How to Grow Potatoes + Potato Life Cycle Printables

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Have you ever wondered how to grow potatoes at home? Potatoes are one of the easiest and most rewarding crops to grow—and they’re perfect for kids because the most exciting part happens underground.

We’re planting our potatoes this week, and it’s the perfect time to learn how to grow potatoes at home. If you’ve never grown them before, they’re one of the easiest and most rewarding crops to try.

In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to grow potatoes step-by-step, plus share a simple jar experiment and a printable potato life cycle pack so you can learn how potatoes grow underground. I’ll continue updating this post as our plants grow so you can see each stage along the way.

How to Grow Potatoes (Quick Start Guide)

If you want the short version, here’s how to grow them:

Plant seed potatoes in early spring when the soil temperature is between 45-55 degrees.
Cut large potatoes into pieces with 2–3 eyes
Plant 3–4 inches deep in soil in a single layer
Water regularly (keep soil moist, not soggy)
Hill soil around plant foliage as they grow
Harvest when plants die back

That’s it! Now let’s break it down.

What Is a Potato?

I know you know What they are, but did you know that technically, a potato is not a root—it’s a tuber.

Tubers are underground storage stems that grow along the buried part of the plant. New potatoes form along the stem—not the roots!

Check out my potato lifecycle printable later in the post for kids to see and learn more about tuber development.

Best Ways to Grow Potatoes at Home:

There are several easy ways to grow potatoes. You can even try more than one at the same time!

How to Grow Potatoes in a Grow Bag

This is one of the easiest methods for beginners. And you can store them on your patio if you don’t have a garden area.

You’ll need:

Fabric grow bags (10-gallon works great) or other large containers with drainage holes
Potting soil + compost
Organic Seed potatoes- This year we grew Russet, Yukon Gold, German Butterball, and Red potatoes

Can You Use Grocery Store Potatoes?

You can plant potatoes from the grocery store—but they don’t always grow well.

Most store-bought potatoes are treated with a sprout inhibitor, which slows or prevents them from growing. This helps them last longer on the shelf, but it also means they may sprout slowly, grow weak plants and produce fewer potatoes.

Steps:

Add 4–6 inches of garden soil to the bottom
Place 3–4 potato pieces in the bag
Cover with 2–3 inches of soil
Water well

Important: Hilling

When they sprout and reach 6–8 inches tall, add more soil around the stem of the young plants and leave the top leaves exposed. Repeat until the bag is full.

This helps the plant produce more potatoes!

How to Grow Potatoes in the Ground or a Garden Bed

Potatoes grow beautifully in garden beds and often produce larger harvests.

How to plant:

Space potatoes 10–12 inches apart
Plant 3–4 inches deep
Add soil around plants as they grow (hilling)

Potato Jar Experiment (See It Grow!)

Growing a potato in a jar is a fun and educational way to see how potatoes grow underground.

Supplies:

Clear jar- I used a large 64 oz jar.
Potting soil
Cut pieces of a seed potato

Instructions:

Add a few inches of soil
Place potato near the side of the jar
Cover with soil
Water lightly
Place in a sunny window

Optional: Cover part of the jar to block light from roots. You can open it and look at it, then cover back up after for the best growth. You can attempt to transplant this later, just be VERY gentle!

What you’ll observe:

Root growth
Shoots growing upward
(Sometimes!) tiny tubers forming

This is for observation—not a full harvest. A jar will not have good drainage or a large enough space to get a harvest. However it is a great tool for learning!

When to Plant Potatoes

Potatoes grow best in cool weather. Plant in early spring when soil is workable, about 2-4 weeks before the last frost date. For my area, March–April is ideal. Look up your growing zone to see when the best time would be for you.

How Long Do Potatoes Take to Grow?

Potatoes take 70–120 days to grow depending on the variety. You can harvest: Baby potatoes when the flowers bloom. Full larger potatoes can be harvested when plants die back.

How Many Potatoes Can You Grow in One Bag?

This is one of the most common questions! In a 10-gallon grow bag, plant 3–4 potato pieces. More than that leads to overcrowding and results in smaller potatoes. Fewer plants = bigger potatoes and higher yields.

Watering & Sunlight

Water: Keep soil consistently moist. Grow bags may need more frequent watering than a bed would. Add mulch to keep it moist for longer.

Sun: They need full sun (6–8 hours daily)

Common Mistakes

Avoid these to get the best harvest:

Planting too many in one space
Forgetting to hill soil
Overwatering
Letting potatoes turn green (too much sun exposure)

How to Harvest Potatoes

Harvesting potatoes is one of the most fun parts—because it feels like digging for treasure! Make sure to get them out of the ground before the first hard frost hits your area.

When are potatoes ready to harvest?

There are two main stages:

Baby potatoes (early harvest)

Ready when plants start to flower
Usually about 6–8 weeks after planting
These are small, tender, and delicious

You can gently dig around the plant and take a few without removing the whole plant.

Full-size potatoes

Ready when the plant turns yellow and dies back
Usually 10–12+ weeks after planting

This means the potatoes have finished growing underground.

How to harvest from grow bags

One of the best parts of grow bags is how easy harvesting is:

Tip the bag over onto a tarp or ground
Gently sift through the soil
Collect your potatoes

Kids LOVE this part!

How to harvest from garden beds

Use your hands or a small shovel
Dig carefully around the plant
Lift the soil and search for potatoes

Be gentle so you don’t accidentally cut them. A shovel is more likely to cut them than your hands.

What to do after harvesting

Brush off excess dirt (don’t wash yet)
Let potatoes dry or cure for a few hours
Store in a cool, dark place

Important tip

If potatoes are exposed to sunlight, they can turn green, which makes them unsafe to eat. Always keep potatoes covered while growing and after harvesting.

Why Do Potatoes Grow Underground?

They grow underground because they store energy safely in soil. Darkness helps with proper development. Sunlight can turn them green and make them unsafe to eat.

Make It a Science Activity

Have kids:

Draw what they see as they grow
Learn the full potato life cycle
Track growth
Predict what’s happening underground

A Perfect Spring Garden Project!

This is an awesome spring gardening project for kids. Potatoes are easy to grow, fun for kids, and perfect for spring! And the harvest at the end makes it even better. It is both fun and rewarding to grow your own potatoes. Let kids eat what they grew! Top them with sour cream, cheese, or their favorite toppings & enjoy the harvest.

Get the Printable Pack

The printable set includes:

Potato life cycle chart
Labeling worksheet in both color and black & white

There’s something special about growing your own food—and even more special about understanding how it grows.

This potato activity turns something hidden underground into something kids can explore, observe, and learn from.

How to Grow Potatoes + Potato Life Cycle Printables

How to Grow Potatoes (Quick Start Guide)

What Is a Potato?