How to Grow Potatoes in Containers in 8 Simple Steps

It's easier than you think: grow and harvest potatoes in 8 easy steps

By
Kerry Michaels
Kerry Michaels

Kerry Michaels is a container gardening expert with over 20 years of experience maintaining container gardens in Maine. She specializes in writing and capturing photography for gardening and landscape design for print and broadcast media, including the Discovery Channel, Small Gardens, and Disney, among others.

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and
Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette 2018
Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.

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Updated on 04/22/24
Reviewed by
Julie Thompson-Adolf
Julie Thompson-Adolf
Reviewed by Julie Thompson-Adolf

Julie Thompson-Adolf is a Master Gardener and author with over 30 years of experience in year-round organic gardening; seed starting, growing heirlooms, and sustainable farming.

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Cutting board with potatoes next to handheld shovel, container with soil and round cloth bags

The Spruce / Kara Riley

In This Article
Project Overview
  • Working Time: 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Total Time: 5 wks, 1 day - 21 wks
  • Skill Level: Kid-friendly
  • Estimated Cost: $5 to 20

There are several advantages to growing potatoes in containers rather than in the ground. Container planting saves space in small gardens, makes it easier to control growing conditions, and protects the plants from critters (like voles) that love to eat them.

The only real disadvantage to growing potatoes in containers is increased vigilance for regular watering, as container soil dries out faster than the ground.

Learn how to easily grow potatoes in containers.

When to Plant Potatoes in Containers

Plant potatoes in containers about two weeks before the last frost in your region. You may be able to plant a week or so earlier because the soil in containers will warm up faster when exposed to the sun than ground soil. However, be prepared to cover or bring your potato containers indoors if a late spring frost is predicted.

Potatoes can also be grown in containers indoors in the winter, provided you can give them adequate heat and light.

Hilling Potatoes in Containers

The process of growing potatoes in containers, grow bags, or the ground requires "hilling" or gradually burying the stems by heaping additional soil around the plant as it grows upward.

Begin by barely covering the seed potatoes with soil. As the plant grows, heap additional soil around the plant at regular intervals until the container is filled. Burying the stems also prevents the potatoes from being exposed to light, which makes them turn green.

Choosing Potato Seeds and Containers

There are hundreds of potato varieties and most can be grown in containers, even blue and purple varieties. Avoid using grocery potatoes as seed potatoes unless they are labeled as organic and have not been sprayed to prevent sprouting. Use "seed" potatoes available in nurseries or specialty organic growers.

Potatoes should be grown in an opaque container—ideally, about 2 to 3 feet tall with a 10- to 15-gallon capacity. Avoid containers taller than 3 feet because it can be hard to water the plants evenly.

Options include wooden half-barrels, garbage bins, plastic storage tubs, plastic laundry baskets, burlap sacks, or canvas tote bags. Specialty potato sacks are available at garden centers or online garden retailers. Whatever container you choose, make sure it has good drainage.

Have Fun With It

Growing container potatoes is a fun project to do with kids, as the plants grow quickly and produce a good yield. You can make harvesting the potatoes a treasure hunt—turn over the container, and let the kids sift through the soil for delicious rewards.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Garden trowel

Materials

  • Seed potatoes
  • Container (such as a large plastic bucket or grow bag)
  • Potting soil
  • Fertilizer

Instructions

Materials and tools to grow potatoes in containers

The Spruce / Kara Riley

How to Grow Potatoes in Containers

  1. Prepare the Seed Potatoes

    Cut the seed potatoes into pieces, with at least two eyes or growth nodes where shoots will appear in each piece. Wait for the cut surfaces to "callus over" by leaving them to sit for a couple of days before planting.

    Seed potatoes being prepared by being cut in half

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

  2. Prepare the Potting Mix

    Use high-quality potting soil that is fast-draining, especially if you're using a plastic container. A good option is a half-and-half mixture of commercial potting soil and quality compost. Don't use ordinary garden soil for growing potatoes in containers; it drains poorly and contains pathogens and weed seeds.

    Mix an organic, slow-release fertilizer into the potting soil. One of the advantages of using an organic fertilizer is that it's much more forgiving if you accidentally pour too much. If you use too much conventional fertilizer, it can easily burn your plants.

    Brown fertilizer pellets being added to potting soil

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

  3. Position the Seed Potatoes

    Place the container in full sun. Fill the container with about 4 to 6 inches of potting soil that has been blended with compost and fertilizer.

