Potato planting months by climate zone
The chart comes from the same data as the planting calendar. Tap a zone for its full calendar and the towns it covers.
| Zone | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Sow or plant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical | yes | yes | yes | yes | Apr–Jul | ||||||||
| Subtropical | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | Mar–Aug | ||||||
| Arid and semi-arid | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | Aug–Dec | |||||||
| Temperate | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | Jul–Dec | ||||||
| Cool | yes | yes | yes | yes | Sep–Dec | ||||||||
| NZ warm north | yes | yes | yes | Sep–Nov | |||||||||
| NZ temperate | yes | yes | yes | Sep–Nov | |||||||||
| NZ cool south | yes | yes | yes | yes | Sep–Dec |
plantnot recommendedthis month
The tropical months are the least certain: they come from national charts, because the NT Government's calendars don't list potatoes. In Perth, where frost is rare, the WA agriculture department's home garden guide allows planting from as early as May.
Timing around the last frost
Seed potatoes sit underground for a few weeks before the shoots appear, and it is the shoots that frost damages. That is why guides for frosty areas start planting a little before the last frost rather than after it. The Canberra Organic Growers Society suggests planting about a month before your usual last frost, and Yates a few weeks.
If a frost is forecast after the shoots are up, cover them with soil or frost cloth. Hilling does the same job as the plants grow: Tui notes that the mounds protect the tubers from light, frost and wind. When you pick your town in the planting calendar, it flags potatoes in any month where the following month still averages a frost there.
Certified seed potatoes
AuSPICA, which runs seed potato certification in Australia, advises home gardeners to buy certified seed. Certification means the seed is high-yielding and meets biosecurity requirements for pathogens such as potato cyst nematode, a quarantine pest in Australia. Uncertified potatoes, including sprouting ones from the kitchen, can carry potato virus Y, which aphids spread to other plants. Check that the seed potatoes you buy come from an approved certified source.
Chitting and cutting
- Chit first. Tui recommends sprouting seed potatoes in a dry spot out of direct light until the shoots are about 20–40 mm long, which takes around a month.
- Small ones go in whole. University of Minnesota Extension plants seed potatoes about 3 cm across whole and cuts larger ones into chunks of about 3 cm, each weighing no less than about 57 g.
- Let cut pieces heal. Leave them at room temperature for a few days until the cut surface has dried and formed a tough skin before planting.
Planting depth and spacing
| Tui (New Zealand) | University of Minnesota Extension | |
|---|---|---|
| Depth | In 15 cm furrows, covered with up to 5 cm of soil at first | 8–13 cm deep, cut side down |
| Apart in the row | About 25 cm | 25–30 cm |
| Between rows | 30 cm for small varieties, 40 cm for main crops | 75–90 cm |
| Hilling | Keep mounding as the shoots grow, to about 300 mm high | Start when stems are about 30 cm tall, then once or twice more |
The two guides differ mainly in the gap between rows, which leaves room to walk and to hill the plants. The plant spacing calculator turns whichever spacing you choose into a plant count for your bed.
Potatoes grow best in well-drained soil with a pH of about 6 to 6.5, according to Minnesota Extension, which also notes that common scab, rough patches on the skin, spoils the look but not the taste. The soil pH calculator shows how much lime or sulfur would shift your soil's pH.
When to dig them up
Tui says early varieties are ready when the flowers are fully open, about three months after planting, while main-crop and late varieties are ready when the foliage dies back. The calendar allows 12–20 weeks from planting.
Growing potatoes in bags or pots
Potatoes need a big container: University of Maryland Extension suggests about 30 US gallons, or roughly 115 litres, of potting mix. Tui's method is to plant in the bottom with plenty of drainage holes and keep adding mix as the shoots grow, until the container is full. The pot size guide compares containers for other crops.
Questions
When should I plant potatoes in Melbourne?
From September to December, in the cool-zone window. Inner Melbourne rarely frosts after August, so September plantings are usually safe there; in frostier outer suburbs, plant about a month before your usual last frost so the shoots come up after it.
Can I plant potatoes from the supermarket?
It isn't recommended. AuSPICA warns that uncertified potatoes may carry potato virus Y, which aphids spread, and certified seed also meets biosecurity rules for potato cyst nematode. Buy certified seed potatoes.
When do you plant potatoes in New Zealand?
From September to December, according to Tui, after chitting the seed potatoes for about a month. In the cool south the calendar runs to December; mound soil over early shoots if a frost is forecast.
How long do potatoes take to grow?
About 12–20 weeks from planting. Early varieties are ready when they flower, about three months after planting; main crops when the tops die back.
Sources
- AuSPICA, The use of certified seed potatoes in home gardens – certification, potato virus Y, potato cyst nematode.
- Tui, Potato growing guide – planting months in New Zealand, chitting, depth, spacing, mounding, harvest, containers.
- University of Minnesota Extension, Growing potatoes in home gardens – seed piece size, curing, depth, spacing, hilling, pH, scab.
- University of Maryland Extension, Types of containers for growing vegetables – 30 gallons of mix for potatoes.
- Planting months by zone: the GardenMaths planting calendar, from ABC Gardening Australia, the WA agriculture department (DPIRD), Green Adelaide, the Canberra Organic Growers Society, Sustainable Gardening Australia, Tui and others listed on each zone page.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026 · Report an error