Growing Potato

Solanum tuberosum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
      P P              

(Best months for growing Potato in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant seed potatoes
  • Plant tuber. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 30 - 40 cm apart
  • Harvest in 15-20 weeks. Dig carefully, avoid damaging the potatoes.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Peas, Beans, Brassicas, Sweetcorn, Broad Beans, Nasturtiums, Marigolds
  • Avoid growing close to: Cucumber, Pumpkin, Sunflowers, Tomatoes, Rosemary

Your comments and tips

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30 Oct 11, Bruce (Australia - temperate climate)
You should be able to grow almost any variety of spuds all year so long as you don't have frosts.
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02 Sep 10, Cygnetian (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi, I'm in country Southern Tasmania and have never grown potatoes before. Does anyone know whether the plants need to be fenced off from the wildlife? (Here we have mostly possums and paddemelons.) Thanks!
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23 Nov 10, Lucky Phil (Australia - temperate climate)
It would be better to fence them off. We have a hen who likes to dig for worms, so we fenced off our potato patch. The possums will probably eat the leaves, and other wildlife may dig the freshly turned soil for worms. We have possum trouble with one of our roses.
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29 Dec 10, Karl (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in country Northeast Tassie and have sucessfully grown potatos without fencing them off from wildlife such as possums an pademelons. In fact spotlighting at night I have never seen any sign of wildlife amongst my spuds, nor any browsing damage done to the foliage. I have noticed that snakes seem to particularly enjoy slithering amongst the crop.
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20 Aug 10, Jo (Australia - temperate climate)
I buy my seed potato's from diggers.com.au, they always sprout and they specialise in Heirloom and gormet and ship all over Australia, but are based in Melb. I think they stop selling Potato's at the end of August though so you'll have to be quick
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09 Aug 10, Shane (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Lauren. Your seed potatoes are definitely safe to plant, though depending on what's causing the mould growth (ie what species of fungi) may be more likely to rot in the ground. Can I suggest planting them now, and keeping them a little on the dry side until the shoots appear. Have fun!
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30 Jul 10, Lauren (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hello, I bought some seed potatos and stored the ones I wasn't ready to use. I pulled them out today and saw they have some mould on them- are they still safe to plant? Many thanks, Lauren
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25 Jul 10, (Australia - temperate climate)
What is the best way to get seed Sweet Potatos. Is it to buy them from Supermarkets and cut them into pieces which contain an eye. I have tried planting same whole in sand, and then in the ground, they both rotted
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16 Sep 10, Lexxie (Australia - temperate climate)
you grow sweet potato not from the tuber, but from the shoots. The best way, let your sweet potato grow 20cm shoots, cut them, keep them in water until you see roots come out. Plant them! You can grow shoots from one tuber almost indefinitively!
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08 Jul 10, julian (Australia - tropical climate)
Which is the best breed of potato for the hot 'tropical or sub-tropical' area. Help me give them the best chance i can.
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