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 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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30 Aug 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Try the internet for growing potatoes in NZ.
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08 Aug 18, Ross Duncan (Australia - tropical climate)
What potato varieties will grow in the tropics? I live in Cairns & want to plant potato but not sure which type will grow here.
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10 Aug 18, (Australia - tropical climate)
Google it. It all depends what kind of seed potato you can buy there. Try Bunnings or produce places.
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30 Jun 18, Peter (Perth) (Australia - temperate climate)
Stumbled in and grew some Royal Blue in container. Tipped out this week as I want to start some Kipfler. NO SPUDS! Now realise I did 2 things wrong 1: planted in November (= lots of lovely foliage) 2: Used sprouting (table) spuds from Greengrocer. This time I'm doing it right! (I hope). Got Seed Spuds (Kipfler like) "Pink Fur Apple". Made a planting medium following research. Planting early July. Hope springs eternal!
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10 Apr 18, Rita (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Hi there, I’m in Millwater new subdivisions. Just wanted to know when is the best month to plant Agria potatoes. We’re new in the country but love gardening and organic. Please help us thanks
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11 Apr 18, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
You are in Temperate NZ zone so look up Potatoes for that zone - use the Vegetables and Herbs tab
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05 Mar 18, Peter (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it possible to grow potatoes in a bag in autumn in Melbourne
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06 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Doesn't matter much what you grow it in, as long as you look after it to suit how you are growing it. Give it a go.
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08 Mar 18, (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm talking about temperate zone climate and planting this time of year
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09 Mar 18, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
A lot of places can grow 2 crops a year. Autumn and Spring. An old saying was plant potatoes on St Patrick's Day I believe - which is 17th March I think. A commercial grower in Bundaberg plants in May. When the weather has cooled off a bit from summer, plant up - late March - May.
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I would like to endorse the comments above regarding the use of tyres to grow Potatoes or in fact use to grow any any food. The rubber compounds in both the carcase and tread contain significant numbers of nasties. Tyres are designed to perform at high speed under quite arduous conditions, absolutely not designed as end of life food growing receptacles! They contain many potential hazards/chemicals, far too many to fully list. I will list just a couple,so that fellow readers who do not have my background can appreciate better what they are dealing with. Firstly the reinforcing Carbon Blacks utilized in the rubber compounds, contain significant amounts of Organo-Nitrogen compounds, blacks of this type are banned for use with any "Potable Water" applications! the reason being these compounds are considered as being high risk carciogens. There are special Blacks made specifically for food contact applications, rubber reinforcing blacks are definitely not suitable. Processing aids, The rubber in the tyres must be made to be strong/resilient/heat resistant; specially designed chemical compounds are encorporated into the rubber compounds to achieve this. The chemical compounds used present problems in many directions, firstly they are not ( dont need to be) pure compounds they contain debris from the chemical synthesis processes used to make them; these same compounds also decompose both during Vulcanization and during the life of the tyre. The Organo-Chemical families many of these compounds belong to include compounds that are considered hazardous and not suitable for food contact. The possibility of side chemical reactions between both the impurities and the debris from the degradation, resulting in compounds that could present significant hazards is real. Are tyres dangerous? yes! when attached to cars driven by idiots and when used as receptacles to grow food; otherwise no!

- Geoff Brooks

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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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