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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09 Oct 15, graham paul (Australia - temperate climate)
I have grown potatoes in the past and had good results this time they grew to about 30cm and 1 wilted and died the rest grew to about 40cm which to me seems a bit higher than usual and gradually others are wilting also well before flowering, Can someone help me with problem. Regards Graham
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07 Oct 15, Janet Angel (Australia - temperate climate)
Last season my potatoes grew stems whose cross section was square, ie 4 ridges up the stem, the leaves curled and no potatoes developed. What ever it was that caused this also affected everything else in the night shade family, tomatoes, eggplants, chillies and capsicum to fail. No one seems to know what caused this!! Any clues!!
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30 Sep 15, Carl Dalton (Australia - temperate climate)
Can you tell me if Jersey Mids (Royals) potatoes are available in Australia, and if so where I can purchase them from Cheers Carl
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02 Dec 15, Tony Herve (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Carl I have some seed potatoes JR They are stack i got some 40 years ago, so they need some virus testing work on them to get them back to being more productive Tony Herve
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16 Oct 15, Chris Petersen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
"Seed Potatoes Victoria" have a "PDF" you might find helpful. Sorry you will have to do a search for it as this site won't allow me to post the hyperlink. I didn't see them on their list, however it has a plethora of helpful contact information of growers/suppliers throughout Australia. Happy hunting, Chris.
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22 Sep 15, Jen (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
There is no mention when one can expect the first potato shoots to show above ground?? How long do I have to wait before they may be spoilt or dead???Especially in experimental container growing?>?> thank you Jen
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08 Oct 15, Chris Petersen (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Jen, I grow my potatoes in 50 liter potato bags. I "chit" them before planting, then plant 3 of them 4" from the bottom of the bag and cover them with 3-4" growing media. They are well watered twice a week and usually the first shoots break the surface 3-4 weeks later. I continue to add more growing media as the shoots grow until the bag is full to the top. Keep the water up to them and fertilize as required. Harvest when plants die-down or at first sign of blight. Happy Gardening, Chris.
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12 Sep 15, (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Where do I get certified seed (AA grade) for mondial potatoes
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08 Sep 15, Bloodhound (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, I have a partly shaded to filtered sun garden area with limited success with tomatoes, spinach, carrots and zucchini. I was thinking about potatoes, what do you suggest?
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04 Sep 15, Jill (Australia - temperate climate)
Thanks very much for your clear, helpful instructions. Much appreciated.
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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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