Growing Potato

Solanum tuberosum : Solanaceae / the nightshade family

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

(Best months for growing Potato in USA - Zone 11a 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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10 Jul 12, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I VE NEVER GROWN DUTCH CREAMS HOW DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD GROW IN CONTAINERS AS I AM CONDUCTING DIFFERENT METHODS WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPUDS IN CONTAINERS BAGS DRUMS ETC
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10 Apr 12, Clive (Australia - temperate climate)
I have several boxes of small potatoes left over from a crop I grew from certified seed potatoes last summer. I would like to plant them this coming spring, (August onward) but they are already statrting to sprout. If I siply remove the sprouts now and keep them dry and in the dark, will they be suitable for planting in 12-16 weeks time? Thanks for anyones interest, Regards, Clive.
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09 Jan 12, Michelle (Australia - temperate climate)
We had 6-8 potato plants grow after planting. We built up the dirt with bricks around them, but now all but two have died once covered with more dirt. I was told you could harvest once they flowered and they have been in the ground for a good two to three months. However, when we dug them up there was only two pea sized potatoes on one of the vines, which was disappointing to say the least. Any ideas?
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13 Feb 12, (Australia - temperate climate)
Wait for ur plants to die off completely and then harvest meanwhile put some compost or veg peels , grass cuttings on the soil.. And if yur plant has disease I may suggest plant afresh in a fresh spot with heaps of compost and loose soil and give ur plant a bit of room.. Use season once a week and u ll be amazed by the produce:)
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03 Feb 12, James (Australia - temperate climate)
I had the same problem but I was growing them in winter, which season were you growing in? Generally the longer you leave the potatoes the larger they get, it should be harvest time when the plant starts to die. Give them a bit more time. Did you add any nutrients to the soil? Other than that I can't think of where you may have gone wrong, maybe the potatoes were disease infested, did the dying plants appear to be suffering from disease?
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03 Jan 12, Gina (Australia - temperate climate)
I have grown potatoes several times but never had flowers. I harvest potatoes (when I get sick of waiting for the flowers) but can't understand why everyones says "wait till it flowers". Do all varieties flower??
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06 Jan 12, Tracey (Australia - temperate climate)
No, not all potato varieties flower. If you have the patience, wait until the plant dies, then you can be sure you've waited long enough. If I'm after new potatoes I start bandicooting at around the 90 day mark, or when the plant starts to look a bit ratty.
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07 Nov 11, Sylvana (Australia - temperate climate)
The potato plants in our pre-school are starting to die down and ready for harvest in about two weeks. The children are eager to harvest them. Can the pre-school catering cook, clean and cook the potatoes immediately after harvesting them, or do they have to cure first for 10 days? thank you Grandmother to a pre-schooler Sylvana
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07 Nov 11, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Sylvana - Yes, you can use the potatoes straight away. They will be delicious 'new' potatoes which just need their skins rubbed off before cooking. The drying time is to ensure that potatoes will keep in storage. It hardens the skins.
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21 Jun 11, Arthur (Australia - temperate climate)
I put my sweet potatoes in a cardboard box in dry sand two weeks ago close to a heater inside the house.Checking I found little white shoots apearing.Ive planted some I.ll let you how the are going in about three weeks time'
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I forgot to mention -- and kept forgetting to post this additional part. When you are "hilling up" you are actually burying LEAVES. Leaves have specialized tissue to COLLECT LIGHT -- that is to say, they are NOT ROOTS -- so to me, burying leaves is NOT CORRECT. It may help to get the potatoes producing sooner, BUT somehow to me if a potato plant made leaves it wanted to collect light -- roots are different, they are sort of thin and round/tube like and are used to transport water and nutrients -- AGAIN: leaves are leaves and roots are roots -- and when I stop and think about it burying leaves doesn't seem right... and my gut instinct is saying that it is not correct. I have also noticed that roots are thinner, and are probably easier for the plant to make/grow -- leaves look like they take a lot of work/nutrition -- so why bury something that is specialized to be above the ground???....... again, the pros may say otherwise and have lots of data and past successes to prove their view point. I have done it both ways (not sure why I did- but I did) and really have not noticed any differences in OVERALL potato production.... so why bury the leaves and make all that extra work hilling up ??? Also, potato tubers seem to like lots of air flow... so make sure the soil is light or ir your in containers ensure lots of holes near the bottom sides to create updrafts..

- Celeste Archer

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