How to Grow Potatoes with Kids (Easy Garden Activity + Free Printable)

Want to teach your kids about reducing food waste while simultaneously growing some potatoes? Check out this simple science activity to identify and visualize the life cycle of a potato and learn how to grow your own scrumptious spuds!

You’re prepping for dinner. You open the bottom kitchen cabinet to pull out some potatoes and discover that they’re staring back at you!

Okay, so they’re not REALLY staring, but they have sprouted “eyes” – the common term for the little stem bud that develops when your potatoes are stored in conditions that will wake them from their dormant state (think warm, dark, and humid – quite possibly the exact description of your kitchen cabinet).

What do you do?

• Option 1: As long as the potatoes are still firm and aren’t green, you can simply remove the stem buds and carry on with your cooking plans.
• Option 2: You can capitalize on this excellent learning opportunity and teach your kids to grow their own food!

If you choose to do option 2, I’ve got you covered!

How Do You Grow Potatoes with Kids?

Growing potatoes with kids is one of the easiest gardening projects for beginners. Simply plant seed potatoes in soil, water regularly, and watch the plants grow. As the stems grow taller, mound soil around the base. In about 10–12 weeks, kids can dig up the potatoes and see how they grew underground.

The Science Behind Growing Potatoes

Introduce this hands-on science activity with some background knowledge about the parts of a potato, as well as how a potato grows. Not sure how that works? No worries – download the free printable I’ve created for you by subscribing to my newsletter and then follow the simple instructions below!

Why Growing Potatoes is a Great Gardening Activity for Kids

If you’re looking for a gardening project that is almost guaranteed to spark excitement, potatoes are a fantastic place to start. Unlike many vegetables that grow above ground, potatoes develop underground, which makes harvest day feel like a treasure hunt in the garden.

Kids love the surprise of digging into the soil and discovering what has been growing beneath the surface. One small seed potato can produce several new potatoes, making it a rewarding experience for young gardeners.

Growing potatoes also teaches children several important lessons about where food comes from. In a world where many kids only see vegetables at the grocery store, planting potatoes helps them understand that food begins in the soil and requires time, care, and patience to grow.

This activity is also perfect for beginners because potatoes are relatively easy to grow. They can thrive in traditional garden beds, raised beds, or even containers, making them a flexible option for families with different types of outdoor spaces.

Along the way, kids can learn about plant life cycles, soil health, and the role of sunlight and water in helping plants grow. Gardening activities like this help children build curiosity about nature while developing hands-on STEM skills.

The STEM Behind Growing Potatoes

Gardening is full of opportunities for STEM learning, and growing potatoes is a great way to introduce kids to plant science.

Potatoes are actually a type of tuber, which means they are a storage part of the plant that grows underground. Tubers store energy and nutrients that help the plant survive and grow new shoots. When you plant a seed potato, the small sprouts—sometimes called “eyes”—grow into stems and leaves above the soil while new potatoes develop beneath the surface.

Kids can observe how sunlight plays an important role in plant growth. Through the process of photosynthesis, potato plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create the energy they need to grow.

Soil also plays a critical role in this process. Healthy soil provides nutrients and allows roots and tubers to expand underground. As the potato plant grows taller, gardeners often add more soil around the base of the plant. This practice, called “hilling,” encourages the plant to produce more potatoes along the buried stems.

Growing potatoes offers a wonderful opportunity to talk with kids about plant biology, ecosystems, and the science behind food production—all while getting their hands dirty in the garden.

Instructions for Free Potato Printable for Kids

1. Grab that sprouted spud from your cabinet and download the free printable I’ve created for you about the life cycle of a potato, as well as the parts of a potato plant.
2. One you’ve printed out the pages, have your learners cut out the images (with supervision if needed) on the first page.
3. Tell them that they are going to learn about growing a potato. Show them the sprouted potato that’s in your kitchen as a starting point, then ask them to try and organize the images in a circle to depict the order in which the potato will grow. Use the image below for reference if needed.
4. Once completed, have them describe their thought process to you. When they’ve told you their idea, provide them with positive feedback for their attempt, and reorganize their steps (if needed) and explain why you’ve changed their design. Use the image below as reference for the order!
5. Next, hand them the second page of the printable and help them to identify the parts of a potato plant. Hint – the sprouted potato is called a tuber.

