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 Australia - tropical regions)

  • P = Plant seed potatoes
  • Plant tuber. Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 30 - 40 cm 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

30 Mar 22, Lee Patterson (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live in Taree, Mid North Coast, NSW. I have Potato Bags ready for planting and would like to know when is the right time for me to plant. Also, when do potato seedlings go on sale. Thank you.
31 Mar 22, Gary Hall (Australia - arid climate)
Hi Lee I'm from Wauchope and the Potato season is August, September and october you can get seed potato from Bunnings in the Gardening section in Taree if not try one of the rural centre's in Taree hope this helps.
01 Apr 22, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
sub tropical Bundy they grow an Autumn crop and plant late April May.
31 Mar 22, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Ring your local produce agency and ask if they have seed potatoes. Or buy seed potatoes on line. Plant from mid April onwards.
11 Feb 22, grace (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi, I live in a temperate Zone, according to your table, and was wondering if I can grow potatoes ALL year round, as I rarely get frosts. ?? I have heard you can grow them all year round but would like some confirmation. thanks
08 Mar 22, John Mauger (Australia - temperate climate)
Frost is the bane of potatoes. Give it a go by planting some seed potatoes or small pieces every few weeks. I have had potatoes growing amongst shrubs even in winter. Find the warmest, or most sheltered spot with the most sun for cool season planting. All the best.
31 Oct 21, Kevin Weaver (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live on the mid north coast of Nsw . I planted potatoes in my vegetable garden at the beginning of October, not realizing they are best grown in cooler months, the are currently looking and growing really well i have just mounded them for the first time. Is there any chance they will grow to harvest, or am i wasting my time. Thanks kev
01 Nov 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
In sub tropical you can grow an Autumn and a Spring crop. The guide above says plant Aug to Oct. They also plant about May in Bundy - sub tropical.
27 Sep 21, Renato (Australia - tropical climate)
Can you plant potatoes in the tropics with 30°C temperature and get a good harvest?
28 Sep 21, Anon (Australia - tropical climate)
It says plant April May - the reason, your are growing into the coolest time of the year and less likely to have massive rainfall then. Also pit them in a raised bed if your ground can be wet a lot. Free draining soil.
Showing 31 - 40 of 561 comments

Technically you don't HAVE TO HILL any variety of potatoes. Here's how it works: you plant the seed potato (which is an extra small potato saved/stored from last year's harvest -- or a piece of a larger potato that you stored/saved from last year) -- the DEPTH THAT you PLANT that SEED POTATO determines your LOWEST POINT -- GENERALLY, and I do mean GENERALLY (like 95% of the potatoes) the potato plant will not create tubers LOWER than the depth you planted the seed potato at (so your seed potato is the BOTTOM of the plants tubers/potatoes). Which is why some people think the very bottom potato always rots, when in reality it is the seed potato and is expected to grow and will appear rotten. Which means if you don't hill up as your potato plant grows and you planted the seed potato shallow, there is not that much ROOM for the potato plant to put it's tubers, and larger tubers will usually "pop" out of the soil and turn green due to sun exposure. If you don't want to hill up, plant your seed potato deeper than recommended -- yes it will be fine -- the reason you plant shallow and mound up is because the potato plant will be able to get leaves into the sun sooner if it's seed potato was planted shallow, which means it will grow quicker because it is collecting light sooner -- then you mound up to offset that you planted the seed potato shallow, but you always leave lots of leaves exposed to the sun so the plant can collect sun and grow. It's a lot of extra work work to mound up soil-- and maybe speeds up the process "brings in the harvest" by 10 days or so.... My experience is planting seed potatoes a foot deep ((30cm) is fine -- yes the plant takes a little longer for it's leaves to surface -- but it's fine and you should not experience any problems - provided the soil is nice and loose. (hopefully that makes senses). I think in the future I will plant two potatoes side by side -- one deep, one using the mound method and record the progress and final outcomes... I have never done a tandem planting -- BUT I HAVE had potatoes spring up from deep down Once as I dug out one of these "self planted potatoes" I realized it was down about 30" (70cm) -- it was in a potato planting tower (old full size garbage can full of 3" holes all over) which I dumped and collect the potatoes from the year before, then just put the soil back, week by week, as I composted kitchen scraps directly into the soil... so no surprise that a potato was so deep -- it grew -- it put out potatoes and it's crop was average good... it spent a lot of energy growing up -- and perhaps I harvested too early based on the other potatoes-- but it made it and did OK, good size potatoes, good quantity. I would not recommend placing your seed potatoes that deep, but a foot (30cm) should be fine.

- 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. Gardenate 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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