Garden Care Guide

Potato Care

Solanum tuberosum

A tuber vegetable grown from seed potatoes. Tubers turn green and become poisonous when exposed to light, so it needs regular hilling.

Frost-tender (protect from frost) · -1 °C / 30 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

March
  • Watering: In the cool season, rainfall is often enough; during a long dry spell, water every 10-15 days just enough to keep the soil moist.
  • Fertilizing: Mix well-rotted manure or compost into the soil before planting.
  • General care: Plant sprouted seed potatoes 10-12 cm deep with the sprouts facing up once the soil has warmed to 8-10 °C; 60-70 cm between rows and 30 cm within the row.
April
  • Watering: If there is no rain, water 1-2 times a week; the soil should not stay constantly wet.
  • General care: Plant sprouted seed potatoes 10-12 cm deep with the sprouts facing up once the soil has warmed to 8-10 °C; 60-70 cm between rows and 30 cm within the row.
  • Frost risk: On nights when a late frost is expected, cover the emerging shoots with soil or a fleece cover; frost scorches the leaves.
May
  • Watering: Tuber formation begins during flowering; water regularly during this period.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: When the plants are 15-20 cm tall, draw soil up around the base (hilling); repeat after 2-3 weeks. Tubers exposed to light turn green and are inedible.
  • Pests & diseases: Check once a week for yellow-black striped beetles and orange egg clusters (Colorado potato beetle) and pick them off by hand.
  • Pests & diseases: After humid, cool nights, look for yellowish or brown, oily-looking spots on the leaves and mold on the undersides (downy mildew; on tomato and potato, late blight); remove diseased leaves immediately and do not water in a way that wets the leaves.
June
  • Watering: Tuber formation begins during flowering; water regularly during this period.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: When the plants are 15-20 cm tall, draw soil up around the base (hilling); repeat after 2-3 weeks. Tubers exposed to light turn green and are inedible.
  • General care: Harvest: For new potatoes, pull them after flowering; for storage, pull them 2 weeks after the leaves have turned yellow and died back; do not leave the tubers in the sun.
  • Pests & diseases: Check once a week for yellow-black striped beetles and orange egg clusters (Colorado potato beetle) and pick them off by hand.
  • Pests & diseases: After humid, cool nights, look for yellowish or brown, oily-looking spots on the leaves and mold on the undersides (downy mildew; on tomato and potato, late blight); remove diseased leaves immediately and do not water in a way that wets the leaves.
July
  • Watering: Water deeply at the base 2-3 times a week, in the early morning; do not water again until the soil surface has dried 2-3 cm down.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Harvest: For new potatoes, pull them after flowering; for storage, pull them 2 weeks after the leaves have turned yellow and died back; do not leave the tubers in the sun.
  • Pests & diseases: Check once a week for yellow-black striped beetles and orange egg clusters (Colorado potato beetle) and pick them off by hand.
  • Pests & diseases: After humid, cool nights, look for yellowish or brown, oily-looking spots on the leaves and mold on the undersides (downy mildew; on tomato and potato, late blight); remove diseased leaves immediately and do not water in a way that wets the leaves.
August
  • Watering: Water deeply at the base 2-3 times a week, in the early morning; do not water again until the soil surface has dried 2-3 cm down.
  • General care: Harvest: For new potatoes, pull them after flowering; for storage, pull them 2 weeks after the leaves have turned yellow and died back; do not leave the tubers in the sun.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

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