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 Australia - tropical 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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25 Mar 13, Gary (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Peter,,just a note from comments above, it is not advised to grow potatoes in tyres because of heavy metal leaching.
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02 Mar 13, Rachel (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi. I live in Sydney in a frost free area. Can I plant potatoes now and, if so, what would be good varieties? Thanks :-)
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04 Mar 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
Rachael , Have you checked that you can get your seed potato's ,because they are not available where I am in Qld!!
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19 Mar 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
Rachel, seed potatoes are now available from Green Harvest Maleny web site order online.
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12 Feb 13, SarahH (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Keen to buy Russett Burbank potato seeds in Canberra area or online but can't find anyone who can ship before June?! Any ideas for good online suppliers? Really need to plant asap. Any ideas greatly appreciated :)
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27 Jan 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
Keep watering them as usual as the longer they grow the more and bigger tubers. Stop watering when the leaves start to die off and go yellow,. ( If you are anywhere near us in Qld you wont be waterinh for awhile)
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21 Jan 13, (Australia - temperate climate)
growing i old tyres I have found to be excellent in small areas. Just add a tyre and soil as the shoot comes through and add soil. To dig all you do is kick the tyres over, take your harvest and save the soil and tyres for your next crop. Yummy spuds the easy way. Peter
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03 Jan 13, alan (Australia - arid climate)
do the plants need to flower to be able to crop ???? Adelaide aus
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07 Dec 12, Zoe (Australia - temperate climate)
My potato plants flowered then carried on growing, do I need to cut back watering so they die off or let them carry on growing? They were planted mid July. Cheers!
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06 Dec 12, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
thats good, dig a bit and see the size of potato might be too early still.
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Showing 381 - 390 of 563 comments
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That's a big subject! I'd say it depends on what you're trying to achieve. Do you just want a few really good veggies? Do you want to grow as much of your daily food as possible? Does your garden need to be aesthetically pleasing? There are lots of books on container gardening, you could try browsing your local library online. If space is limited, I say think about which veggies you love the most, which are pricey at the store, and which are most improved by eating fresh. Basil and salad greens for instance, are very easy to grow but very overpriced at the store. Corn and tomatoes are so much better homegrown. Whereas potatoes and onions are cheap at the store and not THAT much better homegrown so they're only worth it if you have plenty of space to devote. My advice for a beginner would be to start small and manageable, and build on that each year. Maybe this year buy a couple of Earthboxes or DIY a knockoff, and just grow a few of your favorite veggies. This will also reveal what some of your challenges might be. For instance my first year raccoons ate all my sweet corn, that taught me I would need a good fence in the future. ;-)

- colleen

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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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