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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27 Oct 13, Elizabeth (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I stop watering them when there leaves start yellowing, once the leaves are fully "dead" harvest.
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21 Oct 13, Jan Grainger (Australia - temperate climate)
I lost a whole lot of potatoes to both slaters and slugs. I used beer traps, etc. but there were too many to contend with. Reluctantly, we had the whole property professionally sprayed and this year have none.
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12 Oct 13, Sarah (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Another first time potato grower here :) I bought some russet Burbank seed potatoes a few weeks back and was silly enough to just follow the directions on the bag label, which said nothing about letting them shoot before planting. I planted them immediately, then a week later realised the error of my ways so gently dug a few up to see what had happened. They had shoots on them about an inch long, so I replanted them, shoot side up and about 10cm of dirt on top. That was two weeks ago, but no shoots have appeared on the surface. How long should it take? I have my "succession batch" on the floor in an open box in my green house, hoping they'll sprout away soon for planting in a month or so. All advice gratefully received :)
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18 Oct 13, Sarah (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Well, a week later and two have sprouted... Two that I DIDN'T dig up to check on. It appears digging up those others, despite being as gentle as I could, wasn't a great idea :-S
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05 Oct 13, glennys (Australia - temperate climate)
Where in qld can I buy kestrel seed potatoes .On a bag of kestrel potatoes I bought from a supermarket said"Not to be used for seed potatoes. WHY ? THANKYOU.
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26 Feb 18, Ray (Australia - temperate climate)
I wondered this, and because I wasn't super happy with the answer here, or on a similar discussion on Reddit, I looked into this more. It turns out that it's to do with Western Australia quarantine rules, which explicitly states that potatoes imported from outside of WA have to be labelled
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25 Oct 13, betty (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
bet you bought them from the south Australian company who is a grower and wants a monopoly so states not for use as seed potatoes. I find they are a very good potato if left to sprout seed and are a heavy cropper.
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25 Oct 13, brian (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
the company that markets the kestrel potato bag is from south Australia and the reason for stating not for planting is to stop you growing them. I purchased the very same bag and waited until the potatoes sprouted and then planted without any problems whatsoever
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22 Sep 13, sarah (Australia - temperate climate)
Im a little late planting my spuds and im a first time grower. Im just wondering if I should water once they are in the ground or wait. Also how much water? Im really confused on this one. Thanks.
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20 Sep 13, Bill (Australia - temperate climate)
I have tried to grow potatoes several times, not very successfully, my leaves grow up to almost a meter in height, but there are very few tubers underneath. Also my potatoes do not seem to flower, and the leaves get attacked by some insects or bugs. I used a very rich soil and mulch; is there too much nitrogen?
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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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