How to Grow More Potatoes from One Grocery Store Potato

Yes, you can grow potatoes from a store-bought potato. And yes, it’s ridiculously easy once you know the trick.

Potatoes grow from their “eyes” — those little dimples that start sprouting when a potato sits too long on your counter. Each eye can become a full potato plant.

Let’s walk through it step by step.

Step 1: Choose the Right Potato

Pick a firm, organic potato if possible.

Conventional potatoes are sometimes treated with sprout inhibitors, which can slow things down. Organic ones sprout much more willingly.

Let it sit on your counter until you see little sprouts forming from the eyes. This can take 1–3 weeks.

You want sturdy little nubs — about ½ to 1 inch long.

Step 2: Cut and Cure

Once your potato has multiple eyes sprouting:

Cut the potato into chunks.
Make sure each piece has at least one strong eye.
Let the cut pieces sit out for 24–48 hours.

This drying process (called curing) helps prevent rot once planted. The cut side will form a protective callus.

Step 3: Planting Your Potato Pieces

Potatoes love loose, rich soil.

Planting basics:

Depth: 4–6 inches deep
Spacing: 12 inches apart
Rows: 2–3 feet apart

Place the potato piece with the sprout facing up. Cover with soil and water well.

You can plant:

In the ground
In raised beds
In grow bags
In large containers (at least 10–15 gallons)

They are surprisingly flexible growers.

Step 4: The Secret to Growing MORE Potatoes

Here’s the magic trick: Hilling.

As the plant grows and reaches about 6–8 inches tall:

Mound soil up around the base of the plant.
Leave the top leaves exposed.
Repeat this every couple of weeks.

Why?

Because potatoes form along the buried stem.
The more stem you cover, the more potatoes you get.

This is the difference between a small harvest… and a basket full.

Care Instructions

Potatoes are low-drama plants if you give them a few key things:

☀️ Sun

Full sun (6–8 hours daily).

💧 Water

Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy.
Deep watering once or twice a week is better than shallow daily watering.

Inconsistent watering can cause:

Small potatoes
Cracking
Hollow centers

🌱 Soil

Loose, well-draining soil is essential.
Mix in compost before planting for best results.

Avoid heavy clay soil — potatoes need room to expand.

🌼 Fertilizing

Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer.

Too much nitrogen = lots of leaves, very few potatoes.

When to Harvest

This depends on what type of potatoes you want.

🥔 Baby (New) Potatoes

Harvest about 2–3 weeks after the plant flowers.
Gently dig around and pull a few small ones.

🥔 Full-Size Storage Potatoes

Wait until:

The plant yellows
The foliage dies back completely

After the tops die, wait another 1–2 weeks before digging.
This allows the skins to toughen up for storage.

Use a garden fork and dig carefully — potatoes hide wider than you think.

Published by The-Dirty-Hoe

I am a mother, wife, and artist. My true passions are art,environmental awareness, and gardening. I have an Etsy shop where you can find my products are all designed and created by me,help of my computer program, and my 3D printer creating a one of a kind design for your home or office.I am inspired by nature every day and being blessed by living near the ocean gives me the opportunity to find inspiration to bring into my shop and my blog posts.I try to be creative in my designs and I love sharing tips and new ideas in my blogs. View more posts