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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04 Sep 08, Sandra (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My potatoes are growing rather nicely however in the last couple of days I have noticed that the leaves are looking "skeletal" I did see what I thought was a lady beetle on the leaves- but much bigger. Could this be the culprit? How do I organically control it?
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08 Jan 16, Ange (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It could be the 28 spotted potato ladybird with out seeing a picture it is hard to say. There are some ladybirds that will eat away at powdery mildew if there is none of that I would most likely say it's the potato lady bird. It will be 6-10mm long, a orange colour with 26-28 dark spots. With the skeletal looking leaves it would be its eggs. There are no chemicals registered for control of the leaf eating ladybirds in home gardens. You will have to remove by hand and squash the larvae and egg clusters. Natural predators that will kill them are parasitic wasp, birds & assassin bugs. So might be wise to encourage these into your yard. Remove any weeds you have in the garden as well. Other plants they will attack are cucumbers, eggplant, pumpkin and tomatoes and some weeds such as nightshades.
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19 Aug 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Joey, you can certainly plant a variety in one plot. The Sept/Oct 2008 ABC Organic Gardener magazine has a guide to a 'bumper crop of potatoes' - maybe they list some suppliers?
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18 Aug 08, Joey (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
where can i buy organic tubers - can I plant a variety of spuds in the one plot?
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11 Aug 08, Caron Blenkhorn (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
What time of year do I plant pink eye potatoes?
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17 Aug 22, Irene Bollerman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am noticing coppery (pearlescent brownish) marking on the leaves of otherwise healthy looking potato plants, planted in potato grow bags. I've been monitoring the soil temperature and it had reached 30C until I placed cardboard and bubblewrap insulation over the black fabric bags. It is currently mid-August. I'm in Brisbane. The coppery leaf markings surround the veins rather than being on the fringes of the leaves. The markings do not look like the brown/black spots of wilt. Any thoughts from you potato growers out there??
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17 Aug 22, Irene Bollerman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
keep the tubors (potatoes) covered
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31 Aug 16, Norman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The main article states:"Potatoes exposed to light will go green, so keep them covered up with straw and soil as they grow." Does this mean I need to cover the complete foliage or just hill up the plant? Thanks.
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13 Apr 15, Derek Harris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
how long does it take for potatoes to reach harvest time
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23 Dec 12, Gran Gran (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Caron around sept oct
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The handbook-which I provided the location to in my prior reply is not very beginner'ish but it is comprehensive covering issues you may never encounter- but you do need the reference material. I have a few thoughts to add. 1. Hilling up while the plant is growing-if you are covering leaves I find this fundamentally wrong. Leaves are specialized and designed to collect light, they are not roots. So I opt to plant my seed potatoes deep enough on day one- however I tend to have the luxury of very well airated, light soil. This means the seed potato has a steady air supply and can sense the heat from the sun even at deeper depths 2. Your seedpotatoes need all their potassium Immediately. Potatoes strangely take up all their potassium that they need really early. -and don't uptake more. If there is not enough potassium in the very early stages your potatoes might have hollow heart (looks like hollow rotting middles). Late application of potassium tends to be useless 3. Potatoes seem to respond really well to the addition of microryzal fungi - in my area we source that under pine trees in a forest- we just take some forest floor duff with a dust pan and add to the potatoe planting soil. To sum up - your seed Potatoes should be about the size of chicken eggs (if larger cut up ensuring an eye on each piece and allow a few days to heal/scab up before planting). You need to chit them(make them sprout-place in dark so they sprout). Plant in soil with Compost, a sorce of potassium and microryzal fungi. If for some reason you cannot source any compost/pottasium/microryzal fungi -plant anyhow potatoes are tough -there is still a good chance they will be Okay -depends on the condition of you soil. In my area I can water deeply once per week. Harvest when about half the leaves have fallen over as if to die. If you harvest sooner you may be compromising on size-because as long as those leaves can collect light they can store the energy in the tubers. Good luck - it is so much easier than it sounds- and all those diseases in the handbook are rare and if the plants are strong (well fed) they can manage just fine, potaoes are pretty tough root crop. In other words- you can grow potatoe.

- Celeste Archer

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