Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening

How to start a vertical potato garden with only 5 square feet

By

You probably love potatoes as a staple in your diet, but did you know growing them on your own is actually very easy? If you’re lacking space for growing potatoes, or if your garden is already full of other plants, flowers, and veggies, you may wonder if you can still grow potatoes.

With vertical gardening, you can actually grow the same amount of potatoes more easily and with the smaller space of a vertical garden. Here’s a simple guide to vertically growing potatoes in a way that works for you and your space.

Recommended Videos

How much space do you need to grow potatoes?

Potatoes don’t need much space horizontally to grow; a plot of 1 square foot is enough for a single potato plant. Just keep in mind that more plants mean more room needed, and this means more potatoes to harvest. With 5 square feet, you have a great middle ground, especially if you’re looking to harvest enough potatoes to feed a family.

Related

Vertically, your garden will likely be 1 to 3 feet tall. The height of your garden can vary, as it depends on how tall your potato plants will grow. You may be able to coax them taller, depending on the variety and growing conditions. If your potato plants are stubborn, or if conditions aren’t quite right, you may end up with a shorter garden.

Growing your potatoes

Measure out your base and lay your seed potatoes on the surface of the ground, spaced 4 to 6 inches apart. Don’t bury them, because you want your bottom layer to be above ground to make harvesting easier. Instead, layer a few inches of soil on top of your seed potatoes. Once the vines have grown about 2 inches, layer more soil onto them. You can also add a layer of leaves or straw instead of soil. Continue this process until your plants are between 2 and 3 feet tall.

Stop layering at this point and let the plants develop leaves. If you can see the tops of the tubers, cover them with soil. When exposed to sunlight, potato tubers can burn or turn green and produce a toxic chemical called solanine.

Potatoes dug out next to a basket
Jurga Jot / Shutterstock

Setting up your tower

Vertical potato gardens resemble a tower, with the potatoes in the center surrounded by walls. There are many ways to craft your tower, with some choosing to build the walls up as the plants grow and others deciding to build the walls first. Putting the walls up first can save you some time overall and is easier to set up, but can result in a tower that’s too large or too small. Building the walls as you go takes a little more time and effort, but your tower will be the right size every time.

A basic tower is made from wood boards, roughly the width of each layer, nailed together to form a box. The potatoes on the lower levels will be ready for harvest slightly sooner than the potatoes on higher levels. So, when it comes time to harvest, remove the bottom board on one side of the layer you’ll be harvesting.

You can make your tower in any way you’d like, based on what you have available. For example, a 5-gallon bucket with the bottom cut out of it, an old laundry basket, or even chicken wire on wooden posts will do. Having one side that’s removable or made of wire can also make watering your tower much easier.

Growing potatoes in a garden
nednapa / Shutterstock

What kinds of potatoes grow in towers?

When building a vertical garden to grow potatoes, you want to be sure you pick potatoes that are long-season, or slow-growing varieties, known as indeterminate potatoes. There is actually a very long list of indeterminate varieties, but here are a few samples:

  • Russet Burbank
  • Ranger Russet
  • Century Russet
  • Russet Nugget
  • Alturas
  • German Butterball

What are the pros and cons of growing potatoes vertically?

This method of growing potatoes is a great way to grow the same amount or even more potatoes in less space. If you have limited space, but still want a hearty harvest, this is an excellent option. It’s fairly easy to set up, and it’s easy to customize based on your needs and resources.

Harvesting potatoes is a messy process. This is true no matter what method you use. However, harvesting from a vertical garden can also be a little tricky and uncomfortable. The upper levels of your tower should be relatively easy to harvest, but the lower levels, especially the bottom level, may give you some trouble. This is especially true the first time you do it, although it does get easier with practice.

This simple method makes use of whatever extra space and supplies you have to provide you with plenty of potatoes. Whether you’re an experienced gardener looking to make use of the last corner of your garden or a beginner looking for a project that doesn’t need much space, vertical potato gardens are a fun way to grow as many potatoes as your heart desires.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Cayla Leonard
Cayla Leonard
Contributor
Cayla Leonard is a writer from North Carolina who is passionate about plants.  She enjoys reading and writing fiction and…
5 outdoor gardening projects to focus on this November
Things you can do to improve your garden this November
Stone house with yard full of golden leaves

November is the last month of fall, when many plants have already put out their final harvest and others are going dormant for winter. Your garden is slowing down, and there are fewer things to do outdoors. If you're the type of person who loves being active and productive, or if you have kids that need to be kept busy, then this might be a frustrating time for you. Don't worry, though. There are still a few things that you can and should do outdoors in November to improve your garden. Add these five November gardening tasks to your checklist to help your garden thrive through winter.

Harvest the last of your fall garden
If you had a fall vegetable garden, be sure to bring in the last of the harvest. You may have already completed this step if you live in a cooler region, but, for those further south, this is the perfect time to wrap up your harvests. Be sure to store them somewhere dark and cool, like the fridge or a cellar (depending on what you were growing), or can them so they last longer. Any produce that’s left on the vine for too much longer will begin to rot or suffer frost damage.

Read more
How to make sure your garden is set up to transition from summer to fall
How to get your garden ready for fall
Blooming perennial flower garden along a walkway

Taking care of a vegetable or flower garden during spring and summer is fairly straightforward, as long as you know what your plants need. The transition from spring to summer is simple, too. Preparing your garden for fall can take a bit longer, though, as you'll need to start fortifying your garden against cold weather. It can feel overwhelming if you aren't sure where to start, but don't worry! This simple guide on how to transition your garden from summer to fall will walk you through each step. You can even use it as a checklist to make sure you're fully prepared.

When should you begin transitioning your garden?
Depending on the climate zone you live in, you can begin to transition your garden from summer to fall from July to September. In general, you should start your preparations before the nights get too cold. In addition to your local weather forecasts, the plants in your yard and garden can provide valuable information about the changing seasons. Many summer fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest during the transitional stage, and you should begin seeing a few leaves changing color as well. This is a good indicator that it's time to start your preparations.

Read more
You can grow pumpkins vertically – give these methods a try
Keep your pumpkins safe from diseases and pests by growing them vertically
A small pumpkin sitting on top of a fence post

Pumpkins are a staple of fall gardens. From pumpkin pie to jack-o-lanterns, they're an iconic part of many seasonal celebrations and traditions. However, their slow growth leaves them vulnerable to pests, diseases, and other such problems. So how do you keep your pumpkins safe from pests and disease while they take their sweet time growing? Well, try growing pumpkins vertically on a trellis! If you've never tried vertical gardening before or aren't sure where to start, this is the guide for you.

The basics of vertical gardening
Vertical gardening is the method of growing plants in a vertical or semi-vertical way, usually in a frame of some sort. You can grow plants as part of a green wall, where the frame of the garden is, as the name suggests, mounted to or embedded in a wall. Plants grow out of the frame sideways.

Read more