One of the easiest things to grow in your garden are potatoes. Potatoes grow best in full sun in lightly loose well drained soil. They prefer a pH of about 5-7. Once you find a location, you simply pick the type of potato you would like to grow and leave them out in the sun for a few days. Since planting is generally done in the spring you should not have to worry about overheating your potatoes. After being exposed to the light they should start sprouting. You then make trenches in rows about 6-8” deep. You can cut the potatoes in half and lay them in the trench about 12-15” apart. It is best to only cover the potatoes with about 4” of soil at first to allow them to grow and establish, then as they grow fill in more soil until eventually you have a mound over the potatoes. This will generally happen over the course of a week or more. In most cases, if you just plant the potato halves and just mound them over, they will still grow. You should keep your potatoes well-watered, usually about 1-2 inches of watering a week. The foliage should grow and flower, then in the fall the leaves will start to yellow. Once they start to yellow, discontinue watering. The potatoes can be harvested about 2 weeks after the leaves yellow and die back. To harvest the potatoes, you can use a shovel, pitchfork, etc to dig them up. Be careful not to damage the potatoes when digging.
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