Growing Potatoes

Potatoes work rather well in the Mediterranean garden if planted early enough and in good soil.

When to Plant

I planted some in September of 2022 as an experiment to see if I could get new potatoes for Christmas. Sadly, a slight winter frost early in December killed them all off – despite a thick straw cover. In Mediterranean regions without any frost fall planting should definitely work though.

Now I plant potatoes in March and harvest them in May or later, depending on whether I need the space for summer vegetables.

Location and Soil Requirements

In 2023, in the first vegetable beds with poor soil and full sun, they didn’t work out well. The foliage died off early and each plant produced only 1-2 potatoes, despite regular waterings.

Since 2024, in the new vegetable garden with its raised beds and less full sun, they are doing much better. I’ve also tried some left-over potatoes in the back garden in full shade under the fig trees and they worked out pretty good as well.

Since I plant them in the spring when it usually rains enough there’s mostly no need for additional watering.

Seed Potatoes vs. Supermarket Potatoes

I don’t buy “seed potatoes” from the garden center anymore. They’re expensive and there are always a lot more in the package than I have space for. I simply use the variety of potatoes I like from the supermarket, leave them lying out until sprouts show and plant them – and they work out just as well if not better. Taken out as “grenaille” baby potatoes they are thin-skinned and their flesh is firm yet meltingly tender.

I could probably have more and/or bigger potatoes if I waited longer with harvesting but I’m quite content with getting enough potatoes for a few dinners from a good handful of plants.

Crop Rotation or Mixed Plan

I don’t really plan my vegetable beds beforehand but plant whatever wants planting when it wants planting. Because of this I usually don’t have an entire bed to dedicate to potatoes and to effectively rotate each year. So I plant potatoes here and there in the available spaces between other other things and hope that this mixed planting helps to avoid soil depletion and other potential ills.

Straw-Potatoes

Another experiment I will try one year if I can get my hands on a lot of straw: Planting potatoes under thick straw without any digging. Stay tuned.