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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06 Mar 10, joe isaac (Australia - temperate climate)
Where can I buy seed potatoes (King William) online or fromoutlets in Melbourne? What is the best time to put them in? I have a sheltered sunny plot. Thanks for any suggestions
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26 Feb 10, Mark (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
My potatoes looked fantastic above ground - strong lush growth from spring to mid-summer, but the harvest was disappointingly meagre. Any suggestions?
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10 May 10, (Australia - temperate climate)
Many potato varieties respond to shorter day length. That is, they will produce a crop when they 'sense' that the days shorten. Maybe you should look at planting your potatoes at a different time of the year. Perhaps mid/ late Summer so that they will come into flower as the days shorten in Autumn/Winter.
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10 May 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Mark - I too live in the cool-mountain zone - the Blue Mountains - and had a very disappointing yield of Nicola potatoes this year for the number I planted. I think was just a strange summer with cool and rain and the occassional few hot days - enough to make any self-respecting plant be undecided about what to do! I wondered if it wa the type, but i think not..Better luck next year Glen
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24 Feb 10, rylie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
what height and width is a avarage potato?
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22 Feb 10, guy (Australia - temperate climate)
i live in central west nsw what vegies can i grow from march right through winter. any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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01 Feb 10, Adele (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it ok to plant potatoes if they are in shade in the morning and get full afternoon sun? Adele
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13 Jan 10, Billy (Australia - temperate climate)
First a comment to Lisa, if the potato is green it meens it has been exposed to light. One dug up from the soils should not be green, but will turn green if left out and exposed to daylight. Jane, I planted my spuds just a couple of months ago (November) and they seem to be almost ready to be dug, the stems are starting to wilt and the flowers dropping. I think you can plant them for a few more weeks. I was amazed at how quickly they came up. Just noticed the date of your posting. Hope they have come up nicely.
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11 Jan 10, Anne (Australia - temperate climate)
i tried to grow potatoes but very poor yield. Plants grew very tall and spindly and few small potatoes what am I lacking in my soils? I used lots of blood and bone manures, chicken and fed weekly with thrive. Should I have used more compost and trace elements?
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04 Jan 10, Leanne (Australia - temperate climate)
Very happy with my first potato harvest. The plant just sprouted from our compost when it was mulched into the garden bed. One of the potato's already has an eye growing - I am going to replant this now and hope for the best.
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Showing 711 - 720 of 831 comments
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I live in Zone 10A and have been growing russet and golden potatoes in grow bags and large containers here for about three years, and I notice I can plant them year-round and they will grow, just slower in winter, and if we get an occasional frost, it may kill the top, and when temps hit around 100 or hotter the potato tops may die off also. No matter what time of year, my potatoes often grow for a few months and then the tops start to die off no matter the season or conditions, but I don't know why, so when that happens, I'll reduce the watering for a couple weeks and then harvest. I try to do "succession" planting, so I always have some potatoes growing, and am still experimenting with what works best, especially trying to learn more about correct watering for the Zone 10A conditions. I do have better success, producing more and larger potatoes, with 10-20 gallon and larger containers than the 7-gallon fabric grow bags.

- dz

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