We planted potatoes and didn’t do ANYTHING else. We didn’t water, didn’t mound the dirt, nothing! Learn how to grow potatoes, and how many pounds of potatoes we had waiting for us!
Sometimes people ask me what are the easiest vegetables to grow. Usually I tell them to start by growing garlic or kale but now there’s a new one to add to the list… maybe the top easiest one to grow! What is it? POTATOES!
Easy To Grow Potatoes
Would you guys believe that we planted these potatoes 3 months ago, did NOTHING, and then came back to find dozens of beautiful potatoes waiting for us to dig out from under the soil?
Well I hope you believe me because that’s what happened!
This year we are primarily focused in gardening in Brooklyn, with nothing growing Upstate. Matthew and I were kind of sad about this, so Matthew made the drive Upstate to plant a few potatoes. We hoped that we could visit in mid Summer, but our schedules just didn’t allow us.
So after 3 months of not visiting the garden Upstate, not doing anything to the potatoes, we finally visited last weekend. At first we were dissappointed because we couldn’t find the potato plants (they were competing with some weeds!).
Matthew continued to dig around and still couldn’t find anything. But then he dug a little bit more (with me anioxusly yelling FIND THE POTATOES!) and ta-da! There were so many beautiful potatoes growing under the soil!
How to Grow Potatoes from Seed Potatoes
Here’s a picture from late June when we planted the seed potatoes. We planted both Red and Yukon potatoes.
Because this bed wasn’t being used for anything else, we just dug holes all over and planted a whole bunch of potatoes!
How long does it take to grow potatoes?
On average, it takes 90 days to grow potatoes, which is pretty much exactly the time it took ours. Depending on the variety, it might take a little longer or shorter.
So here’s what this proves. Potatoes are no nonsense. You can plant them, cover with soil and leave them for months and they will still produce. Obviously, if you take better care of them (like mounding up the soil!) you will probably get a better yield, but even if you don’t, you’ll still get a bunch of potatoes!
I gave our new garden helper Enceladus a shovel and told her to get digging! There were treasures to be found under the soil!
Just kidding, she doesn’t dig holes (yet). But she did think it was fun to be given potatoes out of the soil to drop in a basket!
And look at the size of some of these potatoes we dug up!
Next year, we might have to do the same thing! Maybe we’ll even plant 2 beds full of potatoes! We didn’t know if the plants would grow without being watered or mounded, as we always did in the past with our potato plants, but it looks like Mother Nature took care of them for us!
Now the hard choice – what recipes to make with our potatoes? Do you have any suggestions?
Hope you enjoyed this little potato journey!
Now I will leave you with some of my favorite potato recipes!
Potato Recipes
Slow Cooker Sausage, Cabbage and Potatoes
Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Potatoes
The Best Mashed Potatoes Ever!
Sue G says
Thank you so much for this article! I started growing potatoes a couple years ago and it quickly became a staple for me due to the ease and no investment (I just use sprouted potatoes from the year before). The 1st year I was amazed I got a few. The 2nd year I learned they don’t like consistent watering, let them dry out and then give a deep watering and I got a TON of reds last year. This year I read some people actually only deep water every couple of weeks (!) so I started watering even less, basically allowing heavy rains to take care of it when they came through. My issue is this year I got busy and did not hill OR mulch at all. I intended to and never got to it and now 3 months is up and my plants are “dead” aka ready to be harvested & I wasn’t sure what i should do. This helped, maybe I’ll have some luck!
kimberly a bemis says
We grow all our veggies in hay bales because I’vechad 2_back surgeries and can’t bend over for more than a few seconds. We grow more than enough potatoes for just the two of us in the bales.
Pamela says
That’s awesome Kimberly! Enjoy all your potatoes! 🙂
Nicole says
Does it rain during the summer in upstate New York? We didn’t get any rain here in Oregon since May so I’m not sure if it would make a difference.
Pamela says
Hey Nicole, yes, it does rain in the Summer, so Mother Nature naturally waters for us!
Peggy says
Make beleenies!!
Leah says
We planted potato’s, hilled them watered them, babied them. Next year, we’re doing them like you did! We got hardly any, just a big mess!!!!
Sue G says
I know this is a really old comment Leah but water less! They like to dry out and then get occasional deep waters. Some people only do it every couple of weeks! When I stopped watering daily my yields grew and it also reduces slugs & rot. I mostly let occasional rains take care of the job!
vern says
easier way to plant potatoes yet is to put them where u want them and then just cover them up with hay, works pretty slick, maybe even easier than your way hahahaha
Pamela says
I think the raccoons will get them that way! They are ferocious little beasts (sorry, I will never forgive them for eating all our corn!)! 🙁