Potato Spacing: How Far Apart To Plant Potatoes
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!
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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!
Potato Plant Growth
Despite growing underground, potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) aren’t root vegetables. They’re tubers – starchy, thick, underground stems. And unlike roots that burrow further into the soil, potato tubers grow up and out of the soil.
This is why you need to “hill” soil or organic material around their stems as the potato plants grow. It keeps the tubers covered as they mature. To reproduce, potatoes sprout eyes that then produce future potato tubers.
Have you ever stashed a bag of organic potatoes in a kitchen drawer and forgot about it? You probably returned to monstrous, sprouted tentacles. If planted, these are the beginnings of new potatoes. However, you may get a better harvest from seed potato varieties sold by seed distributors.
Planting potatoes from store-bought produce isn’t recommended due to their susceptibility to rot or disease. Luckily, good seed potatoes are available online from companies like Botanical Interests. Try the award-winning Clancy Potato seeds this season.
Potato Plant Spacing by Variety
Potato spacing depends both on the potato variety you’ve chosen to grow and your garden setup. Let’s discuss the differences between spacing varieties of potatoes.
Large Potato Varieties
Generally, varieties that produce larger potatoes like russet require more space. In this case, you’d probably want to plant one potato per foot. In a square-foot garden, aim for one plant per square foot, or even devote more than one square foot to your russets.
For buckets and grow bags, keep to the one-foot rule for larger types. If you’re planting seed potatoes, you can allow for even more growth by spacing each potato 15 inches apart. However, all of this may change based on your growing methods (which we will cover shortly).
Smaller Potato Varieties
Varieties that produce smaller potatoes like Yukon gold require less space. It’s best to plant these potatoes at the same spacing you would for larger varieties, but if you don’t have the space, a minimum of 8 inches apart is recommended.
The same goes for even smaller varieties, like fingerling potatoes. Methods that involve growing potatoes in buckets, cardboard boxes, and grow bags are suited to smaller potato varieties. You will get a much larger harvest of potatoes than you would if they were large potato varieties.
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
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
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
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.
The basis of good drainage starts with your soil. Incorporate lots of organic matter to balance drainage and water retention. If you’re growing in a 5 gallon bucket, drill 10 quarter-inch drainage holes. Most grow bags don’t have a problem with drainage, and instead need additions of peat moss or coco coir to ensure the soil retains water.
Use a sheet of cardboard to extend the height of your container if it just keeps producing. Going vertical with your potatoes ensures a much bigger potato harvest!
Cardboard Boxes
If you don’t have grow bags or a bucket, you can grow your potatoes in a cardboard box. Create the same soil base for your spuds, but don’t add drainage holes. Set everything up like you would in a bucket or grow bag.
Then add soil to the box as the potatoes grow. Leave the flaps down at first, and fold them up as you hill your potatoes. Ensure they stay up through the season. When you’re done, simply pick up the box and your potatoes will be easily accessible.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the right potato plant spacing?
The ideal spacing for planting potatoes is to place seed potatoes 12 inches apart within rows. The rows themselves should be spaced about 30 inches apart. This spacing allows each potato plant enough room to develop ample tubers underground without competing with neighboring plants. Adequate potato spacing also improves air circulation, reduces the risk of disease, and facilitates easier access for watering and harvesting.
How many potatoes can I plant per square foot?
When it comes to how many potatoes you can plant per square foot, the general recommendation is one potato plant per square foot. This intensive planting method is often used in square foot gardening and allows gardeners with limited space to maximize their yield.
What happens if potatoes are planted too close?
Each of the developing tubers needs a certain amount of nutrients and space to grow to their full size. If they are overcrowded, it will be difficult for them to obtain both. Close spacing also increases humidity around the plants, creating an environment conducive to fungal diseases.
How many potatoes can I plant in a 4×4 raised bed?
A 4×4 raised bed offers 16 square feet of gardening space, which means you can plant up to 16 potato plants if you follow the one-per-square-foot guideline. However, for optimal growth and larger tubers, you might consider planting fewer potatoes (around 9 to 12 plants) to allow for better potato spacing.
