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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25 Jul 10, (Australia - temperate climate)
What is the best way to get seed Sweet Potatos. Is it to buy them from Supermarkets and cut them into pieces which contain an eye. I have tried planting same whole in sand, and then in the ground, they both rotted
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16 Sep 10, Lexxie (Australia - temperate climate)
you grow sweet potato not from the tuber, but from the shoots. The best way, let your sweet potato grow 20cm shoots, cut them, keep them in water until you see roots come out. Plant them! You can grow shoots from one tuber almost indefinitively!
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08 Jul 10, julian (Australia - tropical climate)
Which is the best breed of potato for the hot 'tropical or sub-tropical' area. Help me give them the best chance i can.
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05 Jun 10, chris wilson (Australia - temperate climate)
how dose one keep peeled uncooked spugs in the fridge / can they be keeped ln water/ if so for how long/ do you need to put anything in the water/ thanks chris
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06 Jun 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
You can keep raw, peeled potatoes for about a day if they are covered with water and kept cool.
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22 May 10, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi There,you can buy seed potatoes in Townsville a a nursery called the Day Dawn Nursery.50 Kokoda Street. I do not have there phone number not to hard to find though.good luck.
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18 May 10, Fritz (Australia - temperate climate)
i bought a whole potato from woolworths, a sebago potato. i placed the whole thing in soil(i rinsed it} and watered it. does anyone know if it will grow and if not how will i have to grow it?
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21 May 10, tony (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
your potato should grow but if you had of cut the same potato into sections that have an eye in each than you would have got many plants of the one potato a tip keep the soil well heaped around each potato this will give lots of potatoes and stop them from greening
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15 May 10, Debra (Australia - temperate climate)
Does anyone know where in West Aus I can get hold of seed potatoes of different varieties? Bunnings usually only has desiree, ruby lou or nicola, and I would like others if possible. Buying the potatoes from stores and letting them shoot is not always as successful as buying the certified seed potatoes (and trying to get the varieties in the shops isn't so easy either). Thanks to anyone who can help.
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04 Oct 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Debra , I am an avid potato grower, I like Ruby Lous personally, But Waldeks here in Perth stock about 10 diff varieties of seed potatoes fHope this helps, I lurvv my spuds :)
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Dont use tyres to put around your potato plants as potatoes are great absorbers of cadmium which is released from the rubber. You can use a light strong wire mesh instead and achieve the same thing.

- David

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