How Long Does It Take To Grow Potatoes?

Potatoes are one of the easiest things to grow. In fact, you might have even noticed that if you leave your potatoes in the cupboard for too long…they start growing more!

They really don’t need much and can thrive in the most unexpected of conditions. So it is no surprise that many people decide to try their hand at growing them on purpose.

However, if you do decide to grow your own potatoes, there’s a question you will want the answer to: how long do they take to grow?
The truth is that it depends on the variety of potatoes you’ve planted, as different types of potatoes have different growth times.

Overall, there are three main types of potatoes, so we’ll go through these categories and give you the estimated growing times:

Early Variety Of Potatoes

Potatoes within this category have a shorter maturation time, and as a general rule, they are fully grown and ready in under 90 days! They’re a very good type of potato to plant if you live somewhere cold, or you want a fast turnaround.

These are some of the most popular potatoes, and some of the specific types you might have heard of are King Harry potatoes, Caribe potatoes, and Red Norland potatoes.

Midseason Variety Of Potatoes

Potatoes that fall under this category will usually take an average of around 100 days to fully mature, from seeding. They are ideal if you live in a warmer region, and are pretty much the standard.

Late Variety Of Potatoes

Potatoes that fall under the late variety category will take around 110 days to mature, and therefore are the ones that take the longest to grow.

They are ideal for warm climates, and as they thrive later on in the season, they’re great for storing during the winter months. This is because they last a lot longer after being harvested than other types of potatoes.

How Many Potatoes Will One Plant Produce?

The number of potatoes produced by one plant will depend on many different factors, such as the specific type of potato plant, and the conditions in which it is growing.

However, as a general rule, if all of the conditions are ideal, and the plant is well taken care of, you should get between five to ten potatoes per plant.

If you want to increase the number of potatoes per plant, a good trick you can try out is to plant the potato plants in hills, As potatoes form under the ground, at the base of the plant, helping them be supported will protect their development, allowing for more of them to grow.

So creating a little hill around the plant can help achieve larger amounts of potatoes!

You should also make sure you are watering the potatoes properly, ensuring that the soil is moist but not soggy. Basically, ensuring all of the growing conditions are just right, will help the plant produce more potatoes.

Do Potatoes Need Full Sun?

Potatoes are hardy and can grow in some pretty unlikely conditions, even when in the shade. However, in order for potatoes to grow properly, and for the plant to thrive, they require plenty of sun. Potatoes love the sun and do much better in sunlight, rather than in the shade.

Ideally, potatoes need at least six hours of full sun a day, in order to grow under optimal conditions. The best crops of potatoes are produced in conditions of strong sunlight, as well as when they are planted in light, loose, well-drained soil.

What Is The Best Month To Plant Potatoes?

Like most other vegetables, potatoes have a time of the season in which they are better able to grow and thrive, and it is important to know the best month in which to plant potatoes so that you can harvest the best possible results.

With potatoes, it truly does depend on the specific type of potato in question. Early varieties of potatoes should be planted in early spring and will harvest very quickly. Mid-season varieties of potatoes can be planted in mid-spring to the beginning of summer.

And late varieties of potatoes can be planted during the late summer season and fall so that they can be harvested just before winter, and be kept for a long time.

That being said, it is important to remember that, as a general rule, potatoes are cool weather vegetables, and the most ideal time to plant them is in early spring.

Can You Eat Potatoes Right After Harvest?

If you manage to succeed in growing your very own potatoes, and you get a good amount of them on harvest day, chances are you will be incredibly eager to try them out and use them in a meal, so that you can finally enjoy the labour you put into them.

But…can you eat potatoes right after the harvest? As in, straight after you’ve pulled them from the ground?

Well, typically, potatoes will be cured for long-term storage after they have been harvested so that they will last a long time to be enjoyed at a later date.

However, potatoes can absolutely be eaten right after being harvested, and they will actually be delicious! If anything, we’d say that you should maybe wait to clean off the dirt from the ground first!

Can Potatoes Be Grown All Year Round?

Technically, potatoes can be grown all year round, regardless of the month, as long as the temperature is optimal. They need between 60 to 90 days of absolutely no frost whatsoever in order to grow. So this will be possible depending on the location, and the time of year.

For example, growing potatoes during winter, if your winter gets cold, is going to be very hard. (Unless you have a greenhouse, of course).

Ideally, potatoes should be grown during spring and summer.

Also, you should be aware that although you might be able to grow potatoes outside of their normal season, they will not be as good, and will not last as long, as when they are grown in their ideal optimal conditions.