When to plant Potato in Temperate Australia

Temperate zone — applies to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle and similar areas. Growing elsewhere? Cool · Subtropical · Tropical · Arid.

Plant potatoes direct from August to December in temperate Australia, setting seed potatoes 30–50 mm deep with 30–40 cm between them and 60 cm between rows. Shoots take 14–28 days to break the surface, and the crop needs 105–140 days from planting to harvest, so an August planting is bandicooted from December onward. Potatoes want an open sunny position, loose slightly acidic soil, and room to be hilled as they grow. Buy certified seed potatoes rather than planting supermarket spuds — it is the cheapest disease insurance the crop has.

Sowing calendar — temperate zone

Green months are your sowing window: August to December.

Growing notes

The frost-tender part of a potato is its foliage, not the buried tuber, and that shapes the timing. In temperate Australia the last frost usually falls around mid-October, so August and September plantings will often have shoots emerging while frosts are still possible. That is manageable rather than fatal: hill soil right over the shoots if frost threatens, and they push through again within days. Plantings from October to December carry no frost risk at all, though a December planting is cutting it fine to mature its 105–140 days before cold, wet autumn soil arrives.

Give potatoes friable, well-drained soil with compost dug through — avoid fresh manure and avoid lime, since scab thrives in alkaline conditions. Hilling is not optional. As plants reach 20 cm, mound soil or thick mulch up around the stems, and repeat every few weeks; this is where much of the crop actually forms.

The classic failure is green tubers, which are bitter and mildly toxic, and it comes from tubers sitting exposed to light near the surface. Regular hilling prevents it entirely. The other trap is planting where tomatoes grew recently: both crops share blight and other diseases, so rotate them onto ground that has had a break from the nightshade family.

Potato at a glance

Companion planting

Grows well with

Marigold: Deters potato beetle and nematodes

Nasturtiums: Lures aphids and beetles away from potato

Horseradish: Traditional claim: deters potato beetle; limited trial evidence

Keep away from

Tomatoes: Both susceptible to blight; growing together increases disease spread risk

Cucumber: Both attract similar pests; disease spread risk

Common questions

When do you plant potatoes in temperate Australia?

Plant seed potatoes from August to December, 30–50 mm deep. Early plantings may need soil hilled over emerging shoots to protect them from late frosts, which finish around mid-October.

How long do potatoes take to grow?

Shoots emerge in 14–28 days and the crop matures in 105–140 days from planting. You can steal a few early potatoes once plants flower, then dig the main crop when the tops start yellowing and dying back.

Why are my potatoes turning green?

Green skin means the tubers have been exposed to light while growing or in storage, and green flesh contains bitter solanine. Hill soil or mulch up around the plants every few weeks, and store harvested potatoes somewhere completely dark.

Can I grow potatoes from supermarket potatoes?

It sometimes works, but supermarket potatoes can carry viral and fungal diseases and are often sprayed to prevent sprouting. Certified seed potatoes are inexpensive and remove most of that risk.

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