Have you popped your first potato seeds into the ground and are wondering how many will grow from a single plant? Or is the time approaching for potatoes to emerge, and you don’t know how many to expect? Or perhaps you are a keen grower and wondering how to generate more potatoes per plant?
Whatever your reason, we bet these questions plague you from the moment you wake up until you sleep. Your dreams are haunted with sights of dismal potato crops and disappointed faces of your family. You find yourself constantly worrying about your potatoes and how you can boost your yield.
Well, worry no more! Today we have the guide for you! We will walk you through how many potatoes you can expect per plant to help you plan your crops accordingly and get the perfect amount of potatoes for your family and friends!
We also have plenty of tips about increasing your potato yield to generate even more potatoes without increasing your garden space!
Keep reading for all the answers that you need!
How Many Potatoes Grow Per Plant?
Let’s get straight into it: your average potato plant can generate between three and eight potatoes under the right growing conditions. The number of potatoes can vary from potato variety to variety, along with the size of the potatoes, ranging from small to extra large.
Planting four to five pounds of seed potatoes and healthily growing them until harvest, you can expect a return of roughly 125 pounds of potatoes! That’s a lot of potatoes! Especially when you consider that the average serving of a potato side dish is ½ a pound! That’s plenty of potatoes to keep you, your family, and your friends fed.
How To Maximize A Potato Yield
For those looking to get more potatoes from their plants, keep reading! There are a few ways you can get the most from your spuds that we will explore now. The first is to play a whole seed potato or cube that has three or more eyes. These will help to produce more viable plants with better success rates.
Don’t panic about plants crowding up; providing the soil is right, the roots and tubers will spread and grow fine. Use loose soil that drains well, too, to increase your potato yield.
As potatoes are a root crop, they need space to spread their roots and grow plump tubers. Loose soil allows for this, whereas compacted soil tends to produce smaller and fewer potatoes. This is because they struggle against the dirt to increase in size and grow successfully.
Another way to boost your potato crop is proper hilling. It forces the tubers to grow as the plant reaches the surface for sunlight. Two or three hillings during the growing season will maximize your chances at more potatoes compared to one.
You can also provide ample water and six hours or more of direct sunlight to increase your potato yield. Provide this during the critical active tuber growing stage for best results, ensuring that the soil is the right consistency.
You don’t want it to be too dry or be too soggy as it can cause rot in the potatoes. The balance can be tricky to get right, but a moisture meter will be helpful and allows you to keep tabs on soil conditions.
Another way to boost your crop is to plant the correct variety of potatoes, for best results and an abundance of spuds, plant Purple Majesty, Pontiac Red, and Kennebec White.
And finally, proper nutrition is a must for a maximized potato yield. Opt for potato-specific fertilizer in the trench when planting and during mid-season to boost your potato plant needs to produce the most potatoes.
Can I Use Store Bought Potatoes To Grow Potatoes?
Yes! You can use store-bought potatoes to grow potatoes at home. A potato that has sprouted can be planted in the ground and will harvest potatoes. It will need to be planted during the proper growing season and cared for correctly for best results.
Although you can do this, it’s best only to use certified seed potatoes in your vegetable gardens.
Why Use Certified Seeds?
It’s best to use seeds over potatoes bought in store for a few reasons. The main reason is that growers of these potatoes use sprout inhibitors that will slow down any budding when they are shipped or sitting at the store.
Planting potatoes with these inhibitors can result in weak or zero growth, even after weeks of waiting.
Store-bought potatoes can also harbor microorganisms or diseases that can spread throughout your garden plants, wreaking havoc as they go! On the other hand, Certified potato seeds are guaranteed to be free of diseases that can destroy crops.
These seeds tend to be more robust, increasing your plant’s yield. They are also free of the sprout inhibitor treatment, ensuring they grow sufficiently to develop plenty of potatoes.
Final Word
And just like that, we have come to the end of our potato journey today! As you can see, one potato plant can generate between three and eight potatoes providing your plants are cared for properly.
The yield and size vary from potato variety to variety and knowing your average yield can help ensure your potatoes are grown and harvested successfully.
Remember to use our tips for increasing your potato yield and produce even more potatoes without increasing your growing space, a bonus for those craving more potatoes without having the extra space.
Happy growing up!
