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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23 Nov 10, Lucky Phil (Australia - temperate climate)
It would be better to fence them off. We have a hen who likes to dig for worms, so we fenced off our potato patch. The possums will probably eat the leaves, and other wildlife may dig the freshly turned soil for worms. We have possum trouble with one of our roses.
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29 Dec 10, Karl (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in country Northeast Tassie and have sucessfully grown potatos without fencing them off from wildlife such as possums an pademelons. In fact spotlighting at night I have never seen any sign of wildlife amongst my spuds, nor any browsing damage done to the foliage. I have noticed that snakes seem to particularly enjoy slithering amongst the crop.
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25 Jul 10, (Australia - temperate climate)
What is the best way to get seed Sweet Potatos. Is it to buy them from Supermarkets and cut them into pieces which contain an eye. I have tried planting same whole in sand, and then in the ground, they both rotted
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16 Sep 10, Lexxie (Australia - temperate climate)
you grow sweet potato not from the tuber, but from the shoots. The best way, let your sweet potato grow 20cm shoots, cut them, keep them in water until you see roots come out. Plant them! You can grow shoots from one tuber almost indefinitively!
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08 Jul 10, julian (Australia - tropical climate)
Which is the best breed of potato for the hot 'tropical or sub-tropical' area. Help me give them the best chance i can.
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05 Jun 10, chris wilson (Australia - temperate climate)
how dose one keep peeled uncooked spugs in the fridge / can they be keeped ln water/ if so for how long/ do you need to put anything in the water/ thanks chris
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06 Jun 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
You can keep raw, peeled potatoes for about a day if they are covered with water and kept cool.
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22 May 10, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi There,you can buy seed potatoes in Townsville a a nursery called the Day Dawn Nursery.50 Kokoda Street. I do not have there phone number not to hard to find though.good luck.
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18 May 10, Fritz (Australia - temperate climate)
i bought a whole potato from woolworths, a sebago potato. i placed the whole thing in soil(i rinsed it} and watered it. does anyone know if it will grow and if not how will i have to grow it?
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21 May 10, tony (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
your potato should grow but if you had of cut the same potato into sections that have an eye in each than you would have got many plants of the one potato a tip keep the soil well heaped around each potato this will give lots of potatoes and stop them from greening
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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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