Potato Growing Guide
Growing Potato is easier than you think. This guide walks you through everything you need — from planting your first seed to harvesting.
At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 0°C
Plant Family
Solanaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Annual
Also grows well as
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Cut larger seed potatoes so each piece has 1–2 eyes, let the cuts dry a day, then plant 10 cm deep, eyes up, 30 cm apart. 'Chit' them first (sprout in light) for an earlier crop. Hill soil up the stems as they grow to stop tubers greening.
Potatoes are grown from tubers, not seed — buy certified disease-free seed potatoes. Don't plant supermarket spuds (often sprout-treated and may carry disease). NOTE: the green parts and any green tubers are toxic — keep tubers covered with soil.
When To Start
First Chance to Plant
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Last Chance to Plant
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When should you plant Potato?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Potato Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
The Journey Ahead
Potato's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Potatoes are hungry and thirsty — rich soil and steady water during tuber set.
- 2The key job is hilling: keep mounding soil (or straw) over the stems so developing tubers never see light and turn green.
- 3Don't plant them where tomatoes/potatoes grew last year.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~100
Days to Maturity
60 cm
Mature Height
45 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
21 days
When to Pick
New potatoes ~10 wks after flowering; maincrop once the tops die back
How to Harvest
- 1For new potatoes, dig gently a couple of weeks after flowering.
- 2For storage potatoes, wait until the tops have yellowed and died back, then lift on a dry day and cure them in the dark for a week or two.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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