Where do potatoes come from?
A potato is part of a plant. Here’s how one grows, from a seed potato in spring to a bucket of spuds in summer.
From seed potato to harvest
- Plant a seed potato. Potatoes are grown from specially prepared “seed potatoes” (small tubers) that are certified virus-free. RHS: How to grow potatoes
- Shoots and leaves grow. The potato plant grows up to 100cm (40 inches) tall. Its leaves make starch, which is moved to the ends of the underground stems. International Potato Center (CIP): Potato
- Underground stems swell. Underground stems called stolons swell at their ends to form a few to more than 20 tubers. Encyclopaedia Britannica: potato
- Flowers appear. Potato flowers are white, lavender or purple, with five joined petals and yellow stamens. The fruit is a small poisonous berry with many seeds. Encyclopaedia Britannica: potato
- Dig them up! 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
- And start again. The “eyes” on a potato are buds. They sprout to make new plants that are clones of the parent. Encyclopaedia Britannica: potato
What is a potato, really?
Potatoes are tubers: storage organs the plant uses to store nutrients and water so it can regrow the next season. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Potato season at Kew Potatoes belong to the nightshade family, the same family as peppers and tomatoes. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Potato season at Kew
Each tuber has from two to as many as 10 buds (“eyes”), arranged in a spiral. International Potato Center (CIP): Potato
Grow one in a bucket
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)
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
The RHS says to discard any potatoes that are green. RHS: How to grow potatoes Potato flowers are white, lavender or purple, with five joined petals and yellow stamens. The fruit is a small poisonous berry with many seeds. Encyclopaedia Britannica: potato Keep little ones from eating the berries, and do the forking yourself: Insert your fork at least 30cm (1ft) from the base of the plant to avoid spearing the tubers. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Amazing potato facts
- In 1995 the potato became the first crop grown in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Potato season at Kew
- Kew says the heaviest potato ever grown weighed 4.98kg, grown in 2011 by an amateur gardener in Nottinghamshire. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Potato season at Kew · checked 29 Oct 2026
- In the Second World War, Kew’s curator William Campbell found that potatoes could be grown from slices, as long as each slice had an “eye”. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Potato season at Kew
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