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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08 Jun 12, mehmet kolgu (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi I met and loved Salad potatoes at UK. But couldn't see any at Sydney I love to grow them,can you help me please regards mehmet
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11 Jun 12, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Kipfler potatoes are a waxy variety good for salads.
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30 May 12, simon (Australia - tropical climate)
really want to grow some potatoes other than sweet potato, yam, taro etc etc in the tropics, surly there is one type of potato that could handle the dry season up this way?? any advise is really appreciated.
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06 May 12, PAUL CLARK (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have just got 2 kgs of seed pots for the garden. i have a built up garden 9 sq mtrs with plenty of drainage and around 12-15 inches of fresh soil. I have read that i need to let my seed pots grow shoots first so have placed them in egg boxes in my garage.......i live on the sunshine coast qld....when is the best time to plant them in the soil and when will they roughly be ready? thanks for any advice! PAUL
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12 Jul 12, Mark (Australia - temperate climate)
12 July - We have had ours in the ground for about 5 weeks now so if you don't have them in yet do it this w/end. You should be able to harvest in spring before it gets too hot, but you can dig them up anytime you want... they just may be on the small side or "new" potato's, still good... the rain we are having at the present time here on the Sunshine (or Unshine) Coast is good for the crop if nothing else.
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17 Apr 12, Shangjie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Is it all right if I use shop potatoes when they are sprouting?
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08 Jul 12, Alban (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I planted shop potatoes that were sprouting and they grew very nicely. Only I planted them very late so they were small when harvesting. I think the main problem with shop potatoes is the danger of diseases, which is why experts recommend certified seed potatoes.
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13 Apr 12, ROBYN (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi We live in Ballarat and I am interested in growing no dig potatoes. I was wondering if we could use old seed bags off the farm and would we need to pierce them to increase the drainage? Also we love bbq potatoes so could you suggest suitable variety. Thanks so much Robyn
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14 Apr 12, Michael Ouellette (Australia - arid climate)
Dutch cream I find are the best potatoes to grow..
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10 Jul 12, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I VE NEVER GROWN DUTCH CREAMS HOW DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD GROW IN CONTAINERS AS I AM CONDUCTING DIFFERENT METHODS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPUDS IN CONTAINERS BAGS DRUMS ETC
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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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