How to Grow a Potato From the Eye
- 1). Use a soil test kit to determine the proper pH for growing potatoes. The University of Ohio Extension recommends a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. To increase the soil pH, mix in limestone or wood ash, then retest the soil. To lower soil pH, mix in aluminum sulfate or sulfur, recommends the website Savvy Gardener.
- 2). Dig a shallow trench approximately 2 to 3 inches deep in the prepared garden bed. Apply 3 lbs. of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet and work into the soil.
- 3). Cut the potato into two or three sections so each section contains at least two eyes. Small potatoes with a diameter of less than 2 inches can be planted whole and do not require cutting.
- 4). Place the potato in the trench so the eyes face upward. This is the area where the new shoot will appear and grow upward through the soil.
- 5). Space potatoes 12 to 18 inches apart in rows spaced 3 feet apart.
- 6). Mound soil over the top of the potatoes, using the garden hoe. Press lightly to remove air pockets.
- 7). Water to moisten the soil to the depth of the potatoes. Water again when the soil dries an inch deep. When the potato plants show vigorous growth, reduce watering to once or twice a week. Water deeply to saturate the soil to the root level.
- 8). Mound soil around the base of the plants when they are 6 to 8 inches high, leaving the top 2 to 4 inches of the plant above the soil. Repeat the process when the potatoes have grown 6 to 8 inches above the mound. This provides room for young tubers to form beneath the ground.
- 9). Harvest potatoes in the fall after the foliage has died back naturally.
Source...