Potatoes are a fun crop to grow because being under ground you don’t know what you have until it is time to harvest them. They fit very nicely into a Square Foot Garden. The large-sized potatoes are planted one per square foot. If you are going to harvest them early (new potatoes) when they are smaller, we have actually grown four plants per square foot. So, yes, you CAN grow potatoes in a Square Foot Garden. Mel has worked out a very simple and easy way to grow potatoes and it is all on the website under "Mel's Column" on potatoes. We think that you will find all of the details you need in that column and the same principle will also apply to long carrots, scallions, and leeks.
Hint: When the blooms appear it means that baby potatoes have formed. When the vines die and turn brown, the potatoes are fully grown. You can dig them at any time between those two stages. It is difficult to predict just how many pounds you will harvest from each square because of variable weather conditions, potato variety and other growing factors.
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