How to Plant a Budding Potato

Make a 3 to 4 inch deep furrow for potatoes with the edge of the hoe as soon as the soil can be worked and soil temperatures reach 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow 36 inches between rows for cultivating and hilling the potatoes as they grow.

Apply 3 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100-foot row. Work the fertilizer into the existing soil with a garden hoe, blending it well. Contact with fertilizer granules burns the potato’s flesh, kills existing sprouts and prevents further sprouting.

Cut large tubers into 2-inch chunks with at least two sets of sprouts to each section. Plant whole potatoes with a diameter of 2 inches or less. Do not damage the sprouts.

Space potatoes 8 to 10 inches apart in rows spaced 36 inches apart to allow for cultivation and hilling of the potatoes as they mature. Position cut sections with the cut side down.

Space potatoes 8 to 10 inches apart in rows spaced 36 inches apart allowing for cultivation and hilling as they mature. Position cut sections with the cut side down.

Cover the potatoes with soil and firm down lightly with the back of the hoe. Use caution, as packing too firmly damages the existing sprouts.

Moisten the soil with water to a depth of 4 inches. Spring soil typically contains enough moisture to promote healthy growth. Overwatering risks rotting the potatoes before shoots appear.

Hill the potatoes when they are 4 to 6 inches tall by mounding the soil over the stems. Allow two to four leaves to remain above the soil. Repeat the hilling process when the potatoes grow another 6 inches. This provides room for abundant of tubers forming under the soil.

Control weeds by hand or by cutting them at the ground level with the hoe.