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 50°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 12 - 16 inches 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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29 May 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
True moles are insect eaters. It is more likely that rats or mice are eating your potatoes. I would try laying rat and mice baits or traps and see what happens. Some of the newer vermin baits are enclosed in small sachets and you will know if they are chewed that you are getting the culprit. Make sure the baits cannot be reached by children or pets and keep laying them until there is no more chewing. All the best.
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23 Sep 17, Dale (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
Poisons? In a garden? What happens when the neighborhood cats & owls eat the mice or rats?
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24 May 17, Phil Andrews (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi I have some small Kennebac leftover potatoes from my last years crop, they are all sprouting, however the guide says don't plant them till August, can I plant them now or is it just too early.
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27 May 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The guide says don't plant until August. That might apply in southern parts of Aussie or cold places but if you don't have frosts you can plant now. I live where it gets down to 5-6-7 C in Winter and I just planted mine this week. If you live in a low area and might get frosts then ??? - if you live in a higher area and no frosts, go for it. As my previous post said - wait until the eyes start to shoot and then plant. A tip, dig the soil deep, put in all the compost etc - then with a rake dig some of the soil out to make a furrow. Plant the potatoes and as they grow fill the soil back in. And then hill it up also around the plant.
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24 May 17, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
Potatoes are frost tender. If you plant them too early they will sprout and be killed by a frost. Try keeping them in a cool, dark place to reduce sprouting. You could probably plant them in July about 200 mm (8") down and cover them with straw or similar to insulate them a bit.
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24 May 17, Gabby (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it safe to use old plastic milk crates to grow potatoes in
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24 May 17, Giovanni (Australia - temperate climate)
It is fine to use milk crates to grow potatoes. Line the bottom, and sides if it is open sided, with old denim jeans or newspaper to help retain water then put a layer of growing medium and some old manure or compost in the bottom. position your potato 'seeds' and then put a layer of growing medium over them. Keep adding the medium as they emerge until you are at the top. Consistent watering is very important for any container grown vegetables.
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22 May 17, Mdumiseni Patrick Khawula (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
can i p lough potatoes in June ?
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22 May 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
If you mean 'plough or dig potatoes in June' you definitely can. If you mean 'plough the soil and plant potatoes in June' it would depend on whether you get frosts in your area. If you do it would be better to wait until the weather is warmer as frosts will kill the new potatoes.
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17 May 17, Suzanne (Australia - temperate climate)
The information you have here is helpful, but what i need to know is the average growing time to harvest please. The plants are flowering and I'm wondering if that is an indication? We live on the Sunshine Coast and the potato's were planted in October, 7 months ago.
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I would like to endorse the comments above regarding the use of tyres to grow Potatoes or in fact use to grow any any food. The rubber compounds in both the carcase and tread contain significant numbers of nasties. Tyres are designed to perform at high speed under quite arduous conditions, absolutely not designed as end of life food growing receptacles! They contain many potential hazards/chemicals, far too many to fully list. I will list just a couple,so that fellow readers who do not have my background can appreciate better what they are dealing with. Firstly the reinforcing Carbon Blacks utilized in the rubber compounds, contain significant amounts of Organo-Nitrogen compounds, blacks of this type are banned for use with any "Potable Water" applications! the reason being these compounds are considered as being high risk carciogens. There are special Blacks made specifically for food contact applications, rubber reinforcing blacks are definitely not suitable. Processing aids, The rubber in the tyres must be made to be strong/resilient/heat resistant; specially designed chemical compounds are encorporated into the rubber compounds to achieve this. The chemical compounds used present problems in many directions, firstly they are not ( dont need to be) pure compounds they contain debris from the chemical synthesis processes used to make them; these same compounds also decompose both during Vulcanization and during the life of the tyre. The Organo-Chemical families many of these compounds belong to include compounds that are considered hazardous and not suitable for food contact. The possibility of side chemical reactions between both the impurities and the debris from the degradation, resulting in compounds that could present significant hazards is real. Are tyres dangerous? yes! when attached to cars driven by idiots and when used as receptacles to grow food; otherwise no!

- Geoff Brooks

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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