    Place the prepared seed potato pieces onto the potting mix with the eye buds facing up. The plants will grow fairly large, so space the seeds well.

    A container that is around 20 inches wide can handle about four small seed potatoes. It may not seem like much when you're planting, but the size of your potato harvest will surprise you.

    Prepared seed potatoes organized inside round grow bag

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

  4. Cover the Seed Potatoes

    After you have positioned the seed potatoes, cover them with 1 to 4 inches of soil because you don’t want to plant them too deeply. The cooler the climate, the less soil you should put on top.

    Seed potatoes covered with potting soil with trowel

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

  5. Care for the Growing Potatoes

    Be sure your container receives at least six to eight hours of sun each day. Check the container at least once a day to make sure the soil is moist.

    Stick your finger at least an inch into the soil. If it feels dry, it's time to water. If it’s very hot or windy, you may have to water your potato container gardens more than once a day.

    Make sure to water deeply by waiting until water runs out the bottom. Use a diluted liquid fertilizer, such as fish emulsion, every couple of weeks as your potatoes grow. Potatoes grown in containers need plenty of water, which can leach out nutrients from the soil.

    Potatoes growing in grow bags next to raised garden bed and being watered with hose

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

  6. Hill the Potatoes

    Once the potato plants have grown about 6 inches, start the hilling process by adding more soil around the stem of the plants. Be careful not to break the plants in the process.

    The goal is to bury about one-third of the plant, covering the lower leaves with soil. Repeat the hilling process a few more times as the plants grow. You can stop once the soil reaches the top of your container.

    Potato plants hilled with potting soil added to grow bags

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

  7. Harvest the Potatoes

    Potatoes can be harvested anytime after the plants have flowered. Carefully reach down into the soil of your container and pull out a few new potatoes at a time.

    Late in the season, as the plants turn yellow and die back, harvest all of the remaining potatoes. The easiest way to do this is to turn the container over onto a tarp and separate the potatoes.

    Warning

    Potatoes with green skins contain a bitter chemical known as solanine, which is mildly toxic. Discard potatoes that have green skins, or cut away those portions before eating them.

    Potato plant leaves being pulled for harvesting

    The Spruce / Kara Riley

  8. Store Harvested Potatoes

    Potatoes can be cooked right away, or stored for later use. If storing, brush off the dirt and let the potatoes dry for a couple of days. Store in baskets or paper bags that allow air circulation.

    Storing potatoes in loose fabric

    The Spruce

Common Growing Problems for Potatoes in Containers

  • Container-grown potatoes are susceptible to the same pests and diseases as garden-grown plants. Check the undersides of leaves for the eggs and larvae of common beetle pests like the Colorado potato beetle.
  • Late blight causes the foliage to turn black and moldy. The potatoes can still be harvested, but you should remove the foliage (do not compost) and wait several weeks to dig out the potatoes.
  • Rot is common if the container is overwatered or the drainage is poor.
  • Wilting and poor potato production are common if the container is allowed to dry out too often.
  • Potato production will be stunted if the plant becomes nutrient-deficient. Use liquid fertilizer each time you water.
  • While potato plants need full sun to reach their full potential, do not allow sun exposure on the potato tubers or they will turn green.
Potatoe plants growing in round growing bag on gray block ledge

The Spruce / Kara Riley

FAQ
  • How many seed potatoes can be planted in a 5-gallon bucket?

    Plant 2 to 3 seed potatoes in each five-gallon bucket. The plants need plenty of room to grow and you should harvest about two pounds of potatoes per plant.

  • How big should the container be to grow potatoes?

    The container should be at least 2 to 3 feet tall so the tubers have room to develop. A container with a 10- to 15-gallon capacity will produce a good crop of potatoes. However, you can use a 5-gallon bucket or growing bag.

  • How long does it take to grow potatoes in a container?

    Potatoes are ready to be harvested about 12 weeks after planting the seeds or anytime after the plants flower. These will be small "early potatoes". The longer the plants are allowed to grow, the larger the tubers will become.

 

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Potatoes. Cornell University.

  2. What is the best way to grow potatoes in containers? University of New Hampshire.

  3. Fertilizer or Pesticide Burn - Vegetables. University of Maryland Extension.

  4. “Are Green Potatoes Dangerous? - AskUSDA.” Usda.gov. N.p., n.d. Web.