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 10°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 30 - 40 cm 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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07 Jun 20, Ross (USA - Zone 7b climate)
I like the idea from the gardener in Australia. G'Day to you. I also have soil like you with clay and rock so digging the trench allows a quick easy replacement but drainage can be a problem with the rocky clay soil. Potatoes love water but too much and they will rot. Try choosing a location with a higher elevation if possible. Sometimes rain pooling can be avoided at higher locations by digging a small trench as a drain. Avoid areas that are already wet or are typically wet. At my place the trench filled with water and took more that a week to drain. I back filled the trench and chose another location.
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24 Mar 20, Chris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You could try digging a shallow trench, put the seed potatoes in this, and cover with straw/mulch and compost or rotted manure. Keep topping up the straw as the potatoes grow. You'll end up with potatoes and some good quality soil.
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11 Mar 20, Chuck (USA - Zone 9b climate)
Could you please use US measurements (inches/feet) instead of metric? Gardenate reply: Each plant page has (Show °F/in) about two lines down from the top to change between metric/non metric
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05 Mar 20, peter barker (New Zealand - temperate climate)
can i grow seed potatoes in pots from march in Taranaki
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08 Mar 20, ML (New Zealand - temperate climate)
It says to grow in the spring here. Also says that for sub- tropical Queensland Australia. They grow potatoes from April/May here. Give it a try then.
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20 Feb 20, Tom De Marti (USA - Zone 10a climate)
We're looking for red seed potatoes to grow in SoCal.
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07 Feb 20, Claudia Muscat (Australia - temperate climate)
Can i plant potatoes in February? I m in NSW Wollongong area
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09 Feb 20, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Check here for suitable planting times www.gardenate.com/plant/Potato?zone=2
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06 Feb 20, Margareth Parua (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Where can I buy sequoia potato seedlings?
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06 Feb 20, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You actually buy seed potatoes. That is actually a potato to plant not a seed.
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Showing 201 - 210 of 832 comments
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This is my second year at growing potatoes near Kalgoorlie. Although it gets hot quickly as long as you keep the water up to them they seem to thrive. All I added last year was some blood and bone and a bit of hay for mounding them up. I've got heavy red loam ground here and the first year I grew enormous potatoes but many were derformed from the rocks in the ground. This year I decided to build a raised bed and use a mix of the red loam, potting compost and hay. I didnt plant till late September because of late frosts but already plants are really high and flowering. Unfortunately I didnt keep up with mounding them up as quickly as I should have and maybe they will not produce as many spuds because of this. I have read that you have to keep mounding them so that only one inch of stem is out of the ground. If the main stem becomes too long and exposed to the sun it no longer grows side shoots and spuds - is this true?

- Jan

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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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