Potato gardening is simple. You don’t need many gardening accessories. The potatoes we eat are starchy tubers that grow underground very naturally, swelling and getting larger as the top half of the plant matures. Many claim to grow 100 pounds of potatoes in a small 4 square foot gardening area as they cover their emerging crop in layers of soil as it matures.

First off you need garden seed potatoes. These are potatoes you’ve seen in your kitchen that have sprouted shoots. Individual potatoes that are sold at grocery stores sometimes have growth inhibitors sprayed on them, but bagged potatoes that you see sprout are good seed potato candidates.

A week or two before you plant your potatoes you’ll want to sprout your seedlings. Put them in a warm location with 60 to 70 degree heat and in the sunlight to accelerate the sprouting process.

Prepare you potatoes the day before by cutting them into golf ball size portions with each cube having at least 2 eyes. You’ll want to keep them exposed to the air overnight which hastens a callous covering the cut part. This callus prevent the seed potato from rotting in the garden.

Potatoes need full sun and loose, well-drained soil. If your soil is full of clay make sure to add compost and lots of peat moss so the vines can grow easily. Make sure they get about an inch of water a week.

A mound or container gardening accessory makes hilling easy and takes up less space. Plant your seed potatoes in the bottom of a tall container, like a clean garbage can or whisky barrel. Put about 6″ of soil in the bottom first, and add 6 potato seedlings inside and cover with 4 inches of soil. A few weeks later as the vines emerge to about 8 inches high; cover them with another layer of soil.

As your garden potatoes start to sprout (generally in about 2 week’s time) add some soil to partially cover the sprouts. Every few weeks, add some soil to cover the spouting plants. Keep adding soil so the potatoes do not sick above the soil line and turn green.

New potatoes are small, immature potatoes. The days to harvest your crop range from 2 to 4 months. You can harvest a few of these without harming the plant, by gently feeling around in the soil near the plant, once the plant reaches about a foot in height. When the tops of the plants die off the entire crop is ready for harvest. All the sprays and fertilizers to grow healthy potatoes: Gardening Accessories