A visual summary for People Who Like Carbs and Dirt
All the information you need. No fluff, just dirt. For more detailed information you can read my full post on how to grow potatoes. It contains all this information, but more in a longer more detailed format.
Table of Contents
🌱 Quick Facts – Zone 6 Potato Snapshot
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| 📅 Planting Time | April 10 – May 1 (2–4 weeks before last frost) |
| 🌡️ Soil Temp | 50°F+ |
| 📏 Spacing | 12” apart in rows 24” apart |
| ⏳ Harvest Window | 60–130 days, depending on variety |
| ☀️ Light | Full Sun (6+ hrs/day) |
🥔 Seed Potatoes: What Are They?
They’re just potatoes—clean ones. Certified disease-free and ready to sprout. You can cut them to stretch your supply as long as each piece has at least one “eye.” Two or three eyes is even better. Let cut pieces dry 1–2 days before planting.
✂️ How to Cut & Cure Your Seed Potatoes
- Cut larger seed potatoes into halves or thirds
- Each piece should have 1–3 eyes
- Let dry until the cut surface becomes leathery and gross
- Optional but smart: chit while they’re drying (see below)
🌱 What Is Chitting?
Chitting = pre-sprouting.
Set seed potatoes on a screen or egg carton in a warm, bright spot. Let eyes sprout 1–2 cm.
Chitting gives you faster harvests in short-season Zone 6.
🥔 Planting Methods I Use
Trench Method
- Dig 8" deep trench
- Space potatoes 12” apart
- Cover with 3–4” soil, then continue hilling as they grow
Hole Method (Karen Classic)
This works best with friable soil .
- Use a stake or shovel handle to poke 8–10" deep holes
- Drop seed potato in, cover lightly
- Soil gradually fills in as season goes on. Kind of. Mainly you have to kick the dirt in every once in a while.
Shovel-Slide Method (Fastest)
This is best for somewhat compacted soil.
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- Push spade in, wiggle to open a slit
- Slide potato to bottom
- Soil collapses over it
📈 Hilling – Yes or No?
I never do. I just can't be bothered. It's isn't strictly necessary.
!! Keep an eye on the soil for potatoes popping out and cover with soil though.
🐛 Pests to Watch For: Colorado Potato Beetle
They're squishy, sticky and super-gross.
- Lay eggs under leaves
- Larvae defoliate plants fast
- Hand-pick and drown or stomp
- They're annoyingly horny and unstoppable—act early
→ [Read: Learn more about potato beetles in the full potato growing guide]
💧 Watering & Mid-Season Tips
- Deep water once per week
- Reduce watering after flowering—drying helps harden tubers
→ [Read: How to Install Drip Irrigation in Your Home Garden Like I Did]
🧺 Harvest Timing by Variety Type
Potato plants in peak of growth.
They're ready to harvest when the vines look tired of living.
| Type | Harvest Time |
|---|---|
| Early | 60–80 days (Norland, Red Pontiac) |
| Mid | 80–95 days (Yukon Gold, Chieftain) |
| Late | 100–130 days (Kennebec, Russet, Amarosa, German Butterball) |
Harvest when vines die back. Use a garden fork to loosen soil. If you cut a few, eat those first. Otherwise they'll rot.
🧊 Curing & Storage
- Cure for 2 weeks: 45–60°F, dark, humid
- Store around 40°F in 90% humidity
- Use: mudroom, closet, garage, covered boxes
→ [Read: How to Store Root Vegetables Long-Term]
🔗 Dig Deeper: More Potato Posts
→ [The Potato Harvest 2017]
→ [Potato Leek Soup]
→ [If You Grow Onions or Leeks You Need To Do This]
💬 Have Questions?
Ask them below—I actually answer them. Also let me know how you like this post format for growing guides. My goal was to create something based on my own hands in the dirt experience that you could quickly scan for the most important information I have. ~ karen!
