Field guide
How to grow potatoes: planting, care, and harvest guide
Potatoes typically reaches first harvest in 70–120 days. This guide covers when to plant by USDA zone, common pests, harvest cues, and companion plants where relevant.
Open plannerWhen to plant potatoes by USDA zone group
- USDA Zones 1–4 — May to June
- USDA Zones 5–6 — April to May
- USDA Zones 7–8 — March to April
- USDA Zones 9–10 — February to March
- USDA Zones 11–13 — January to February
Companion plants
Good companions: beans, Sweet Corn, Cabbage, Horseradish
Avoid planting with: Tomato (Slicing), Tomato (Cherry), Winter Squash, Sunflowers
Harvest
When to pick
- New potatoes: harvest when plants flower (small, tender)
- Storage potatoes: wait until foliage dies back and turns brown
- Skin should not rub off easily when ready for storage
How: Use a garden fork, inserting it 12 inches from the stem. Lift gently and sift through soil. Cure storage potatoes in a cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks.
Storage: Store cured potatoes in a cool (45-50°F), dark, well-ventilated spot. Never refrigerate. Lasts 2-3 months.
Common pests and problems
Colorado Potato Beetle
Signs: Yellow-orange striped beetles, orange larvae, defoliated plants
Control: Hand-pick adults and larvae daily. Apply Bt (for larvae) or spinosad. Rotate crops — never plant potatoes where tomatoes, peppers, or potatoes grew last year.
Late Blight
Signs: Dark water-soaked spots on leaves, white fuzzy growth underneath, rapid plant death
Control: Destroy infected plants immediately (do not compost). Apply copper fungicide preventively in wet weather. Choose resistant varieties.
Wireworms
Signs: Small holes in tubers
Control: Rotate crops. Set bait traps with potato slices. Avoid planting in recently turned sod.
About this field guide
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