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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28 Jan 16, Mary (USA - Zone 10a climate)
I am trying to find a white potato to purchase now. Planting season for potatoes is growing short. Do you sell Zone 10a seed potatoes I may purchase now.
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17 Jul 16, Linda (USA - Zone 7a climate)
You can just buy organic potatoes at the grocery store. I've done that many times with good results.
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17 Nov 15, Trevor Burford (Australia - temperate climate)
I have some self seeded potatoes growing amongst my tomatoes and pumpkins. Why is this not advised?
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18 Nov 15, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Tomatoes and potatoes are both in the 'nightshade' family and share many of the same diseases and pests. Something that attacks one (particularly fungii) will probably move on to attack the other.
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15 Nov 15, Alexis (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm in brisbane and I'm wanting to try my hand at potatoes in a barrel. is November too late to plant them or am I best waiting till next season?
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14 Nov 15, Dave (Australia - temperate climate)
I am trying to grow spuds the same way Pete Cundall did on Patch from Scratch. I put them on newspaper, cow manure, blood and bone and covered with about 18" of sugar cane mulch and watered in. All I have done since is mound leaves.
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27 Jun 16, MEL (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Did this work? Sounds great!
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31 Oct 15, michelle (Australia - temperate climate)
I am moving to tara Queensland and was wanting to grow potatoes could you please tell me what is the best thing to grow there.
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29 Oct 15, alan jones (Australia - temperate climate)
I tried growing potatoes from tubers from Bunnings.I grew them in a wall compound 250mm high, as they grew I back filled and put another course of bricks on top giving me 500mm in height. They grew well but later did not come to flower??. In time the plants slowly died off and once dead I set about getting the spuds out. I was dissappointed as there was a little crop and most were the size of a large grape, and only 4 were useable. It looked like they could have spent another month or so to grow bigger, but plant was dead and shrivelled up?? Can anyone give advice what I have done wrong and what to do next season thanks Alan
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07 Jan 16, Susan (Australia - temperate climate)
I also am having similar problems , only difference is I used organic seed, but very disappointed with results. Does any one have suggestions cheers
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Showing 471 - 480 of 832 comments
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Hi fellow spudsters, I grew my first crop of potatoes last year. I had two lots; some I grew in hessian sacks and some I planted in the ground in a patch of soil/horse manure/compost mix. The sacks I kept topping up with a mix of potting mix/horse manure and staw - each time the stalks grew up I covered them. The spuds in the ground I more of less just left, every now and then I covered them with an extra bit of straw. Into both lots I shook some vegetable fertilizer specific for potatoes (can't remember what it was called but it look a bit like big white salt crystals). Both ways of growing were very very successful - very many spuds and very very yummo! I had about four or five different types of spuds and pulling them up was a great surprise because I just bunged them all in together and have no idea which was which but they were all really really lovely. Genuinely better than any I have every bought from a shop. I guess the ones in the shop must be stored for quite a while. I harveted that lot in March this year. The bags seemed to be a lot of work though, so this year I have planted spuds (a month ago - 20 September) in the vegie patch (mix of vegie potting mix, manure - sheep pooh I think and lucerne mulch) and covered them with pea straw. As they sprout all I plan to do is throw a bit of potato fertilizer about and cover the green parts with straw as they grow. These ones I have actually marked which is which. Lessens the surprise I guess but will be fun knowing which one I am eating.

- Mary

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