Spring is prime potato-planting time across most of Australia. Plant certified seed potatoes once the worst frosts have passed, hill soil up around the plants as they grow, and you can be digging your own potatoes by summer. Of the two favourites here, Dutch Cream is the creamy, versatile all-rounder, while Kipfler is the waxy, nutty fingerling that holds its shape beautifully in a salad. One safety note to remember: never eat the green parts of a potato.
There is something deeply satisfying about tipping a fork under a potato plant and turning up a clutch of clean, home-grown spuds. Potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops for the effort, they store well, and they are far more interesting at home than the single nameless variety at the shops. The two we are comparing here, Dutch Cream and Kipfler, are among the best-loved in Australian gardens, and choosing between them comes down to how you like to cook.
Spring is potato-planting time
In most of the country, spring is when potatoes go in, once the soil has begun to warm and the danger of hard frost has passed. In warm and frost-free areas you can start earlier, while in cold districts you wait until the frosts are truly finished, since frost will cut down the soft new growth. The window shifts a little with your climate:
- Temperate (Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra): plant in spring once the soil warms and the frosts have passed.
- Mediterranean (Perth, southern WA, Adelaide): spring suits potatoes as the soil warms, though note seed potatoes cannot be shipped to Western Australia.
- Subtropical (Brisbane, Sunshine Coast): start from late winter into spring.
- Tropical (Darwin, Cairns): plant in the cooler, drier months rather than the humid wet, when disease pressure is lower.
- Arid and semi-arid (Alice Springs, Mildura): plant in spring with steady water, sizing the crop before the fiercest summer heat.
- Cool and alpine (Tasmania, the tablelands): wait until late spring when the frosts have truly finished.
The single most important choice is to plant certified seed potatoes rather than spuds from the kitchen. Certified seed is grown and inspected to strict standards to keep down the viruses and diseases that can quietly ruin a crop, which supermarket potatoes carry no guarantee against. Giving the seed potatoes a couple of weeks to sprout, or chit, in a cool, light spot before planting gives them a head start, a job our guide to chitting seed potatoes covers in detail.
Dutch Cream: the creamy all-rounder
If you want one potato that does almost everything well, Dutch Cream is hard to beat. It is a large, yellow-fleshed potato with a rich, buttery, creamy texture, more waxy than floury, and it has earned its place as one of the most popular varieties in the country.
That creaminess is its calling card. Dutch Cream makes a wonderful mash, roasts beautifully, holds together in a salad, and is just as happy boiled with a little butter. For the gardener who wants a single, versatile crop to cover most of the kitchen, it is the obvious pick.
Kipfler: the waxy salad fingerling
Kipfler is a long, finger-shaped, slightly knobbly fingerling with yellow skin and firm, waxy, nutty flesh that holds its shape beautifully, which makes it the classic salad potato. It is the favourite of cooks who care about texture.
Steamed or boiled and tossed warm through a salad, or roasted in its skin until golden, Kipfler is a small pleasure. The one thing it does not do well is fry, so it is not the spud for chips. If you love a proper potato salad or a tray of crisp roasted fingerlings, this is your variety.
Which one is right for you?
Choose Dutch Cream for a versatile everyday potato, or Kipfler for a firm, waxy specialist for salads and roasting. It really comes down to your kitchen: pick Dutch Cream if you want one all-purpose potato for mash, roasts, salads and everyday cooking, and would rather not think too hard about it. Choose Kipfler if you love salads and gourmet roasting, and you do not mind a potato with a more specific, waxy character.
Of course, the gardener's answer is often to grow both, since they plant and grow in exactly the same way. A row of each gives you the creamy all-rounder and the waxy specialist from the one patch of ground, and digging day becomes a small treasure hunt.
Growing them well, and one safety rule
Both varieties want the same simple things: a sunny spot, free-draining soil that is not too rich in fresh manure, and steady water once the plants are growing and flowering. As the green tops grow, draw soil up around the stems in a mound, a process called hilling. Hilling can encourage more potatoes to form and, just as importantly, keeps the developing tubers covered and in the dark.
That darkness matters for one reason above all. When potatoes are exposed to light, in the ground or in the cupboard, they turn green and build up a natural toxin called solanine, which cooking does not remove. The rule is simple, keep tubers covered as they grow, store your harvest somewhere cool and dark, and never eat green or bitter-tasting potatoes.
Getting your seed potatoes
When you are ready to plant, start with certified seed potatoes for a clean, healthy crop. One thing to know before you order: due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send seed potatoes to Western Australia, Tasmania or Kangaroo Island. Gardeners everywhere else in the country can have them delivered to plant in spring.
So pick the variety that suits your cooking, or hedge your bets and grow both, and get them in while the spring soil is warming. You can browse our seed potatoes for Dutch Cream, Kipfler and more, and if you want to give them the best start, our guide to chitting seed potatoes will set you up.
For the price of a few seed potatoes and a sunny patch, you can be eating your own all summer. Few crops feel quite as much like proper food from the ground.
Frequently asked questions
When should I plant potatoes in Australia?
Spring is the main planting time across most of the country, once the soil has warmed and the danger of hard frost has passed. Warm, frost-free areas can plant earlier, and cold districts should wait until the frosts have finished, since frost damages the soft new growth.
What is the difference between Dutch Cream and Kipfler potatoes?
Dutch Cream is a large, creamy, versatile all-rounder, more waxy than floury, good for mash, roasting, boiling and salads. Kipfler is a waxy, finger-shaped fingerling with a nutty flavour that holds its shape, prized for salads and roasting but not suited to chips.
Which potato is better for salads?
Kipfler is the classic salad potato, since its firm, waxy flesh holds together when cooked. Dutch Cream also works in a salad thanks to its creamy, waxy texture, so either will do, with Kipfler the specialist and Dutch Cream the all-rounder.
Can I plant potatoes from the supermarket?
It is best not to. Supermarket potatoes carry no guarantee against viruses and diseases, and may be treated to suppress sprouting. Certified seed potatoes are produced and inspected under a certification scheme that keeps disease levels very low, which gives you a far more reliable crop.
Why do potatoes turn green, and is it dangerous?
Potatoes turn green when exposed to light, and the green signals a build-up of solanine, a natural toxin that cooking does not destroy. Keep growing tubers hilled and covered, store your harvest in the dark, and never eat the green parts of a potato.
Can seed potatoes be sent anywhere in Australia?
No. Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send seed potatoes to Western Australia, Tasmania or Kangaroo Island. They can be delivered to gardeners everywhere else in the country.
Related growing guides
- The Aussie Gardener’s Guide to Growing Great Garlic
- The Complete Guide to Growing and Harvesting Saffron in Australia
- Fridge Trick: How to Grow Purple Garlic in Warm Climates
Ready to plant? Browse our Vegetable Seeds.