How To Plant Red Potatoes In A Garden? | Easy Wins Guide

Red spuds love loose soil, steady moisture, and a bit of care at the right moments. This guide gives you clear steps—what to buy, when to plant, and how to keep tubers covered—so you get baskets of smooth, thin-skinned beauties.

Planting Red Potatoes At Home: Step-By-Step

Red Potato Planting Specs

Factor	Recommendation	Why It Matters
Seed Piece Size	1½–2 oz with 1–3 eyes	Balances vigor and yield
Soil Temperature	7–10°C (45–50°F)	Helps pieces sprout without decay
Planting Depth	4–6 inches	Keeps tubers shaded and cool
In-Row Spacing	10–12 inches	Sizes tubers and eases hilling
Row Spacing	30–36 inches	Airflow and access
Sun	6–8 hours daily	Drives growth and flavor
pH Range	6.0–6.5	Reduces scab risk

Pick Certified Seed Tubers

Start with certified, disease-free seed potatoes. Grocery store produce can be treated to prevent sprouting or carry pathogens that set you back. Choose small whole tubers or larger ones you can cut into chunks with one to three eyes each.

Pre-Sprout For A Head Start

Set seed tubers in bright, cool light for two to three weeks to wake buds. Short, stout sprouts handle planting well. Keep them dry; you want firm pieces, not soft ones.

Cut, Cure, And Size

Slice large tubers into 1½–2 ounce pieces with at least one healthy eye. Let cut faces dry for a day or two on a tray so a corky layer forms. This simple pause helps guard against rot when the soil is still chilly.

Time The Planting

Plant two to three weeks before your area’s last spring frost as long as the top few inches of soil read 7–10°C (45–50°F). Cooler ground slows growth and can damage pieces in wet spots.

Build A Loose Bed

Pick a sunny patch that drains well. Work in compost and rake to a fine surface. Potatoes thrive in slightly acidic ground—about pH 6.0–6.5—so skip heavy doses of lime unless a soil test calls for it.

Set Depth, Spacing, And Rows

Lay pieces cut-side down, sprouts up, 4–6 inches deep and 10–12 inches apart. Leave 30–36 inches between rows to make room for hilling and airflow.

Water And Mulch

After covering, water to settle soil, then hold off until shoots break the surface. Lay straw or shredded leaves to keep moisture steady and block light from tubers near the surface.

Hill On Schedule

When vines hit 6–8 inches, pull soil or mulch up around stems, leaving the top leaves showing. Repeat every two weeks until you’ve built a ridge 6–8 inches high. New tubers grow in that cool, dark zone.

Soil, Feeding, And Water

Soil Prep That Pays

Loose, sandy loam gives red types the smooth skins cooks love. Mix in well-finished compost for structure. If your soil tends to hold water, raise the bed or add wide, shallow trenches that carry excess rain away.

Fertilizer Rhythm

Potatoes use a fair bit of nitrogen early, then shift to potassium as tubers set. Blend a balanced starter into the top 6 inches before planting, then side-dress with a light dose of nitrogen once vines hit 6–8 inches. Avoid heavy nitrogen late in the season or you’ll feed leaves at the expense of the crop.

Smart Watering

Aim for 1–1½ inches of water weekly from rain and irrigation. Deep, even moisture during flowering and bulking makes the shapes uniform. Keep foliage dry in the evening to limit disease pressure.

For deeper background on spacing, timing, and pH targets, see the UMN growing potatoes guide. For disease awareness, check the late blight overview for gardeners.

Pick The Right Red Variety

Red Norland brings early meals with tender skins. Red Pontiac makes generous crops with a bit more time. Most red types sit in the early to midseason window, which pairs well with spring planting and summer digs.

Match Days To Your Weather

Count on 70–95 days for many reds under warm soil and full sun. If summers run short where you live, choose earlier picks and plant once soil warms. In hotter zones, mulch well to keep the ridge cool and steady.

Red Potato Troubleshooting Guide

Problem	Likely Cause	Quick Fix
Green Or Bitter Skins	Light reaching tubers	Hill higher; add mulch
Scab On Skins	High pH or dry spells	Keep pH near 6.0–6.5; water evenly
Misshapen Tubers	Uneven moisture	Deep, regular watering
Late Blight Spots	Phytophthora in cool, wet weather	Remove infected vines; avoid overhead water
Hollow Heart	Rapid growth swings	Even water and steady feeding
Small Yields	Shallow hilling or shade	Hill on schedule; ensure 6–8 hours of sun

Harvest, Cure, And Store

New Potatoes

Once plants bloom, reach under the ridge and feel for egg-sized tubers. Snip a few without uprooting the plant, then tuck soil back in place.

