Technically, you do not need to hill potatoes (also called mounding or earthing up). Potato plants will still grow without hilling up the soil around them. Hilling potatoes is not necessary, but it will improve your yield and avoid green tubers.

Can you grow potatoes without mounding?

Whether grown in a garden, a barrel, old tires, or a grow bag, potatoes need to be covered with loose organic material periodically, or hilled up. This addition of organic material encourages the potato tubers to grow deep and wide and allows new potatoes to form on top of maturing potatoes.

Do potatoes need to be mounded?

Mounding is important for growing potatoes because it covers and protects the tubers. Mound again once the plants are about 8 inches high (mound up to half of the height of the plant). Continue mounding around the potato plant as it grows. You will probably end up adding about an inch/week to the growing mound.