How to Grow Potato
Solanum tuberosum
Potatoes prefer full sun and moist, fertile, free-draining soil. Plant seed potatoes once soil warms; chit earlies for a head start. Space in rows and earth up as shoots grow to exclude light and protect from frost. Keep even moisture, especially from tuber initiation to bulking. Watch for blight; remove infected foliage promptly. Harvest earlies when plants flower and tubers are egg-sized; maincrops after foliage dies back. Dry (cure) before storing cool, dark, and ventilated.
When to Start
Plant directly outdoors once soil temperature reaches 7°C. No seed starting needed — grow from bulbs, tubers, or sets.
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Growth Stages
Approximate days from start
Care Essentials
- Balanced fertiliser at planting. High-potash feed when flowering for maincrop varieties.
- Rotate — don't grow in the same spot for 3 years. Chitting (sprouting) seed potatoes before planting gives a head start.
Companion Planting
Broad Beans, Garden Peas, Marigolds
Growing Conditions
- Min. soil temperature
- 7°C+
- Germination temperature
- 7–16°C
Pet Safety
- Direct sow
- —
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Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 30 cm |
| Row spacing | 60 cm |
| Sow depth | 10 cm |
| Mature height | 60 cm |
| Mature spread | 45 cm |
Space seed potatoes this far apart in a trench. The wide row spacing is necessary for 'hilling up' soil around the growing plants.
Companion Planting
Grows well with
Broad bean root nodules fix 40-60 kg of atmospheric nitrogen per hectare via Rhizobium leguminosarum, making it available to neighbouring potato plants through soil microbial pathways. The tall bean stems also provide a partial windbreak for potato foliage.
▼Pea roots host nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria that enrich the soil with plant-available nitrogen, directly benefiting heavy-feeding potato tubers. Cut pea haulms at ground level after harvest to leave nitrogen deposits undisturbed.
▼French marigold roots release alpha-terthienyl, a compound toxic to root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) that damage potato tubers. Interplant marigolds throughout the potato bed — the effect is strongest after 2-3 months of root growth.
▼Thyme releases thymol vapours that repel Colorado potato beetles, which locate host plants by scent. Plant creeping thyme between potato rows as a fragrant ground cover that disrupts beetle navigation.
▼Keep away from
Potatoes and tomatoes are both highly susceptible to late blight (Phytophthora infestans) — airborne spores from one crop will rapidly infect the other. Keep at least 5 metres apart and never grow them in the same bed or in sequence without a 3-year gap.
▼Cucumbers and potatoes compete for potassium in the topsoil, and their combined foliage density creates a humid microclimate that promotes fungal diseases in both crops. Keep them in separate beds with good airflow between.
▼Pumpkin vines sprawl over potato hills and smother foliage needed for tuber development, while both crops are heavy potassium feeders that deplete the soil together. Grow them in separate beds at least 2 metres apart.
▼Courgettes and potatoes both demand heavy potassium feeding and their dense combined canopy traps moisture, promoting Phytophthora and downy mildew. Grow them in well-separated beds with open airflow.
▼Winter squash vines smother potato foliage and compete for the same potassium and phosphorus reserves. Both also harbour Verticillium wilt in their root zones, creating mutual reinfection risk. Keep in separate beds.
▼Celery and potatoes compete intensely for the same soil moisture band and both require consistent irrigation — growing them together makes water management difficult without overwatering one or underwatering the other.
▼Potato earthing-up and harvesting disturbs the shallow asparagus crown roots that sit just 15 cm below the surface, causing lasting damage to the perennial root system. Never interplant — asparagus beds must remain undisturbed for 15+ years.
▼Pests & Diseases
Pest Colorado Potato Beetle
Identification: Oval beetles 3/8 inch long, yellow-orange prothorax, yellowish wing covers with 10 black stripes. Brick red larvae with black heads.
- Hand picking
- Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis)
- Neem oil
- Crop rotation
- Row covers
- Spinosad
- Imidacloprid soil drench
- Pyrethroid sprays - rotate chemistries to prevent resistance
Disease Late Blight Phytophthora infestans
Symptoms: Water-soaked spots on leaves becoming brown-purple, white sporulation on leaf undersides, rapid spread in humid conditions
Treatment: Preventive copper-based or chlorothalonil fungicides before infection, 7-10 day intervals during favorable conditions. No cure once established.
Prevention: Use certified disease-free seed, eliminate cull piles and volunteers, avoid overhead watering, crop rotation
Disease Early Blight Alternaria solani
Symptoms: Circular brown spots with concentric rings (target pattern) on older leaves, stem lesions
Treatment: Fungicide applications with copper or chlorothalonil, remove affected foliage
Prevention: Crop rotation, avoid overhead watering, proper plant spacing, remove plant debris
Growing Conditions
| Min. soil temperature | 7°C |
| Germination temperature | 7–16°C |
| Base growth temperature | 5°C |
| Min. daylength to start | 7h |
| Photoperiod sensitivity | day neutral |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How far apart should I plant Potato?
- Plant Potato 30cm apart with 60cm between rows.
- What grows well with Potato?
- Potato grows well with broad beans, garden peas, marigolds.
- Is Potato frost hardy?
- Potato is classified as Half Hardy.
