Potatoes are heavy feeders and require good, fertile soil. Alkaline soils foster a fungal disease called potato scab.
Spuds grow best in cool temperatures.
A general rule of thumb is to plant three to four weeks before your last expected frost date, or to plant when the soil has warmed to 55 degrees. Plant potatoes in rows that are 30 inches apart. Begin by digging a trench that is eight to ten inches deep and dropping in seed potatoes about a foot apart. You might also sprinkle a little fertilizer in the bottom of the trench. Then, mound about four inches of soil over the seed potatoes, leaving the rest of the soil in between the trenches.