Potato

Potato: plant 30 cm (12 in) apart in the row and 75 cm (30 in) between rows, 1 per square. Good neighbours: Bush beans, Sweet corn, Cabbage.

Key facts

Spacing in the row	30 cm (12 in)
Between rows	75 cm (30 in)
In a 30 cm (1 ft) square	1 per square
Sun	Full sun, 6–8 hours a day
Root depth	40 cm (16 in)
Height when grown	60 cm (24 in)
Crop rotation group	Potato and tomato family
Support	None needed

Sowing and germination

How it is started	From tubers
Tubers per planting hole	1
Per metre of row	3
Planting depth	10 cm (3.9 in)
Soil temperature	from 7 °C, best 15–22 °C
Before sowing	Sprout in the light first
When to plant	Outdoors after the last frost; soil at least 10 °C

From seedling to plant

Takes transplanting	Badly, sow where it grows
Life cycle	Annual
Cold tolerance	Tender, hurt by frost; if frost returns after planting, earth up or cover the young shoots
Soil	Light, sandy, free draining, pH 5–6.5
In a pot	10 L, 30 cm (11.8 in)
Watering	Water when the soil is dry two fingers down; while roots swell
Feeding	Hungry; at planting, when earthing up
Support and training	None needed; earth up

Harvest and planning

Days to first harvest	70–120 days, from planting
Ready when	The leaves die back
Harvest window	All at once, 2–6 weeks
Typical yield	0.8–1.5 kg per plant
Botanical family	Solanaceae
Watch out for	Blight, Colorado beetle, wireworms

Good neighbours

◐ good with a condition · Why, with the sources →

Keep away from

Plan Potato in your garden

Open the free planner, drop Potato onto a bed and see how many plants fit.

Start Planning Your Garden

Sowing and harvest

Plant out	May
Harvest	Jun–Sep

My dates for this crop

My country Last spring frost where I live

Give the date once and this page, the sowing calendar and the planner all follow it.

Months for a temperate climate: about a month later in the north and a month earlier in the south. Give your own last frost date for exact dates.

What to plant next to Potato →

From the same family

Plants of the Solanaceae family share diseases and pests, so they follow each other in the rotation only after a break.

Grown much the same way

Crops that need about the same room and care, from another family.

Sources

The values on this page marked as checked come from these sources: spacing, sowing depth, germination, soil, timing and safety notes, each against the source named here.

Growing potatoes in home gardens — University of Minnesota Extension for: sowing depth, scientific name, between rows, spacing in the row; checked 2026-10-29
Growing Potatoes in Your Home Garden — Michigan State University for: soil; checked 2026-10-29
Home Gardening Series: Irish Potatoes (FSA6016) — University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension for: soil; checked 2026-10-29
Potato Facts: Growing Potatoes in the Home Garden (Bulletin 2077) — University of Maine Cooperative Extension for: when to sow; checked 2026-10-29

More in Roots and tubers

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