Want to grow delicious potatoes without breaking your back? The no-dig potato growing method is perfect for gardeners of all experience levels. Here are the best tips for growing potatoes the easy way, while maximizing your harvest!

Why Grow Potatoes Using the No-Dig Method?

Growing your own potatoes offers multiple benefits beyond just delicious taste. In addition to growing lettuce, brussels sprouts, and rhubarb, potatoes are one of my very favorite crops to grow.

Store-bought potatoes often contain significant pesticide residue (they’re on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list), making home-grown organic potatoes a healthier choice for your family.

The no-dig method specifically offers these advantages:

• Saves time and effort – no back-breaking trenching required
• Reduces moisture loss from the soil
• Minimizes weed growth by not bringing weed seeds to the surface
• Improves soil health by not disrupting beneficial soil organisms
• Makes harvesting easier when it’s time to dig up your treasure

Beyond health benefits, growing potatoes is simply rewarding! The plants are pretty in the garden, and harvesting feels like a treasure hunt as you discover what’s hiding in the soil.

When to Plant Potatoes

Spring Planting Time

Potatoes are one of the early spring crops you can plant. While many gardening resources suggest planting by St. Patrick’s Day, timing varies by region:

• Zone 5b (like my Iowa garden): Early to mid-April is ideal
• Northern areas: Late April may be better

Soil Temperature Matters

The key factor for successful potato planting is soil temperature:

• Optimal soil temperature: 59°F to 68°F (15°C to 20°C)
• Minimum soil temperature: 45°F (7°C)

Planting in cold, wet soil leads to rotting rather than sprouting. However, potatoes should be planted before your last frost date if possible, as young plants can tolerate light frost.

How Late Can You Plant Potatoes?

Most potato varieties need 90-120 days to mature. While technically you could plant early varieties in early summer, soil temperature becomes a limiting factor:

• Potatoes develop weak roots in hot soil
• They prefer cool, moist growing conditions
• Late plantings risk not maturing before fall frosts

For best results, stick with early spring planting when soil is workable but still cool.

The ISU Extension Office advocates planting seed potatoes 3-4 inches underground, and according to folklore, they should be planted on Good Friday in my zone, Zone 5. I don’t know about you but digging a 3-4″ trench and covering potatoes with that many inches of soil sounds like an awful lot of work I’d rather not do.

Selecting the Best Seed Potatoes

Why Use Seed Potatoes?

Always start with certified seed potatoes from garden centers or reputable sources like Seed Savers Exchange. While you can grow from grocery store potatoes, they often contain sprout inhibitors and may introduce diseases.

Best Potato Varieties for Home Gardens

I recommend growing a mix of varieties for a staggered harvest and different culinary uses:

Early Season (90 days or less)

• Red Norland – Ready in 90 days, great for new potatoes
• Purple Majesty – Matures in 85-90 days with unique purple coloring
• Yukon Gold – Mid-season (100 days) with excellent flavor (my personal favorite!)

Late Season (100+ days)

• Kennebec – Matures in 110 days, excellent for storage
• German Butterball – Takes 110-135 days but worth the wait for flavor
• Adirondack Blue – Interesting blue flesh (turns grayish when cooked)

The Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening advocates a “no-dig” approach. I love the no-dig approach because it reduces time it takes to plant, makes back breaking digging unnecessary, reduces loss of moisture, and results in fewer weeds being brought to the surface. I’ve been planting potatoes using this method for about 8 years now and love how easy it is to grow potatoes.

Preparing Seed Potatoes

Before planting:

1. Cut large seed potatoes into pieces with 2-3 eyes each
2. Allow cut surfaces to dry and form a protective crust for 1-2 days
3. This crucial step prevents rotting in cool, damp soil

Read my article with all the ins and out of preparing seed potatoes for planting.

Step-by-Step No-Dig Planting Method

Traditional methods recommend digging 3-4 inch trenches for potatoes – that’s a lot of work! The no-dig approach is much simpler:

Materials You’ll Need

• Seed potatoes (prepared as described above)
• Garden hoe or similar tool
• Quality compost or aged manure
• Mulch material (straw, wood chips, or leaf mulch)

No-Dig Planting Instructions

1. Prepare the planting area: Clear away any weeds and loosen the soil surface
2. Add fertility: Spread a layer of compost or aged manure (I use composted chicken bedding)
3. Create shallow trenches: Hoe very shallow furrows only ½ to 1 inch deep
4. Position seed potatoes: Place them 12-18 inches apart with eyes facing up
5. Cover lightly: Add a thin layer of rich soil over the seed potatoes
6. Space rows properly: Keep rows 2-3 feet apart for good air circulation

Once the potatoes start to grow, replenish the mulch as necessary to keep them covered. The Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening recommends covering the mulch with grass clippings once the plants are big enough to meet across the rows.