Main Crop

When vines yellow and flop, stop watering for a week. Lift a test hill on a dry day. Skins that don’t rub off are ready. Use a fork and work from the edge to avoid spearing tubers. Shake off clods; avoid washing.

Curing

Spread the harvest in a single layer in a dark, airy room at 10–13°C (50–55°F) for 10–14 days. This heals scuffs and firms skins, which extends storage life.

Storage

After curing, move tubers to 4–7°C (40–45°F) with low light and good air flow. Keep them far from apples and other ethylene-producing fruit. Never store in sunlit spots or the fridge crisper.

Containers And Small Spaces

No bed? Use a 15–20 gallon fabric pot or a tall box with drainage. Add 4 inches of mix, set three seed pieces, and cover with 4 inches more. As stems grow, add mix to bury the lower leaves until the container fills to within 2 inches of the rim. Water until it drains from the bottom; then let the top inch dry before the next drink.

Simple Planting Calendar

Late Winter

Order certified seed and gather straw or leaf mulch.

Early Spring

Pre-sprout tubers and prep beds once the ground can be worked.

Spring Window

Plant when the top layer of soil reaches the target temperature and frost risk fades.

Late Spring To Early Summer

Hill, side-dress, and keep moisture steady. Scout leaves after rainy spells.

Mid To Late Summer

Dig new potatoes for fresh meals. Keep hilling if vines are still stretching.

Late Summer To Early Fall

Let vines die back, lift the crop, cure, and store.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Planting In Heavy, Wet Ground

Wet clay suffocates roots and invites disease. Raise the bed, add compost, and avoid walking on the area once prepped.

Skipping The Hill

Hilling isn’t garnish; it protects tubers from light and keeps them cool. Mark two dates on your calendar just to do this task.

Overfeeding Late

Late nitrogen gives tall vines with few spuds. Stop feeding once you finish the second hill.

Letting Weeds Win

Weeds steal water and light. Lay mulch right after planting and pull invaders once a week.

Saving Grocery Potatoes For Seed

That tempting bag can carry disease. Certified seed offers clean stock and reliable sprouting.

Quick Reference: Yields, Row Feet, And Supplies

How Much Seed To Buy

Plan on 10–20 pounds of seed for 100 row feet, depending on how large the pieces are and how close you space them.

Expected Yield

With good care, you can see 1–2 pounds per foot of row, with early reds landing near the low end and late reds near the high end.

Basic Kit

Clean knife, tray for curing cut pieces, compost, balanced fertilizer, straw or leaves, rake, hoe or fork, soil thermometer, and a bin or sacks for storage.

Crop Rotation And Bed Hygiene

Keep spuds away from last year’s tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant. A three-year gap breaks many pest and disease cycles. Clear old vines after harvest so spores and beetles don’t overwinter near the next patch.

Clean Starts

Use fresh mulch and clean tools. If you cut seed pieces, wipe blades with alcohol between batches. Skip raw manure in spring; composted material is safer for skins and helps avoid scab.

Pests And Diseases: What To Watch

Colorado Potato Beetle

Scan leaves weekly. Hand-pick adults and clusters of orange eggs on leaf undersides. Row cover over the bed at planting time blocks adult beetles if edges are sealed.

Late Blight Weather

Cool, damp spells raise risk. Space rows for airflow, water in the morning, and keep foliage dry at dusk. If you spot water-soaked patches with pale edges on leaves, bag vines and remove them from the site.

Wireworms And Grubs

These chew tunnels in tubers near sod. Break new ground a season ahead with a cover crop, or use raised beds lined with fabric to reduce pressure.

Raised Beds And No-Dig Rows

Stack a ridge over a loosened garden path instead of tilling the whole area. Lay seed pieces on the surface, cover with 4–6 inches of compost and straw, then add more mulch as stems stretch. This method saves time and keeps soil structure intact.

After Rain Checklist

Walk the rows once the soil firms up. Fix washouts on hills, top up mulch where tubers peek through, and check for leaf spots.

Fertilizer Numbers In Plain Terms

A starter blend near 10-10-10 in bed delivers early vigor. Once vines reach your first hilling mark, side-dress with a lean nitrogen source. From flowering onward, ease up on nitrogen so energy shifts to tuber sizing. Wood ash raises pH, so use it sparingly.