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 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

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04 Sep 08, Sandra (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My potatoes are growing rather nicely however in the last couple of days I have noticed that the leaves are looking "skeletal" I did see what I thought was a lady beetle on the leaves- but much bigger. Could this be the culprit? How do I organically control it?
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08 Jan 16, Ange (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It could be the 28 spotted potato ladybird with out seeing a picture it is hard to say. There are some ladybirds that will eat away at powdery mildew if there is none of that I would most likely say it's the potato lady bird. It will be 6-10mm long, a orange colour with 26-28 dark spots. With the skeletal looking leaves it would be its eggs. There are no chemicals registered for control of the leaf eating ladybirds in home gardens. You will have to remove by hand and squash the larvae and egg clusters. Natural predators that will kill them are parasitic wasp, birds & assassin bugs. So might be wise to encourage these into your yard. Remove any weeds you have in the garden as well. Other plants they will attack are cucumbers, eggplant, pumpkin and tomatoes and some weeds such as nightshades.
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19 Aug 08, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Joey, you can certainly plant a variety in one plot. The Sept/Oct 2008 ABC Organic Gardener magazine has a guide to a 'bumper crop of potatoes' - maybe they list some suppliers?
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18 Aug 08, Joey (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
where can i buy organic tubers - can I plant a variety of spuds in the one plot?
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11 Aug 08, Caron Blenkhorn (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
What time of year do I plant pink eye potatoes?
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17 Aug 22, Irene Bollerman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I am noticing coppery (pearlescent brownish) marking on the leaves of otherwise healthy looking potato plants, planted in potato grow bags. I've been monitoring the soil temperature and it had reached 30C until I placed cardboard and bubblewrap insulation over the black fabric bags. It is currently mid-August. I'm in Brisbane. The coppery leaf markings surround the veins rather than being on the fringes of the leaves. The markings do not look like the brown/black spots of wilt. Any thoughts from you potato growers out there??
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17 Aug 22, Irene Bollerman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
keep the tubors (potatoes) covered
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31 Aug 16, Norman (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The main article states:"Potatoes exposed to light will go green, so keep them covered up with straw and soil as they grow." Does this mean I need to cover the complete foliage or just hill up the plant? Thanks.
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13 Apr 15, Derek Harris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
how long does it take for potatoes to reach harvest time
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23 Dec 12, Gran Gran (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Caron around sept oct
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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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