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 Australia - 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

05 Oct 12, mehmet kolgu (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi; Do I need to use mulch over the potatoes, at Sydney area. cheers M
02 Oct 12, MattyJ (Australia - temperate climate)
Quite a lot of people eat raw potato (me included) - and i have been advised by doctors that its quite healthy to do so
26 Mar 13, Ido (Australia - temperate climate)
Matty, It is not healthy to eat row potato, row eggplant, green tomato, green capsicum, as they all belong to the Solanum family and contain Solanum which is a poison. The heat of cooking, frying, etc. destroys part of the Solanum poison (as it destroys, also, part of the good staff in the food ) and makes the food more healthy. When the tomato and capsicum are red, they are ripe and contain less Solanum and in this stage they are more healthy to be eaten. The seeds of row capsicum, row tomato, row eggplant contain a higher concentration of Solanum and are less healthy to eat. The doctors are right when they recommend to eat row food but this advice is not applies to food items which contain some poison. Ido.
01 Oct 12, peter dell (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in Sydney in the west. Is it ok to plant potatoes now?
02 Oct 12, tigger (Australia - temperate climate)
yes
04 Sep 12, Greg (Australia - temperate climate)
How much time between planting seperate potato crops to give a constant supply over a 6 month period .
24 Jul 12, Catherine (Australia - tropical climate)
I would like to grow potatoes in Tropical North Qld. Is there any sort that will grow up here (apart from sweet potatoes etc)
23 Jul 12, wayne (Australia - temperate climate)
I wish to plant potatoes but want to spread the time that the crop will mature. Can any one suggest some varieties to use. my space for this is approx 1.5m by 10m. this is a no dig style cause im lazy :-)
07 Jul 12, D JAMES (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have two seperate beds with sebagos one I planted them deep and hilled lightly they now have big stems and sit high.The other bed Iplanted shallow and hilled up lots its stems are spindly and falling over but still seems healthy is there a reason as they are both getting the same sun and water.
08 Jun 12, mehmet kolgu (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi I met and loved Salad potatoes at UK. But couldn't see any at Sydney I love to grow them,can you help me please regards mehmet
Showing 391 - 400 of 561 comments

I started planting a variety of spuds mid Aug in Melb, normally after frost danger was over. End sept when plants were around 15-20cm high we had severe frosts and plants got badly burned off. Surprisingly, they recovered well only to get hit hard again 3 weeks later, Once again they recovered. I have just started ferretting out a few early spuds and the crop looks like being one of my best ever. Has anyone ever tried reducing leaf growth by removing some of the tops to see the effects on the crop?

- Graham Bower

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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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