Soil Requirements

Potatoes grow in most soil types but prefer:

• Well-draining soil
• Slightly acidic pH (5.3 to 6.0)
• If your soil stays consistently wet, consider raised beds

Watering Requirements for Healthy Potatoes

Proper watering is critical for potato development:

Water Needs Throughout Growth

• Weekly requirement: 1-2 inches of water per week
• Consistency is key: Maintain even moisture
• Monitoring: Use a rain gauge to track natural rainfall

Watering Problems to Avoid

• Overwatering early season: Causes misshapen potatoes
• Underwatering: Results in curled leaves and late tuber formation
• Inconsistent watering: Can lead to growth cracks in tubers

Watering Methods

A drip irrigation system is ideal for potatoes as it:

• Provides consistent moisture
• Delivers water directly to the root zone
• Minimizes disease by keeping foliage dry

Mulching and Hilling Your Potato Plants

Why Mulch Potatoes?

Once plants reach a few inches tall, apply a thick layer of mulch for multiple benefits:

• Conserves soil moisture
• Suppresses weeds
• Keeps developing tubers covered (preventing greening)
• Maintains cooler soil temperatures

Mulching Materials

Choose from several effective mulching options:

• Wood chips (my preference, often available free)
• Straw (excellent for potatoes, breaks down to improve soil)
• Grass clippings (apply over other mulch once plants are large)

Hilling Technique

As plants grow, you’ll need to “hill” them:

1. Add additional soil or mulch around the base of plants
2. Cover any exposed potatoes to prevent greening
3. Continue this process throughout the growing season

Good Companion Plants for Potatoes

Companion plants are great to add all around the garden. Specific herbs, flowers, and other vegetables help potato plants grow better, keep away pests, and make your garden more productive.

Beneficial Companions

• Beans: Fix nitrogen in the soil to feed potatoes
• Cabbage: Shallow roots won’t compete with potatoes
• Marigolds: Repel destructive Colorado potato beetles
• Nasturtiums: Act as trap crops for potato beetles (plant away from potatoes)

Plants to Avoid Near Potatoes

Keep these plants away from your potato patch:

• Tomatoes (related family, can spread diseases)
• Cucumbers
• Turnips
• Sunflowers
• Pumpkins

Here’s what you need to know to keep your potatoes safe from Colorado potato beetles!

When and How to Harvest Potatoes

New Potatoes (Early Harvest)

For tender, small potatoes with thin skins:

1. Wait until 2-3 weeks after plants finish flowering
2. Gently dig near plants and remove a few potatoes
3. Leave the plant intact to continue producing

Main Crop Harvest

For storage potatoes:

1. Wait until vines die back naturally
2. Leave potatoes in ground 2-3 weeks after vine death
3. Choose a dry day for harvesting
4. Carefully dig with a garden fork to avoid damaging tubers

Curing for Storage

Proper curing improves storage life:

• If under 80°F: Leave potatoes in field for 2-3 dry days
• If over 80°F or wet: Cure in a cool, covered area
• Curing toughens skins and extends storage life

Storing Your Potato Harvest

If you plan to store potatoes over winter, wait until after the plants die back before digging them. Dig them two to three weeks after the vines die back on a dry day during dry weather if possible. 

If the temperature is below 80 degrees, let the potatoes cure in the field for two to three dry days. Curing matures the skins and helps them last longer in storage. If the weather is going to be wet or it’s over 80 degrees, cure them in a cool, covered area where they will stay dry.

Optimal Storage Conditions

For long-term storage:

• Temperature: 40-45°F (4-7°C)
• Humidity: 85-90%
• Dark location (prevents greening)
• Good ventilation

Green Potato Prevention

Green potatoes contain solanine, a toxin that can cause illness:

• Prevention: Keep tubers covered with soil or mulch during growing
• Slightly green potatoes: Peel deeply to remove green portions
• Very green potatoes: Discard instead of eating

Troubleshooting Common Potato Problems

Colorado Potato Beetle

This common pest can devastate potato plants:

• Identification: Yellow and black striped beetles and red larvae
• Prevention: Companion plant with marigolds
• Treatment: Hand-picking, organic sprays like spinosad, row covers

Potato Scab

A bacterial disease causing corky spots on tubers:

• Prevention: Maintain soil pH below 5.5
• Treatment: Crop rotation, resistant varieties

Blight

Fungal disease that can destroy plants:

• Prevention: Good air circulation, avoid overhead watering
• Treatment: Remove infected plants, apply organic fungicides

More Gardening and Potato Tips You’ll Love

• 200 pounds of potatoes each year
• How to store garden seeds 
• From Seed to Harvest: How to Grow a Three Sisters Garden
• Growing Green Thumbs: 12 Gardening Activities for Kids

Did you know I wrote my first book? You will love my new book – part homesteading tutorial and part cookbook. If you want to take the next step toward self-sufficiency, learn how to raise your own chickens for meat! Or if raising chickens for meat isn’t for you, you can also learn how to utilize the entire chicken in your kitchen to save you money and help your family be a little bit greener!