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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15 Mar 17, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
The small fruit or seed potatoes contain proper seed and varieties and hybrids are grown this way. We normally use small potatoes as seed because it is more convenient and quicker. But don't hesitate to take on the challenge if you like. I don't know whether you would get potatoes of any size in a season.
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14 Mar 17, Kerrieanne (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hello and thanks in advance for your advice. I live just north of Gympie Qld and our area has just been declared in drought. I've never grown potatoes before so an a novice. I've just purchased some seed potatoes and am wanting information on how to plant them and when. I'm thinking maybe in an old iron bathtub or garbage bins. Thanks again Kerrieanne
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15 Mar 17, Jonno (Australia - temperate climate)
The containers you suggested would be ideal. If you are using a bath take the plug fitting out, to improve drainage, and put a layer of stones or crushed rock like (railway ballast) in the bottom to improve drainage. Cover this layer with old jeans, newspaper or cardboard. this will help hold water and stop sediment from blocking the drainage. Add a layer of potting mix or growing medium and then a layer of old manure or blood & bone. Cover this with more mix and thenspace your seed potatoes out. Cover them with mix and give them a water. When the shoots emerge keep adding mix. Potatoes form on the stems not the roots. As with all plants growing in containers ensure thet they are in a position where the container will not get too hot as the roots will 'cook'. Attention to water is also important, mulching will help.
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12 Mar 17, Bill Guy (Australia - temperate climate)
We are "virgin" vegetable growers with a small garden. Can we grow potatoes in big plastic pots that a neighbour left behind when she moved. These pots have a tube sticking out at the side at the bottom which i guess is for draining. We have 3 of these pots. We would like to grow new potatoes for Christmas. We live in Adelaide when would plant the seed potatoes. We interested in growing our own organic vegies. Appreciate any advice. Wish us luck. Regards Bill.
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13 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Potatoes can certainly be grown in large pots or tubs. If the pots are about 15 to 20 litres (or more) they wil be ideal. Do the pots have a separate bottom in them? they may be self-watering pots. Put some newspaper or a layer of old cotton clothes or part of the leg of an old pair of jeans in the bottom. This will help hold water and will eventually rot, helping to build up the soil. Add a layer of good potting mix then a layer of old rotted manure. Follow this with another layer of potting mix so that your pot is about half full. Place a couple of pieces of potato or 'seed' potato on this layer and cover with potting mix. Consistent watering is very important for all plants in tubs. As the shoots emerge keep adding potting mix until you have reached the top (some weeks). Potatoes form off the stems on this section of the plant, not off the roots at the base. In colder areas leave planting until late winter. In Adelaide you may be able to put the pots in a sheltered spot and grow them throughout the year. You should have no difficulty having new potatoes for Christmas. New potatoes can be bandicooted about a month after flowering. Just scratch down beside the plant and take them, being careful not to disturb the plant too much. When the tops die off we call them old potatoes. These ones will keep longer. We are very happy to support you in your venture, all my answers or comments will be 'organic'. Keep the questions coming, remembering: 'there is no such thing as a dumb question'. All the best in your move to grow your own 'clean', healthy food.
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11 Mar 17, Carol S (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi, do you know where I can get the purple skinned maori potatos with a whute waxy texture. Thanks
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14 Mar 17, Toni deRooy (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Carol l have heaps l am in Waimate in the South Island - would you like me to send you some for seed
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23 Mar 17, Sarah (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Hi Toni My husband and I have had a small crop (20 or so) and grown these rotating each year. Unfortunatly we believe we must have inadvertently eaten our saved ones and now we cant source any. We are in Wellington and I know it's a long shot but wondered if you could help. Kind regards Sarah
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10 Mar 17, Wendy (Australia - temperate climate)
Can a potatoes be grown in self wicking containers or would they get too damp?
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12 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Potatoes can be grown in wicking beds. If the beds are set up correctly they will only 'wick' the water that they need.
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Showing 391 - 400 of 833 comments
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I heard that the potato will stop sending nutrients to the tubers if the stalks are bent. One of the most successful potato harvests I have ever seen was a large container grown project where he used several layers (think of a layer cake) of horizontal plastic fencing and t-posts at each corner to hold the horizontal fencing to keep the stalks from bending at all and support them as they grew. They were able to get an absolutely massive yield with that method although he was sick all summer and didn't care for them or water them at all. I am not sure that the container growing was as pivotal in the results as just keeping the stalks from bending over. I have container grown before and will try it again this spring as well as ground growing using his methods to keep the stalks upright. I think another often overlooked issue is either too much or too little phosphorus and potash in 10-10-10 fertilizer. I think 'balanced' fertilizers can present real problems for root crops since they don't need or want balanced inputs. You will always have too much of something and too little of the other. Also there is a time delay on phosphorus while it stays in the upper part of the soil, so you can apply phosphorus to increase tuber formation, but it takes 3 months to disperse into the soil, while nitrogen sinks like a stone through soil an becomes almost immediately bio-unavailable (or runs off into the environment via water). So if you are using 10-10-10 you are going to end up poisoning your plants in order to get one or another nutrients available in the correct quantity. Plus factor in the time delay to bioavailability. I think it is better to thoroughly prepare soil before you put your garden to bed in the winter than prepare it in the spring (actually I have revived some fruit trees that were very old and no longer producing by fall fertilizing; I got almost $700 worth of organic pears and even more than this in apples last year through fall fertilizing). I also heard (and studied it last year in my own garden) that potatoes grow between the seed potato and the surface. If you bury them deep you will increase yields as there is more space for them to grow above the seed potato. But if you plant them shallow, they have a very narrow area to make potatoes in, significantly reducing production. This means in container gardening you need to put them at the very bottom of a 1'-6" (0.45 meters) tall container to get a full yield. I tried this method last year and doubled my production. I was putting them very close to the surface before last year. Also, potatoes need cool roots and won't produce anything at all if their roots are too hot in the container during the summer. Afternoon/evening shade is a must in Southern US zones or other hot environments. Or you could insulate or shade the container.

- Christian

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