I am in the middle of Minn. and planting from April first to May first works fine depending on the year.

You can plant later as long as they are in the ground before it heats up too badly.

After reading an article in an old Organic Gardening magazine, I planted potatoes this fall for spring. The article said you could plant potatoes and let them overwinter in the ground. So, about 30 ft. of potatoes are planted in the ground, to be covered with more compost and leaves as they grow out of the ground in the spring. Will let you know if it works out.

Nes zone 6a

Luckynes Where did you find that article? I have been looking for it.

I still have the old magazine around here. I will find it and let you know.

Found it in Organic Gardening 1980 November, Called Fall Planted Potatoes and Garlic by Lewe Greene of Brooklyn, New York.

I didn't have garlic, so I just planted the potatoes.

Thanks luckynes13. I remember reading that article years ago.

Well I have approx 3 lbs of seed potatos to plant in the spring, very excited as these are my potatos from my garden last fall. wish me luck.

I collect old Organic Gardening magazines. You can get them for $0.25 at thrift stores. So much information for so little.

Here in my Zone 5 garden, I always get volunteer potatoes springing up from tubers I missed digging in the fall. This is especially true of the Russian Banana fingerlings, which seem to have little problems with anything, including scab. Tasty little potatoes, too - buttery and good for sauteeing and stir-fry. Some of the other varieties will volunteer, also - the larger russets and reds, but they typically have trouble with scab unless they're rotated. I also plant in late April or early May, but keep blankets or rowcovers and straw close by to cover the emerging plants if frost is predicted.

How do you plant the potatoes do they have to be planted in mounds or hills? or can they be planted like flowers are? also can they be planted in sandy soil. We live in upper Michigan and we have sandy soil. If they can't what type of soil is best? Thank you for any information that you can give me.

Deeonna - the best soil is one which is loose loam, with lots of organic matter mixed in - but how many of us actually have the best soil to work with? :) The purpose of mounding the soil for potatoes is to give them the room to grow their tubers easily, and generally the mounding process is making the soil looser which is good. I personally don't make individual hills, but I use raised beds which accomplishes the same thing. First I till the entire area, then looking at the area, I decide how much space I have for beds and paths. I usually make my beds 3 ft wide since I'm a small person and can't reach easily over anything wider. The beds are as long as space allows. The paths should be at least 2-1/2 ft wide to allow easy passage for a wheelbarrow, and maybe a tiller if you later need to till them to knock down grass - we have REALLY invasive grass here. I shovel and/or rake the loose dirt from the path areas onto the bed areas, which raises them and gives you nice loose soil in your beds WHICH YOU NEVER STEP ON AGAIN. If you don't have "grass from hell" and you have access to lots of straw/hay/mulch material, you can go the Ruth Stout method of keeping permanent raised beds and never having to till again. I'm only partly there. :) Here's an illustration of my beds from some years back (when I was younger and more ambitious). Click on the image to see the larger version.

You can see the beds aren't all that much higher, but the soil in them has been loosened to a depth of probably a foot. And if you have enough hay, you're adding to the depth as well. Hay, straw, grass clippings, composted leaves - the answer to many needs - they add nutrients and organic matter to the soil as they break down, they conserve moisture, repress weeds and/or allow them to be pulled more easily because the dirt stays soft and moist. And don't the paths like nice and neat? :) Sigh - I don't garden on this scale anymore - getting too old for it!

- Alex