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 USA - Zone 5a 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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25 Mar 13, Gary (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Peter,,just a note from comments above, it is not advised to grow potatoes in tyres because of heavy metal leaching.
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02 Mar 13, Rachel (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi. I live in Sydney in a frost free area. Can I plant potatoes now and, if so, what would be good varieties? Thanks :-)
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04 Mar 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
Rachael , Have you checked that you can get your seed potato's ,because they are not available where I am in Qld!!
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19 Mar 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
Rachel, seed potatoes are now available from Green Harvest Maleny web site order online.
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12 Feb 13, SarahH (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Keen to buy Russett Burbank potato seeds in Canberra area or online but can't find anyone who can ship before June?! Any ideas for good online suppliers? Really need to plant asap. Any ideas greatly appreciated :)
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27 Jan 13, Kevin (Australia - temperate climate)
Keep watering them as usual as the longer they grow the more and bigger tubers. Stop watering when the leaves start to die off and go yellow,. ( If you are anywhere near us in Qld you wont be waterinh for awhile)
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21 Jan 13, (Australia - temperate climate)
growing i old tyres I have found to be excellent in small areas. Just add a tyre and soil as the shoot comes through and add soil. To dig all you do is kick the tyres over, take your harvest and save the soil and tyres for your next crop. Yummy spuds the easy way. Peter
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03 Jan 13, alan (Australia - arid climate)
do the plants need to flower to be able to crop ???? Adelaide aus
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07 Dec 12, Zoe (Australia - temperate climate)
My potato plants flowered then carried on growing, do I need to cut back watering so they die off or let them carry on growing? They were planted mid July. Cheers!
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06 Dec 12, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
thats good, dig a bit and see the size of potato might be too early still.
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Showing 381 - 390 of 563 comments
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Sweet potato farmers here grow sprouts by “bedding” seed potatoes in March. This is done by placing the whole potato in the ground, covering them with a thin layer of soil and plastic. Sprouts will be cut and transplanted from the greenhouse or bedding field to a different field in May or June. It takes approximately 90-120 days without frost to grow a sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are ready to dig 90-120 days after sprouts are transplanted. Around here in August the rows are plowed and sweet potatoes are flipped on top of the ground. Most sweet potatoes are cured. Curing changes starches in the sweet potatoes into sugar, making it sweeter and the skin tougher. It takes 4-7 days of 80-85̊ temperature and 80-90% relative humidity to cure sweet potatoes. After being cured, sweet potatoes are stored at temperatures between 55-60º F and 85% relative humidity. This special storage process is why sweet potatoes are available 365 days a year here in USA. Here in North Carolina, USA sweet potatoes are shipped all over the world. It is one of our largest farmed food crops. I hope this helps... ~Melinda

- Melinda Schwab

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