How far apart to plant potatoes, from earlies to maincrop
Short answer
Plant first early potatoes 30 cm apart in rows 60 cm apart, about 12 cm deep. Second earlies and maincrop grow bigger, so give them about 38 cm between tubers and 75 cm between rows. In a potato bag, plant three to five seed potatoes.
Potato sowing calendar
From the VegLog crop library. Change the frost dates to match your garden.
Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.
- Plant out
- mid-March to late April
- Harvest
- early June to late October
Plant first early potatoes 30 cm apart, in rows 60 cm apart, about 12 cm deep. That’s the spacing VegLog uses. Second earlies and maincrop grow bigger plants and more tubers, and the usual advice for them is a little wider: about 38 cm between tubers and 75 cm between rows.
The plant spacing calculator works out how many seed potatoes fit your bed.
Spacing by type
| Type | Between tubers | Between rows | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| First earlies | 30 cm | 60 cm | About 12 cm |
| Second earlies | About 38 cm | About 75 cm | About 12 cm |
| Maincrop | About 38 cm | About 75 cm | About 12 cm |
The wider rows aren’t only for the plants. Potatoes are earthed up as they grow, by drawing soil from between the rows up around the stems. Rows closer than 60 cm leave too little soil to draw from.
Why spacing changes the crop
Closer spacing gives more potatoes per square metre but smaller ones, because each plant has less room and less water. That’s fine, even useful, for new potatoes. For large maincrop potatoes to bake or store, give them the full space.
Crowded plants also hold damp air in their leaves, and blight spreads faster through a dense canopy in a wet summer.
In raised beds
In a deep raised bed you can plant in a block, 30 cm apart each way, and top up with compost instead of earthing up. A 2.4 m by 1.2 m bed holds about 32 earlies this way. Make sure the bed is at least 30 cm deep, or the tubers end up pushing out of the top.
In bags and containers
A 40 litre potato bag takes three to five seed potatoes. Start with 10 to 15 cm of compost, set the tubers on top, and cover with another 10 cm. As the shoots grow, keep adding compost until the bag is nearly full. See growing potatoes in bags for the full method.
Planting step by step
- Chit the seed potatoes in a light, cool place for a few weeks first, until the shoots are about 2 cm long.
- Dig a trench about 12 cm deep, or make individual holes with a trowel.
- Set the tubers with the shoots facing up, at the spacing above.
- Cover with soil and mark the row.
- Earth up when the shoots are about 20 cm tall, leaving the top few centimetres of leaves showing. Repeat every few weeks.
For planting times, see when to plant potatoes, and for lifting, when to harvest potatoes.
Questions people also ask
How deep should seed potatoes be planted?
About 12 cm, with the shoots pointing up. Then draw soil over the stems as they grow, called earthing up, so the new tubers stay covered and don't turn green.
Can I plant potatoes closer together?
You can, and you'll get more, smaller potatoes per plant. That suits new potatoes. For large baking potatoes, stick to full spacing.
How many seed potatoes do I need for a row?
About three per metre for earlies at 30 cm, or two to three per metre for maincrop at 38 cm. A 2 kg bag of seed potatoes usually holds 20 to 30 tubers.
Dates set to your own frost dates
VegLog works out sowing and planting times for your town, then reminds you when each job is due.
