlatapan.tr.