Learn how to grow potatoes in containers; no tilling required. Although potatoes grow best in places with cool summer days and nights (think Idaho), it’s possible and relatively easy to grow potatoes in warmer climates like Arizona if you choose the right variety and plant them at the right time.
Whether you like them baked, mashed, fried, roasted, or any other way, potatoes are a delicious staple. Try a home-grown potato and you’ll taste the difference in crispness and freshness. If you want to learn how to grow potatoes in containers, you’ve come to the right place.
1. Before learning how to grow potatoes in containers, you should understand how potatoes grow.
Look closely at a potato. There are several slightly recessed “eyes” on the surface. Under the right conditions, these eyes will sprout – you’ve probably seen this happen with a potato in your kitchen.
When the sprout is planted, it develops into a stem. The stem grows into an above-ground plant, and the plant’s excess energy is directed downward to the roots and stored in “tubers.” A tuber is the thickened part of the stem that grows underground. We call these thickened tubers “potatoes.”
2. Choose the right potato to plant
In shorter season climates, such as the deep desert of Arizona, plant determinate varieties of potatoes “early” and “mid-season.” Determinate varieties are faster growing potatoes that produce a smaller crop more quickly (60-90 days) than indeterminate varieties. Try these varieties: Yukon Gold, Purple Viking and All Red.
If you have a longer growing season, choose indeterminate (“late season”) potato varieties. Indeterminate potatoes produce a larger crop with multiple layers along the stem and production takes between 110 and 135 days. Late potatoes continue to set new potatoes on the stem until they are harvested or frost kills them. Indeterminate varieties to try include Russian Blue, Canela Russet and Ramona.
For best results, purchase certified, disease-free seed potatoes from online retailers or garden centers.
3. Prepare the potato before planting
Place the seed potatoes where the temperature is between 60 and 70°F and they are exposed to light. This will encourage the potatoes to sprout (a process called “chitting”). Once the potatoes have sprouted and the potatoes are larger than an egg, cut them into pieces. Make sure each piece you cut out has 2-3 eyes.
4. Plant potatoes at the right time
In cooler parts of the country, plant potatoes shortly after the last frost date. In the deep desert of Arizona, plant from September to January.
Potatoes are sensitive to frost and plants will die in severe frosts. If plants die from frost, harvest potatoes, no matter how large, within one to two weeks to prevent them from rotting.
5. How to grow potatoes in containers? Choose a container, any container
Potatoes aren’t picky when it comes to which container they’re grown in. Choose trash cans, compost bags, or burlap sacks. I like to grow potatoes in these 40-gallon grow bags. Follow the basic principles for planting listed below, and you can be successful no matter which container you choose.
6. Plant the right number of potatoes for the size of your container.
The most important rule when using containers is to match the number of seed potatoes to the size of the container you are growing them in. As a rough guide, each potato plant needs about 3 gallons to grow well. Overcrowding the potatoes will result in smaller potatoes.
7. Planting potatoes correctly
Place a 3-4 inch layer of loose soil amended with compost in the bottom of the container. (Roll down the sides of the container if necessary). Potatoes prefer slightly acidic soil. Use a soil mix for acid-loving plants or amend the soil with an acid-blend fertilizer according to package directions.
Plant seed potatoes in the soil with the sprouted side up and cover them with 2 to 3 inches of additional soil.
When potatoes germinate, cover the sprouts halfway when they are about 6 inches tall. Continue this process until they reach the top of the container. Then the plant will continue to grow without being covered.
Hilling the potatoes ensures that determinate potatoes are not exposed to sunlight and do not turn green, and ensures a larger harvest of indeterminate varieties.
8. Don’t let potatoes dry out.
Potatoes need consistent moisture to grow well. Potatoes grown in the ground look for moisture in the surrounding soil, while potatoes grown in containers rely on the moisture you provide.
I put a drip line in each plant bag to ensure even watering. It is important to keep the soil evenly moist, but not wet. Allow it to dry out a little between waterings.
Consider feeding actively growing potatoes with an acid-loving organic fertilizer or seaweed extract every time you add more soil (or once or twice during the growing season). Mulching with straw will help retain moisture.
9. Place your container in the best location.
Potatoes need at least 6 hours of sun to grow well. In the low desert, full sun is preferred for fall planting of potatoes. Potatoes planted in spring do best in some afternoon shade to prevent them from drying out too quickly.
10. Know When to Harvest Potatoes
“Early potatoes” are simply immature potatoes that are harvested before the potatoes are fully ripe.
For determinate potatoes, check 60-90 days after planting, and for indeterminate varieties, check 100-120 days after planting. Dig with your hand near a stem to check the size of the potatoes. Harvest potatoes that are large enough to eat at will.
Harvest “new” potatoes right after the plants flower (if you’re growing a variety that flowers). For larger potatoes, wait until the tops start to turn yellow and die.
To extend the storage time of potatoes, leave them in the ground for two weeks after the plants die.
When you’re ready to harvest the entire container, carefully dump it into a wheelbarrow, being careful not to damage the potatoes. Allow the potatoes to cure outside for a few hours. Brush any loose soil off the potatoes and store them in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to use them.
Early potatoes are best eaten within a few weeks of harvest. Mature, unblemished potatoes will keep longer.