The short answer
Potatoes are grown from seed potatoes planted in spring. Choose earlies (quick, small new potatoes, great in containers) or maincrop (a bigger, storable harvest). Chit early varieties first, plant from late March into rich soil or a large pot, and earth up the stems as they grow to keep the tubers covered. Water well as the potatoes swell, then lift earlies from June and maincrop from late summer.
Potatoes at a glance
The main decision is which type to grow. Earlies are quick and take up little room; maincrops are in the ground longer but give more to store. Many people grow a few of each to spread the harvest.
| Type | When to plant | When to harvest | Spacing |
|---|---|---|---|
| First earlies | Around late March | June to July | 30cm apart, 60cm rows |
| Second earlies | Early to mid April | July to August | 30cm apart, 60cm rows |
| Maincrop | Mid April to early May | Late August to October | 37cm apart, 75cm rows |
Earlies or maincrop?
Always start with certified, virus-free seed potatoes, sold from late winter in garden centres and by mail order (which has the widest choice). Do not plant supermarket potatoes, which may carry disease.
- First and second earlies are new potatoes: small, delicious and ready in as little as 12 weeks. The plants are compact, so they suit small plots and containers, and they are lifted by midsummer, freeing up space for a later crop.
- Maincrop potatoes stay in the ground into late summer or autumn. They yield more and bigger tubers, good for roasting and baking, and store for winter.
Look for varieties with the RHS Award of Garden Merit, which crop reliably. A few to try:
| Variety | Notes |
|---|---|
| 'Red Duke of York' | First early, red skin, floury yellow flesh |
| 'Charlotte' | Second early, popular waxy salad potato |
| 'Maris Piper' | Maincrop, reliable all-rounder, large crop |
| 'Desiree' | Maincrop, red-skinned, good for most uses |
| 'Pink Fir Apple' | Late maincrop, knobbly waxy salad variety |
| 'Sarpo Mira' | Late maincrop, good blight resistance |
Chitting
Chitting means letting seed potatoes sprout before planting, to get them growing faster once in the ground. It is worthwhile for earlies (for an earlier crop) but not needed for maincrop, which grows over a much longer season.
Stand the tubers eyes (buds) uppermost in egg boxes or seed trays, and put them somewhere bright, cool and frost-free. Start in late January in mild areas, up to early March in colder ones. After four to six weeks the sprouts should be about 5cm (2in) long and ready to plant. One or two strong shoots is plenty; rub off any extras. Chitting is not essential, unchitted potatoes just crop a few weeks later.
Planting
Potatoes want an open, sunny spot that is not a frost pocket, in rich, fertile soil. Dig in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure the autumn or winter before, or lay a thick layer of compost on top for a no-dig bed. Plant to the timings in the table above.
In the ground: dig a trench 15cm (6in) deep, set the seed potatoes along it with the sprouts facing up, then cover and water. Space earlies 30cm (1ft) apart in rows 60cm (2ft) apart; maincrops 37cm (15in) apart in rows 75cm (30in) apart. Grow them in a fresh spot each year as part of your crop rotation.
In a container: use a pot, bag or sack at least 30cm (12in) wide and deep, with drainage holes. Half-fill with peat-free compost, set one seed potato per 30cm (12in) of pot width just below the surface, and add more compost as the shoots grow. Earlies suit containers best.
Earthing up and care
As the plants grow, mound soil up around the stems, known as earthing up. Start when the shoots are about 23cm (9in) tall, drawing soil up the row and leaving the top 10cm (4in) showing. Repeat every few weeks until the ridge is 20 to 30cm (8 to 12in) high. In a container, just keep topping up with compost as the stems lengthen.
Water in dry spells, especially once the plants flower and the tubers are swelling, when a good soak makes a real difference to the crop. Containers need regular watering all season, even in the rain, as the leaves act like an umbrella. Potatoes in the ground rarely need feeding; in a container, give a liquid feed once the compost runs low. Protect young shoots with fleece or straw if frost is forecast.
Harvesting and storing
You cannot see the crop, so it takes a little judgement. Lift the first earlies once the flowers open or the buds drop, when the tubers are about the size of a hen's egg, from June. Second earlies follow in July and August, and maincrops from late August into October. Dig in with a fork well clear of the stems (about 30cm away) so you do not spear the potatoes. Scoop a little soil aside to check the size before lifting a whole plant.
Eat earlies fresh, they are at their best straight from the ground. To store maincrops, wait until the leaves yellow, cut off the top growth, then lift 10 days later and let the tubers dry. Store only dry, undamaged potatoes somewhere dark, dry, cool and frost-free in paper or hessian sacks, and check them every few weeks. Discard any that have turned green.
Common problems
- Potato blight is the big one: a disease that browns the leaves and can rot the tubers, worst in warm, wet summers. Earlies often escape it by being lifted early. If it strikes, cut off and bin the foliage and lift the crop promptly (blighted potatoes will not store).
- Slugs tunnel into maincrop tubers, especially in a damp autumn, so lift maincrops before the ground gets too wet.
- Scab (rough patches on the skin) is cosmetic; the potatoes are fine to eat once peeled.
- Build-up of soil disease is best avoided by growing potatoes in a different bed each year.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to chit potatoes?
No, it is not essential. Chitting (sprouting the seed potatoes before planting) gives earlies a useful head start for an earlier crop, but unchitted potatoes grow perfectly well and just crop a few weeks later. There is little benefit in chitting maincrop varieties.
When should I plant potatoes?
In spring, by type: first earlies around late March, second earlies early to mid April, and maincrops mid April to early May. Plant a little later in colder areas. The young shoots are frost-tender, so be ready to cover them if a late frost is forecast.
Why do you earth up potatoes?
Mounding soil up the stems protects young shoots from frost and, importantly, keeps the developing tubers covered. Potatoes exposed to light turn green, and green potatoes are mildly poisonous. Earthing up also gives the plant more buried stem to form tubers along, and smothers weeds.
Can I grow potatoes in a pot or bag?
Yes, very easily, and earlies are ideal for it. Use a container at least 30cm wide and deep with drainage holes, plant one seed potato per 30cm of width in peat-free compost, top up with compost as the shoots grow, and keep it well watered. Harvesting is simply a matter of tipping the pot out.
When are potatoes ready to harvest?
First earlies are ready from June to July (lift when the flowers open and the tubers are hen's-egg size), second earlies in July and August, and maincrops from late August to October. For storing, leave maincrops until the foliage yellows, then cut it off, wait 10 days and lift.
How we checked this2 sourcesView sourcesHide
Our guides draw on expert bodies like the RHS and Garden Organic, plus experienced growers, read at source. We check every guide against those sources on the date shown, and where advice differs between them, we say so. Garden Plans is published by Limely.
- AuthorityHow to grow potatoes, Royal Horticultural Society. Checked 22 Oct 2026.
- AuthorityHow to grow potatoes, Gardeners' World. Checked 22 Oct 2026.
