When to Plant Potatoes
Plant seed potatoes up to 4 weeks before your last frost.
Potatoes at a glance
- Plant
- up to 4 weeks before your last frost
- Time to harvest
- 75 to 120 days from planting
- Harvest lasts
- about 6 weeks
- Spacing
- 1 plant per square foot
- Frost
- Takes a light frost
Growing potatoes
Plant seed potatoes, whole or cut into pieces with at least two eyes, a few inches deep in loose soil. Keep them evenly watered, especially while the plants flower. Early varieties give new potatoes quickly; late ones yield more and store better.
Dates by hardiness zone
Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.
| Zone | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | Apr 30 – May 28 | Jul 14 – Sep 25 |
| Zone 3b | Apr 19 – May 17 | Jul 3 – Sep 14 |
| Zone 4a | Apr 14 – May 12 | Jun 28 – Sep 9 |
| Zone 4b | Apr 10 – May 8 | Jun 24 – Sep 5 |
| Zone 5a | Apr 5 – May 3 | Jun 19 – Aug 31 |
| Zone 5b | Apr 3 – May 1 | Jun 17 – Aug 29 |
| Zone 6a | Apr 1–29 | Jun 15 – Aug 27 |
| Zone 6b | Mar 26 – Apr 23 | Jun 9 – Aug 21 |
| Zone 7a | Mar 19 – Apr 16 | Jun 2 – Aug 14 |
| Zone 7b | Mar 8 – Apr 5 | May 22 – Aug 3 |
| Zone 8a | Mar 1–29 | May 15 – Jul 27 |
| Zone 8b | Feb 17 – Mar 17 | May 3 – Jul 15 |
| Zone 9a | Feb 2 – Mar 2 | Apr 18 – Jun 30 |
| Zone 9b | Jan 4 – Feb 1 | Mar 20 – Jun 1 |
| Zone 10a | Dec 27 – Jan 24 | Mar 12 – May 24 |
| Zones 10b–11b | Frost is rare here, so grow potatoes in the cooler months, from fall to early spring. | |
Good neighbors
Keep apart from
Questions about potatoes
Can I plant potatoes from the grocery store?
It is better not to. Certified seed potatoes are free of common diseases and are not treated to stop sprouting, as some store potatoes are.
When can I dig potatoes?
Dig a few small new potatoes once the plants flower. For storage, wait until the tops die back, then leave them in the ground a week or two so the skins firm up.
