How to Get a White Potato to Grow a Vine

Remove any plants and debris from the white potato planting site. Pull up plants by hand (roots and all) or spray them with a broad spectrum herbicide. If you use herbicide, follow the manufacturer's instructions for application rates and amounts and the period of time you must wait before planting the area.

Loosen and turn the top foot of soil with a garden hoe. Break up any clumps of soil and remove any rocks or roots that you dig up as you go.

Fertilize the soil with a 2-inch layer of aged compost and 2 1/2 lbs. of 8-16-16 fertilizer per 100 square feet. Work these amendments into the loosened soil.

Smooth and level the surface of the white potato plot with a rake.

Cut each seed potato into 2- to 3-square-inch sections with a clean, sharp knife. Each section should have at least one eye. The larger the section and the more eyes per section, the better. If you have small seed potatoes that aren't much bigger than 2 or 3 square inches, don't bother cutting them.

Leave the seed potatoes out on a dry spot on the kitchen counter for 24 hours.

Dig 4-inch-deep trenches for your white potatoes. Make each trench as long as your garden can accommodate and 2 1/2 to 3 feet away from its neighbor.

Place the cut white potatoes in the trench at 10-inch intervals. Keep as many of the eyes facing up as possible.

Fill the trench in with soil. Firm the soil around the potatoes by patting the soil firmly with your hands.

Water the planting area with enough water to saturate the soil to the depth of the planting. Give the potatoes roughly 1 inch of water weekly if it doesn't rain. Try to water on the same day, at the same time every week. Early morning is the best time to water.

Wait for the potatoes to send up vines. These vines will grow thin horizontal stems that sunburn easily. As the horizontal stems emerge, put soil over them. Dig up loose, friable soil from nearby or use commercial garden soil. Continue to pile soil in a hill over the horizontal stems as they grow farther up the vine until you have a 6- to 8-inch-high mound. After the initial mounding, the white potato vine can grow on its own.