Vegetable
Potato
Solanum tuberosum
A rewarding crop planted from certified seed potatoes in late winter to spring, and again in late summer, for harvest about 3 to 4 months later. Hill soil or mulch up around the stems as they grow so tubers stay covered; sunlight turns them green and toxic. Don't plant supermarket potatoes, which can carry disease.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing30 cm apart
- First pick13–17 weeks
- FrostHandles light frost
- HeatCopes with some heat
- Sow depth100 mm
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add potato to my gardenTake care with pets and children
Varieties (4)
- DesireeRed skin, dependable and drought tolerant; good for roasting and mash
- Dutch CreamButtery yellow flesh; excellent all-rounder
- KipflerWaxy finger-shaped salad potato; great flavour
- NicolaWaxy, good for salads and boiling; reliable yields
Neighbours
Grows well with
Keep away from
From seed to plate
Plant
30 cm apart, rows 75 cm, seed 100 mm deep. Full sun.
Water
Even moisture, especially as tubers form.
Feed
Compost before planting.
Pick, from about 13 weeks
Dig when tops die back.
Good to know
- Chit (sprout) seed potatoes in a light, cool place for a couple of weeks before planting
- Dig 'new' potatoes when plants flower; main crop once tops die down
- Grow in bags or bins if space is short
Common problems
- Green tubershill soil or mulch over tubers; discard green parts
- Potato moth (tunnels in tubers)hill deeply, fill soil cracks, harvest promptly once tops die
- Early and late blight (dark leaf blotches)use certified seed, rotate beds over 3 years, water at the base
- Scab on skinavoid lime and fresh manure before planting; keep soil moist as tubers form
If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.
Guides
Where this information comes from
- Australian seed company regional sowing charts (temperate zone) (germination, low confidence)
- ABC Gardening Australia plant finder: Potatoes (growing, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, low confidence)
- ABC Gardening Australia: Hot potato tips (growing, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Sustainable Gardening Australia: planting guides (sowing window, low confidence)
- Poisons information centre plant guidance (Australia) (toxicity, low confidence)
- Australian National Botanic Gardens: poison plant illustrations (Solanum) (toxicity, high confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- ASPCA: Pets and Produce, vegetable garden safety (toxicity, high confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.