How to grow potatoes
From choosing seed potatoes to lifting and storing your crop, with every step sourced.
Jump to: Choosing | The ground | Chitting | Planting | Pots & bags | Care | Harvest | Storing
Choosing what to grow
Potatoes are a traditional veg plot staple, easy and fun to grow, producing plentiful crops in summer and autumn. RHS: How to grow potatoes Most varieties are classed as either earlies (new potatoes) or maincrops, depending on when they’re ready to harvest. Earlies are split into first and second earlies. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Early varieties are faster growing, ready to harvest in as little as 12 weeks, take up less space and can be grown in containers. RHS: How to grow potatoes Earlies are harvested by midsummer, which frees up space for a later crop such as courgettes or beans. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Maincrop varieties stay in the ground much longer, give a bigger harvest and bigger potatoes, and can be stored for use in winter. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Potatoes are grown from specially prepared “seed potatoes” (small tubers) that are certified virus-free. RHS: How to grow potatoes Garden Organic says not to plant sprouted potatoes from the kitchen: they are not certified and may bring potato viruses and diseases into your garden. Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide
The RHS suggests looking for varieties with an Award of Garden Merit (AGM), which performed well in trials. Its list includes ‘Charlotte’, ‘Maris Piper’, ‘Pink Fir Apple’ and ‘Sarpo Mira’. RHS: How to grow potatoes · checked 29 Oct 2026
Preparing the ground
Potatoes need an open, sunny site that isn’t prone to late frosts, because the young shoots can be damaged by frost in April and May. RHS: How to grow potatoes Potatoes like rich, fertile soil, so dig in plenty of organic matter such as garden compost or well-rotted manure before planting. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Garden Organic says soil pH should ideally be around 6.5 or lower. Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide Garden Organic says the soil should be at least 6C (43F) at planting. A good sign is when grass and weeds begin to grow. Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide
Grow potatoes in a different part of the plot each year. Crop rotation helps avoid a build-up of diseases and other problems in the soil. RHS: How to grow potatoes Garden Organic says not to plant potatoes in the same ground with less than a four-year gap. Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide
The National Allotment Society lists potatoes as a great beginner crop, good for breaking up compacted soil. National Allotment Society: Start your allotment with confidence
Chitting
Chitting means letting seed potatoes sprout before planting. It isn’t essential, but is worthwhile with early varieties for an even earlier crop. RHS: How to grow potatoes For first and second earlies, start chitting in late January in milder areas and up to early March in colder spots. It takes four to six weeks. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Stand the tubers in egg boxes or seed trays with the buds (eyes) uppermost, in a bright, frost-free place. RHS: How to grow potatoes Garden Organic: chits in a dark corner come out as white shoots, and too much light makes them long and easy to break off. Garden Organic: It’s time to chit your potatoes!
Unchitted early potatoes still grow perfectly well, but take a few weeks longer to crop. There’s no real advantage to chitting maincrops. RHS: How to grow potatoes
The RHS and Garden Organic suggest different shoot lengths. More on when sources disagree.
Planting
RHS planting times: first earlies around late March, second earlies early to mid-April, maincrops mid-April to early May. Plant a little later in colder regions. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Plant in a trench 15cm (6in) deep, sprouts upwards, then cover with soil and water well. RHS: How to grow potatoes RHS spacing: earlies 30cm apart in rows 60cm apart; maincrops 37cm apart in rows 75cm apart. RHS: How to grow potatoes
No-dig gardeners can shallow-plant seed potatoes under a deep layer of organic matter, then harvest by pulling the potatoes out of the mulch. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Garden Organic’s spacings and planting weeks are a little different. See the side-by-side table.
Pots, bags and bins
In containers, early varieties are the most suitable. Use a container at least 30cm (12in) wide and deep, with one seed potato per 30cm of pot width. RHS: How to grow potatoes Garden Organic suggests five tubers in a dustbin-sized container, or one to three in a 30–40cm container or compost bag. Garden Organic: Growing potatoes in containers (A12, PDF)
For an extra-early crop, plant chitted earlies in large containers in a frost-free greenhouse at the beginning of March, for a crop by about mid-May. RHS: How to grow potatoes For a Christmas crop, plant cold-stored seed potatoes in July or early August, in a large container in a greenhouse or bright frost-free place. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Looking after them
Earthing up means mounding soil around the stems as they grow. It protects shoots from frost and keeps light off the developing potatoes, which would turn them green. RHS: How to grow potatoes RHS: when shoots are about 23cm (9in) tall, draw soil up to form a ridge, leaving the top 10cm showing. Repeat a few weeks apart, to a final ridge of 20–30cm. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Garden Organic: earth up first when plants are around 15cm tall, leaving about 5cm showing, and again just before the foliage meets across the rows. Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide
If frost is forecast after shoots appear, cover them overnight with a cloche, hessian or straw, or with soil or compost. RHS: How to grow potatoes Weed for the first month or two. Once potato plants are growing strongly they usually shade out the competition. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Water potato plants in dry weather. Containers need regular watering, even in wet weather, because the leaves can act like an umbrella. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Harvesting
RHS harvest guide: first earlies June and July, second earlies July and August, maincrops late August to October. RHS: How to grow potatoes Harvest earlies when the flowers are open or the buds drop. The tubers should be the size of hens’ eggs. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Before digging, gently scoop away some soil to check the size of the tubers, and cover them again if they aren’t big enough. RHS: How to grow potatoes Insert your fork at least 30cm (1ft) from the base of the plant to avoid spearing the tubers. RHS: How to grow potatoes
The RHS says to discard any potatoes that are green. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Storing
To store maincrops, wait until the leaves turn yellow, cut off the top growth, wait 10 days, then dig up the tubers and dry them in the sun for a few hours. RHS: How to grow potatoes Garden Organic: maincrops store best if left in the ground for two to three weeks after the haulms (stalks) have died back. Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide
Store only undamaged, dry potatoes in a cool, dark, frost-free place, in paper or hessian sacks or on slatted trays. Check every few weeks. RHS: How to grow potatoes Aim to finish stored potatoes before early spring, when they start to sprout and shrivel. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Early potatoes are best used as soon as possible after harvesting. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Good growing guides don’t always agree: spacings, planting weeks and how long earlies take all vary a little between the RHS, Garden Organic and Kew. Each fact here links to who said it, and things that can change, like pest status or variety lists, show the date we checked them. Where you garden matters too: the RHS says to plant a little later in colder areas. See when sources disagree for every difference side by side.
Next: the potato calendar →