We Grew Potatoes 7 Different Ways, Here's What Happened 🥔

TL;DR

Planting potatoes 12 inches deep in-ground yielded the most per plant (3 lb 9 oz), outperforming trenching, Ruth Stout, grow bags, and buckets.

Key Points

• 1.The 5-gallon bucket method was the worst performer. Without drainage holes, waterlogging stunted growth and produced only 5 tiny potatoes weighing 0.6 oz — a near-total failure attributed to grower error.
• 2.Grow bags marginally outperformed buckets but still disappointed. Three potatoes planted together yielded only 15 potatoes at 12.1 oz total, under 1 oz per potato, because porous bags drain fast and require constant watering.
• 3.The Ruth Stout no-dig hay method had significant pest and sun problems. Potatoes left on the surface were easy for raccoons and skunks to dig up, suffered sun exposure causing greening, and pill bugs ate sprouting tips, yielding 43 small potatoes at 2 lb 13 oz.
• 4.Deeper single-potato planting dramatically beat shallow planting. One potato planted 12 inches deep yielded 24 potatoes at 3 lb 9.2 oz — the best single-plant result — versus 10 potatoes at 2 lb 7.8 oz for a potato planted just 6 inches deep.
• 5.Cutting a potato in half before planting gave a middle-ground result. The split halves planted 6 inches deep produced 21 potatoes at 2 lb 15.6 oz — more than the 6-inch whole potato but less than the 12-inch deep plant — making it a viable strategy to stretch seed stock.
• 6.Classic trenching of five potatoes delivered the best total harvest. 72 potatoes weighing 11 lbs total (about 2.25 lbs per plant) looked healthiest with fewest pest issues, leading to the conclusion that deep trenching without hilling is the optimal all-around method.