Deborah Raill
Hi Karen, I have alw being interested in growing poppies, but was never brave enough to try so this summer I am going to try and this is how I’m going to do it: To start your poppies, first choose a sunny location with well-drained soil. Prepare the area by removing weeds and raking the soil to a fine tilth. Then, sprinkle the tiny poppy seeds onto the surface of the soil and gently press them in. Don't cover them, as they need light to germinate. Keep the soil moist during the germination period (7-30 days), and once the seedlings emerge, thin them out to about 30cm (12 inches) apart. You can then enjoy the beauty of your poppies as they bloom, and if desired, you can manage their self-seeding by deadheading or collecting the seeds.
Michelle -WA State
Perfect timing, I just found my last four potatoes had sprouted and thought I would try my hand at growing some food! I am going to try potted potatoes as we have poor coastal soil in zone 9! Thank you🫶🏼
Linda in Illinois
I like the format. I am a visual learner. I am growing garlic for the first time in zone 6 and am trying to learn how to cure and store them. Depending of course how they turn out.
Sandra D
I imagine the instructions are the same for any zone - I'm in 3, so I'll just do them a bit later.
Karen
Yes, exactly. ~ karen!
Jean
I love this guide! Its simple and concise.. Tells me all I need to know without excessive blathering.
Barb
I like this format. Easy to find the needed information and the pictures are very helpful.
Karen
Thanks Barb. Only 754 more growing guides to go. 😆 ~ karen!
Cairle
You left some potatoes in the ground last fall purposely to have an early crop. How is that going??
Eileen
I tried the fall potato planting with three potatoes. I have one healthy looking plant!
That and the self-seeded arugula that's everywhere may be all I do veg. wise. We are already/still in a drought and with that, the increasing humid heat and constant bombardment with tiger mosquitoes here in zone 7b...no fun.
Karen
I generally don't do it on purpose, I accidentally don't lift all the potatoes. It's hard to find them all! And I always get volunteer potatoes. Every year. And they always grow well! ~ karen
Karen
I think last year I wanted to plant an entire bed of potatoes in the fall so I didn't have to plant the in the spring because the leftover ones always sprout so easily. I never got around to it though. :/ Maybe this year! ~ karen
Kunyi Mangalam
Hi Karen,
I like the format.its helps to “see what you mean”.
I’ve never grown potatoes before even though I’ve had a garden for years. I’m trying a small bunch of fingerlings. Well see. The guide came at the perfect time.
Question - it looks like you use a trench and a hole. Did I see that correctly? If so, why is that?
Karen
Hi Kunyi! I know that photo is confusing. Both methods are shown there, just because I was photographing different methods. So I only use 1 method when planting. If the bed is deep and the soil is quite loose, I'll use the holes, if the bed is compacted I'll use the trench. ~ karen!
Nina
Hi. I like this format. It's adaptable to any zone (10a, here) and the information is nice and clear. I'm growing a few grocery store new potatoes of some kind that chitted on their own having been forgotten about. I put them in a 25 gallon grow bag; they're growing well so far. Looking forward to more cheat sheets.
Karen
Thanks for the feedback Nina! ~ karen
Terry Rutherford
Looks good! I planted last week, trench method. The New Victory Garden book, my bible, said go 6” deep and return 3” onto potatoes. Then add as needed. Has always worked beautifully. I think picture explaining in a great idea. I’ve never had significant potato beetles but now that you’ve mentioned, I’m feeling a jinx. I didn’t know about darkness after harvest. We keep a big pile of triple mix in the “new shed” (yes there are 2.) the potatoes cure well but I’ll cover this year, thanks! Last year I left the potatoes on the pile and they froze and I lost over half the harvest. I’m an idiot. And lazy.
Karen
It happens. You go through months and months and months of keeping something alive only to have it .. oops die/rot/get ruined. ~ karen!
Randy P
So... you're saying that potatoes DON'T actually come from the backroom of my supermarket??? I'm starting to question ALL my past beliefs. Now I'm afraid to even ASK about eggs and milk.