How to Grow Potatoes from Eyes with Kids

Now that you’ve guided your kids through the process of how a potato grows, it’s time to get their hands dirty! Here’s what you’ll need to do to successfully grow your own potatoes.

Instructions to Grow Your Own Potatoes:

1. Cut your sprouted potato into pieces, making sure to have at least 2 eyes present in each piece that you plan to plant. 
2. Potatoes are resilient plants, and can grow in a large pot on your back porch, in a spot in your garden, or in a patch of ground in your backyard! Dig a hole deep enough so that the potato piece is about three inches below the top of the soil.
3. Place the potato piece in the hole, with the eyes facing up towards the surface of the ground.
4. Cover the sprouted potato with soil and water.
5. In a few weeks, you should be able to see the leaves of your potato plant emerge!
6. Depending on the climate in which you live, it will take approximately 3-5 months for the sprouted potato (also known as the mother tuber – such a cool name!) to create new potatoes that are ready to harvest. Within that time, you will want to make sure to mound soil on top of the potato plant every 1-2 weeks, to ensure that sunlight does not reach your growing tubers. Sunlight will activate the chlorophyll in the potatoes, causing them to turn green and become toxic when eaten.
7. Not sure if your potatoes are ready to be harvested? Gently dig them up and see what you discover! 

How to Grow Potatoes in a Container with Kids

One of the best things about growing potatoes is that you don’t need a large garden to do it. Potatoes grow very well in containers, making this a great option for families with small yards, patios, or even sunny balconies.

To grow potatoes in a container, start with a large bucket, grow bag, or deep planter that has drainage holes in the bottom. Fill the container with about 4–6 inches of soil, then place your seed potatoes on top of the soil with the sprouting eyes facing upward.

Cover the potatoes with a few inches of soil and water lightly. As the plants begin to grow taller, continue adding more soil around the stems. This process mimics what gardeners do in traditional garden beds and helps encourage more potatoes to form underground.

Place the container somewhere that receives at least six hours of sunlight each day, and keep the soil consistently moist.

After about 10–12 weeks, the plants will begin to yellow and die back. This is a sign that your potatoes are ready to harvest. Kids will love tipping the container over and searching through the soil to find the potatoes that have grown beneath the surface.

Container gardening makes it easy for families to experience the joy of growing food—even in small spaces.

Frequently Asked Questions About Growing Potatoes

How long does it take for potatoes to grow?

Most potato plants take about 10–12 weeks from planting to harvest, depending on the variety.

Can you grow potatoes from grocery store potatoes?

Yes, potatoes from the grocery store can sprout and grow, but gardeners often recommend using seed potatoes because they are less likely to carry diseases.

Do potatoes need full sun?

Potatoes grow best in full sun, which means about six to eight hours of sunlight each day.

When should you plant potatoes?

In many regions, potatoes are planted in early spring once the soil can be worked, usually a few weeks before the last frost date.

How do you know when potatoes are ready to harvest?

Potatoes are typically ready to harvest when the plant’s leaves begin to turn yellow and die back. At that point, you can gently dig into the soil and uncover the potatoes.

Growing Potatoes and the Importance of Avoiding Food Waste

As you guide your potato farmers through the process of planting their crop, make sure to discuss the benefits of avoiding food waste by using the sprouted spud to grow more food. By avoiding food waste you:

• Create food.
• Save money.
• Avoid the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the transportation of potatoes to your local grocery store.
• Avoid the production of greenhouse gases from the decomposition of the potato in a landfill.

Not to mention the thrill of growing your own food right in your own backyard or back porch!

If you find these printables helpful, please let me know in the comments below, or by snapping a picture of your learners in action and tagging me on Instagram @thoughtfullysustainable .