TYPICAL SPACING35 cm
VEGETABLE · ANNUAL
Potato Growing Guide
Plan potato spacing, bed capacity, watering and harvest timing without treating every variety as identical.
PLANT PROFILE
Track in My Garden →Potato
Broad planning defaults are available in the connected calculators; variety instructions and local conditions take priority.
BROAD MATURITY100 days
LIFECYCLEAnnual
Give potato the right place before you calculate dates.
Potato planning starts with the type of crop you want: early potatoes and maincrop potatoes occupy the ground for different lengths of time and are often harvested for different purposes. Variety guidance therefore matters more than one universal calendar.
Choose a bed with enough depth for ridging, earthing up or the container system you intend to use. Good drainage matters because persistently saturated soil creates different risks from normal garden moisture.
Plan the start around the way this plant actually grows.
Planting time is usually chosen from soil and weather conditions rather than a single fixed date. Frost can damage emerging foliage, so very early planting can require protection even though the tubers are below ground.
Maintain soil cover around developing tubers and water during prolonged dry periods when plants are actively growing. Containers need closer moisture monitoring because their root zone is smaller and can dry rapidly.
Use maturity as a window, then check the real plant.
Early potatoes are often harvested while foliage is still relatively fresh and tubers are young. Maincrop potatoes are generally left longer. Use the cultivar's expected season and the condition of the foliage rather than a generic maturity number alone.
Measure the usable bed area, calculate plant positions, and use the harvest-date tool only as a planning window alongside variety guidance.
How should I use the numbers on this page?
Spacing: 35 cm is the current broad planning default. Do not tighten spacing simply to increase the plant count.
Maturity: 100 days is a broad planning estimate. Weather and cultivar can materially change the real timing.
Local conditions: Frost pockets, wind exposure, soil drainage and container size can make two gardens in the same town behave differently.