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 - cool/mountain 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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22 Dec 13, phillip barwick (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
how high do i keep mulching the potatoes with straw in a no dig potato patch to keep them coming on
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18 Dec 13, vic (Australia - temperate climate)
when are potatoes ready to dig up
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21 Dec 13, Andrew (Australia - temperate climate)
There are two ways to harvest potatoes. You can get "new potatoes" which are ones you carefully dig up while the plant is still growing. And then there is the normal way, which is to wait until the plant begins to die back. I usually have one or two plants that I attack while they are still vigorous - but keep others to mature and die back without disturbance. You will always get more potatoes if you keep burying the plant in dirt and letting it grow through. It gives more stem to create lateral roots. good luck
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20 Dec 13, Timo (Australia - arid climate)
Potatoes are ready to harvest when the plant dies and the tubers at here fullest of starch and size. If you are going to store them then wait until this time. You can start harvesting any time there is any size to the tubers (size of a baby's fist) but Cook and eat them straight away. Happy gardening-Timo
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12 Dec 13, Nic (Australia - temperate climate)
Why do you not grow Cucumbers and Potatos in the same garden bed?
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10 Feb 14, Dean (Australia - temperate climate)
Because they compete for nutrients and water and planting this way only diminishes potential harvest.
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10 Dec 13, Elwyn (Australia - temperate climate)
Is December too late to plant potatoes I live in Sydney
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24 Nov 13, Matto (Australia - temperate climate)
Whales, I have used this info to full extent and have even been inspired to grow some potatoes of my own, they are now about 2 weeks old and growing well
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09 Nov 13, Vicki Wildie (Australia - temperate climate)
I have harvested my Dutch Cream potatoes, I'm a first time grower and seemed to get a reasonable crop. I would like to keep some to plant next year. How do I store them until next August? The seed potatoes I used were from an organic nursery.
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25 Oct 13, John Hart (Australia - temperate climate)
When do you stop watering potatoes???
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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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