Growing potatoes doesn’t have to be complicated or exhausting. James Prigioni, a seasoned gardener and TikTok creator, has shared a simple and highly effective way to grow a huge harvest of potatoes with minimal effort. In a recent video, he demonstrates his no-fuss method using a narrow raised bed, homemade soil, and smart watering techniques. His results? Insane production, with some plants yielding up to 20 potatoes each—some of them massive!
A Simple, Space-Saving Method
Prigioni starts by laying down a 1-foot by 8-foot raised bed in early spring. Instead of digging deep into the soil, he places seed potatoes directly on top of the prepared bed, spacing them about six inches apart. One of the biggest benefits of this narrow setup is better air circulation, which helps prevent blight and other fungal diseases that often plague potato crops.
Once the seed potatoes are in place, he fills up five-gallon buckets with his homemade soil mixture and gently lays that soil over the seed potatoes. To give them a boost, he adds fertilizer and waters them well. About 20 days later, the potatoes begin to sprout, signaling the next step in the process.
@jamesprigioni "Lazy way to MASSIVE potato yields! 🥔💪 No digging needed! 1️⃣ Lay seed potatoes on soil in a narrow raised bed 2️⃣ Cover with 4-5 inches of soil/compost 3️⃣ Add fertilizer and water regularly 4️⃣ Hill up soil as plants grow Results: 15-20 potatoes per plant! 🤯 Benefits: • Space-saving • Water-efficient • Easy maintenance • Huge harvests Try this method and watch your potato production EXPLODE! 💥 #lazyGardening #potatoHack #growyourownfood #gardeningTips ♬ original sound – James Prigioni
Easy Maintenance and Water Conservation
As the potato plants grow, Prigioni keeps them covered with more soil. This method eliminates the traditional hilling process, where gardeners repeatedly mound soil around their plants. Instead, he simply adds more soil as needed, making it much easier to maintain. Keeping the soil contained within a raised bed also helps conserve water, since moisture stays within the bed rather than draining off the sides like it would with traditional row planting.
To ensure success, Prigioni reminds gardeners to always keep their potatoes covered with mulch or soil to prevent greening, which can make them toxic. Watering is done as needed, but thanks to the raised bed setup, it requires much less than traditional potato-growing methods.
Harvesting and Storing for Maximum Yield
The key to a great potato harvest is knowing when to stop adding soil. Once the plants begin to blossom, there’s no need to add more. Then, when the plants die back, it’s time to harvest. To make the process easy, Prigioni lays out a tarp next to the bed and simply lifts the soil, revealing an incredible potato yield beneath.
The results speak for themselves—each plant produced between 15 and 20 potatoes, some of them huge! Once harvested, he stores the potatoes properly to keep them fresh for months. He places them in wooden crates lined with burlap, making sure to use the smallest ones first, since they don’t last as long.
A Smarter Way to Grow More Potatoes
This method proves that growing potatoes doesn’t have to be labor-intensive. By using a raised bed, high-quality homemade soil, and a simple layering technique, Prigioni has found a way to maximize production while minimizing effort. Whether you’re new to gardening or just looking for a better way to grow potatoes, this approach is easy, water-efficient, and delivers impressive results.
