Growing Potato

Solanum tuberosum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
        P P P P P      

(Best months for growing Potato in Australia - sub-tropical 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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04 Sep 08, Sandra (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My potatoes are growing rather nicely however in the last couple of days I have noticed that the leaves are looking "skeletal" I did see what I thought was a lady beetle on the leaves- but much bigger. Could this be the culprit? How do I organically control it?
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08 Jan 16, Ange (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It could be the 28 spotted potato ladybird with out seeing a picture it is hard to say. There are some ladybirds that will eat away at powdery mildew if there is none of that I would most likely say it's the potato lady bird. It will be 6-10mm long, a orange colour with 26-28 dark spots. With the skeletal looking leaves it would be its eggs. There are no chemicals registered for control of the leaf eating ladybirds in home gardens. You will have to remove by hand and squash the larvae and egg clusters. Natural predators that will kill them are parasitic wasp, birds & assassin bugs. So might be wise to encourage these into your yard. Remove any weeds you have in the garden as well. Other plants they will attack are cucumbers, eggplant, pumpkin and tomatoes and some weeds such as nightshades.
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19 Aug 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Joey, you can certainly plant a variety in one plot. The Sept/Oct 2008 ABC Organic Gardener magazine has a guide to a 'bumper crop of potatoes' - maybe they list some suppliers?
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18 Aug 08, Joey (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
where can i buy organic tubers - can I plant a variety of spuds in the one plot?
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11 Aug 08, Caron Blenkhorn (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
What time of year do I plant pink eye potatoes?
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17 Aug 22, Irene Bollerman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am noticing coppery (pearlescent brownish) marking on the leaves of otherwise healthy looking potato plants, planted in potato grow bags. I've been monitoring the soil temperature and it had reached 30C until I placed cardboard and bubblewrap insulation over the black fabric bags. It is currently mid-August. I'm in Brisbane. The coppery leaf markings surround the veins rather than being on the fringes of the leaves. The markings do not look like the brown/black spots of wilt. Any thoughts from you potato growers out there??
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17 Aug 22, Irene Bollerman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
keep the tubors (potatoes) covered
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31 Aug 16, Norman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The main article states:"Potatoes exposed to light will go green, so keep them covered up with straw and soil as they grow." Does this mean I need to cover the complete foliage or just hill up the plant? Thanks.
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13 Apr 15, Derek Harris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
how long does it take for potatoes to reach harvest time
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23 Dec 12, Gran Gran (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Caron around sept oct
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Showing 551 - 560 of 563 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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