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

30 Oct 11, Bruce (Australia - arid climate)
Yes
08 Jan 11, dave (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
my potato vines are growing berrys that look like tiny tomatoes about the size of a marble is this normal ?
14 Jan 11, Grace (Australia - temperate climate)
Yes this is normal. They are not edible, so pick them off to encourage the plant to dedicate it's energy into producing tubers.
31 Dec 10, Di Dixon (Australia - temperate climate)
Can you please let me know if English New Jersey Potatoes can be grown here in Australia & if yes where can I get some from? Cheers Di
24 Oct 11, Julia (Australia - temperate climate)
Di - did you ever grow any New Jersey potatoes? I'm in Sydney and I'd love to try and grow some. Thanks so much.
08 Nov 10, Jan (Australia - arid climate)
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?
04 Sep 10, Mark Thornton (Australia - temperate climate)
We live on the NSW south coast. As we are new to gardening, the question is, Can we produce a year around crop of potatoes? If so, which varieties do you plant when?
30 Oct 11, Bruce (Australia - temperate climate)
You should be able to grow almost any variety of spuds all year so long as you don't have frosts.
02 Sep 10, Cygnetian (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi, I'm in country Southern Tasmania and have never grown potatoes before. Does anyone know whether the plants need to be fenced off from the wildlife? (Here we have mostly possums and paddemelons.) Thanks!
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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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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