Growing Potato

Solanum tuberosum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P                 P P P

(Best months for growing Potato in New Zealand - cool/mountain 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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29 Jun 20, (Australia - tropical climate)
Add compost/composted manures or fertilisers to the soil to put nutrient back into the soil for the next planting.
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19 Jun 20, ace (USA - Zone 10b climate)
Anyone grow True Seed Potatoes in zone 10? Curious when you start your seeds. My seeds are low dormancy and short-day length. Start seeds in August, maybe, to plant out in October?
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04 Jun 20, Pastor Dennis Naidoo (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
HI I want to plant some UTD Potatoes in my back yard. Where can i buy seed potatoes and which month will be good to plant them. I live in KZN Richards Bay Regards Dennis
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19 Jul 20, Astrid (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Have a look at https://livingseeds.co.za/potatoes - they sell seed potatoes and ship to anywhere in SA (at the right time of the year). They always stock standard coloured potatoes as well as occasionally some novel heirloom ones. Also on that page is a link with guidance on growing potatoes. Pre-orders are opening soon, shipping is early August ready for you to plant.
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05 Jun 20, Anonymous (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
You need to work out your climate zone from the BLUE CLIMATE ZONE TAB at the top of the page. Then check when to plant. Buy from seed selling websites, nursery, farmer produce store, hardware & gardening stores.
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30 May 20, Laura (USA - Zone 7b climate)
Could I plant certain potatoes in zone 7B in June? I live in Southampton County, Va.
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07 Jun 20, Ross (USA - Zone 7b climate)
I live in Zone 7b in Arkansas. It's been an unusually cool and wet spring / summer. I planted four varieties in a prepared bed. (composted manure was tilled in.) The varieties were Pontiac red, Kenebek, Russet and Yukon Gold in roughly equal amounts, purchased prepackaged at a farm store. The seed potatoes were sown in rows 12 -18 inch spacing on Feb 28 by burying shallow, then covering with several inches of composted manure followed by several inches of straw, two bales on roughly 120 sq feet. I did not document when they sprouted but it seemed weak initially but success rate of sprouts was eventually good. The composted manure is weedy and so was the straw, eventually weed pressure was high so I covered with another layer of composted manure. ( I don't remember the date and the plants were 20 inches or so tall, some in blossom. ) Although at the time of harvest the bed was heavy with weeds again that worked long enough to bring in a harvest on June 4th. While harvesting the soil was still quite moist, only two or three potatoes had rotted and the yield was about 2 to 3 nice sized potatoes per plant with up to three small potatoes per plant too. I followed the harvest with a sweet corn. I contemplated a second potato planting but i think it will be too hot. I'm going to make a deep raised bed from pallets manure and straw out in a shady part of my homestead and try a few to see what happens. Hopefully that helps.
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27 Apr 20, Shirley (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
When growing potatoes what fertilizer does one use
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28 Apr 20, Anon (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Just look for a general all round gardening fertiliser. If you look at all the fertilisers for different crops there is not a big difference in the NPK of them. Depending on your soil 8-12N, 3-6P, 3-6K. I read of fertilisers like 10, 10, 10, and 8, 8, 8. I don't know where you buy them (USA stores?).
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27 Apr 20, Marg (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I have some organic potatoes that are starting to shoot quite a lot, I cut them in pieces was about to plant them in containers,but now have heard they should be planted at the end of winter. What can I do? Store them, throw them or give them a go? Marg
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The handbook-which I provided the location to in my prior reply is not very beginner'ish but it is comprehensive covering issues you may never encounter- but you do need the reference material. I have a few thoughts to add. 1. Hilling up while the plant is growing-if you are covering leaves I find this fundamentally wrong. Leaves are specialized and designed to collect light, they are not roots. So I opt to plant my seed potatoes deep enough on day one- however I tend to have the luxury of very well airated, light soil. This means the seed potato has a steady air supply and can sense the heat from the sun even at deeper depths 2. Your seedpotatoes need all their potassium Immediately. Potatoes strangely take up all their potassium that they need really early. -and don't uptake more. If there is not enough potassium in the very early stages your potatoes might have hollow heart (looks like hollow rotting middles). Late application of potassium tends to be useless 3. Potatoes seem to respond really well to the addition of microryzal fungi - in my area we source that under pine trees in a forest- we just take some forest floor duff with a dust pan and add to the potatoe planting soil. To sum up - your seed Potatoes should be about the size of chicken eggs (if larger cut up ensuring an eye on each piece and allow a few days to heal/scab up before planting). You need to chit them(make them sprout-place in dark so they sprout). Plant in soil with Compost, a sorce of potassium and microryzal fungi. If for some reason you cannot source any compost/pottasium/microryzal fungi -plant anyhow potatoes are tough -there is still a good chance they will be Okay -depends on the condition of you soil. In my area I can water deeply once per week. Harvest when about half the leaves have fallen over as if to die. If you harvest sooner you may be compromising on size-because as long as those leaves can collect light they can store the energy in the tubers. Good luck - it is so much easier than it sounds- and all those diseases in the handbook are rare and if the plants are strong (well fed) they can manage just fine, potaoes are pretty tough root crop. In other words- you can grow potatoe.

- Celeste Archer

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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. GardenGrow 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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