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

26 Feb 10, Mark (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
My potatoes looked fantastic above ground - strong lush growth from spring to mid-summer, but the harvest was disappointingly meagre. Any suggestions?
10 May 10, (Australia - temperate climate)
Many potato varieties respond to shorter day length. That is, they will produce a crop when they 'sense' that the days shorten. Maybe you should look at planting your potatoes at a different time of the year. Perhaps mid/ late Summer so that they will come into flower as the days shorten in Autumn/Winter.
10 May 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hi Mark - I too live in the cool-mountain zone - the Blue Mountains - and had a very disappointing yield of Nicola potatoes this year for the number I planted. I think was just a strange summer with cool and rain and the occassional few hot days - enough to make any self-respecting plant be undecided about what to do! I wondered if it wa the type, but i think not..Better luck next year Glen
24 Feb 10, rylie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
what height and width is a avarage potato?
22 Feb 10, guy (Australia - temperate climate)
i live in central west nsw what vegies can i grow from march right through winter. any tips would be greatly appreciated.
01 Feb 10, Adele (Australia - temperate climate)
Is it ok to plant potatoes if they are in shade in the morning and get full afternoon sun? Adele
13 Jan 10, Billy (Australia - temperate climate)
First a comment to Lisa, if the potato is green it meens it has been exposed to light. One dug up from the soils should not be green, but will turn green if left out and exposed to daylight. Jane, I planted my spuds just a couple of months ago (November) and they seem to be almost ready to be dug, the stems are starting to wilt and the flowers dropping. I think you can plant them for a few more weeks. I was amazed at how quickly they came up. Just noticed the date of your posting. Hope they have come up nicely.
11 Jan 10, Anne (Australia - temperate climate)
i tried to grow potatoes but very poor yield. Plants grew very tall and spindly and few small potatoes what am I lacking in my soils? I used lots of blood and bone manures, chicken and fed weekly with thrive. Should I have used more compost and trace elements?
04 Jan 10, Leanne (Australia - temperate climate)
Very happy with my first potato harvest. The plant just sprouted from our compost when it was mulched into the garden bed. One of the potato's already has an eye growing - I am going to replant this now and hope for the best.
03 Jan 10, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Matthew, if you're in a cool/mountain region it's probably a bit late to start potatoes now. We started ours after the frosts stopped (Melbourne cup day, around here). You're best off buying seed potato from a garden shop to avoid problems with potato virus - when they start stocking them is generally the best time to plant them for your area. Seed potato is an ordinary potato grown under controlled conditions - you let it spout and plant it, or cut it in two and let those sprout to get two plants started. Potatoes are all grown as clones by sprouting from a potato tuber. If you try seed (from the berries), you will probably end up with something inedible as they are quite variable.
Showing 701 - 710 of 820 comments

Hi, I live in an apartment with a west facing balcony and about to experiment with my "potting Garden" Wish me luck lol. Was just wondering if potatoes would have any problem on my balcony since it is west facing?

- Filly

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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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