When to Plant Potatoes in Australia, Zone by Zone

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The short version: Plant seed potatoes once the soil holds about 10°C, timed so the shoots, which take two to five weeks to appear, come up after your last frost. That means July to October in most Mediterranean gardens, August to October in arid districts, August to November in temperate areas and September to December in cool and alpine areas. Subtropical gardens plant from March to August and the tropics in the cool dry season, because tubers set poorly in hot soil.

A bag of seed potatoes on the laundry bench raises one question quickly: can these go in yet, or has the moment passed? The answer depends on three things you can check in your own garden.

Potatoes are forgiving, but not about timing. Planted into cold, wet ground, a seed tuber can rot before it shoots. Planted too late in a warm district, the crop tries to form tubers in hot soil and does it badly. Our guide to growing potatoes covers bed preparation, feeding and digging. This piece is about when.

Three checks that set your planting date

Plant when all three line up: frost behind you, soil at about 10°C, and enough cool weather ahead for the tubers to form.

Frost

Potato shoots and leaves are frost tender, while the seed tuber sits protected under the soil. The shoots take two to five weeks to break through, depending on soil warmth, the seed and the variety. The straightforward approach is to plant once your usual last frost has passed. Some cool-climate gardeners start up to a month earlier, which works if you are ready to cover shoots that appear before the last frost. The Bureau of Meteorology publishes monthly maps of potential frost days, showing how late frost is likely where you live.

Soil temperature

Seed potatoes get going once the soil at planting depth holds about 10°C. Check it about 10 cm down, early in the morning. Below that, growth is slow and the seed is more prone to rot and soil-borne disease.

Heat ahead

Tubers form best in cool soil. Australian research on the varieties Sebago and Sequoia found new tubers started and grew better at low temperatures, and that a quick rise in soil temperature around emergence set crops back. Tasmanian Government guidance adds that nights need to drop below 20°C for about four hours so plants can recover from hot days.

Planting windows, zone by zone

The zones below are broad groupings. If you garden between two of them, or at altitude, lean on local cues, especially your first and last frosts.

Tropical (Darwin and Katherine in the Northern Territory, Cairns and Townsville in Queensland, Broome and Kununurra in Western Australia): plant in April and May, as the wet season ends, or in July, so tubers form in the cool dry months, and dig before the build-up. The hot lowlands are marginal, and the Northern Territory Government's Darwin calendar leaves potatoes out.

Subtropical (Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and Bundaberg in Queensland, Coffs Harbour, Lismore and the New South Wales north coast): plant from March to August. Queensland's main commercial spring crop goes in during June and July. In frost-prone inland valleys, cover young shoots on cold nights.

Arid and semi-arid (Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Broken Hill and Dubbo in New South Wales, Mildura in Victoria, Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, Port Augusta in South Australia): plant from August to October, once inland frosts ease. Alice Springs can plant into December, but earlier plantings bulk before the worst heat. Mulch deeply and water evenly.

Temperate (Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the New South Wales coast, Melbourne and Geelong in Victoria): plant from August to November, then again in January and February for an autumn crop. December plantings can work in milder spots, but they bulk up through the hottest weeks. Sydney can start in August, while Melbourne and frosty inland spots wait for the last frost.

Mediterranean (Perth, Bunbury and southern Western Australia, Adelaide and the South Australian coast): plant from July to October, into soil still moist from winter rain. The WA Government's Perth school garden guide runs from May to November. Spring plantings finish in summer, so mulch well and water steadily.

Cool and alpine (Tasmania, Canberra in the ACT, Ballarat in Victoria, Orange, Bathurst and Armidale in New South Wales, Stanthorpe in Queensland): plant from September to December, after the last frost. Frost can run to about October here and later at altitude, so many frosty districts plant around Melbourne Cup weekend in early November. December plantings can still finish before autumn frosts with an early type, though at altitude check the time left.

So, is it too late in spring?

Not yet: cool and alpine gardens can plant through to December, and temperate gardens to November, later in milder spots.
Getting late: October is late in the window for Mediterranean and most arid gardens, so plant early in the month, choose an early type and mulch generously. Perth guidance runs to November and Alice Springs to December.
Too late for this round: in subtropical and tropical gardens, a spring crop would bulk in summer heat and humidity. Wait for the next cool season.

Early, mid and late types

Early types can be dug from about 12 weeks, a few from about 80 days. Late types need up to about 20 weeks, and mid-season types fall between.

Choose an early type late in a window, when summer heat or autumn frost is coming: Tasmanian Government guidance looks for more than 130 frost-free days for a full-season processing crop. Late types suit the long, cool middle of a window.

Gardener's hand lifting a potato plant from the soil, with young potatoes still attached to its underground stems — Dig the main crop once the tops yellow and die back. Early types can be ready from about 12 weeks, late types in up to 20.

Second and autumn crops

Where the window is long, a second planting spreads the harvest: January and February in temperate gardens, with an early type, or two cool-season plantings a couple of months apart in the subtropics.

Chitting: count back from planting day

Chitting means letting seed potatoes sprout before they go in the ground. Stand them eyes up in an egg carton, sprouting on the windowsill or anywhere bright and cool, out of direct sun. After two to four weeks they carry short, sturdy shoots about 1 cm long, though a little longer is fine if they stay stout. So pick your planting date first, then start chitting three or four weeks before it, longer in a cold room.

It pays most at the cold end of a window, where the crop needs a fast start. Chitted tubers are for planting, not eating: sprouts carry natural toxins that cooking does not destroy. The full method is in how to chit seed potatoes.

Red and yellow seed potatoes laid out in a tray, each with short, sturdy sprouts — Chitted seed potatoes with short, sturdy shoots about 1 cm long. Start them three or four weeks before your planting date.

If a late frost hits emerged plants

A frost after the shoots appear is a setback, not the end of the crop.

Before a forecast frost, draw soil or straw right over young shoots, or cover them overnight with frost cloth held off the leaves and lift it in the morning.
If the leaves blacken, do not dig the seed up or replant. The tuber below ground is usually unharmed, and even badly frosted potatoes usually send up new shoots within about 10 to 14 days.
Carry on as normal. Hill the new growth as it comes, and expect the harvest a little later and possibly a little lighter.

Rows of young potato plants growing on ridges of dark soil drawn up along each row — Hilling keeps young shoots and developing tubers covered. On a frosty night, soil, straw or frost cloth protects exposed shoots.

Western Australia, Tasmania and Kangaroo Island

Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send seed potatoes to Western Australia, Tasmania or Kangaroo Island. These biosecurity rules exist to keep potato pests and diseases out. Gardeners in Western Australia and Tasmania can buy seed potatoes from nurseries and garden centres in their own state. Kangaroo Island gardeners cannot bring seed potatoes over from the mainland, because PIRSA lists them among the items restricted on the island. Ask PIRSA's Kingscote office about planting material. The windows above still apply.

Frequently asked questions

Can I plant potatoes in October?

Yes, in temperate, Mediterranean, arid and cool and alpine gardens, though it is late in the window in Mediterranean and most arid areas. Subtropical and tropical gardens should wait for the cooler months.

What is the latest I can plant potatoes?

For a spring crop, about December in cool and alpine districts and November in most temperate areas, which get a second chance in January and February.

How long from planting to harvest?

Usually 12 to 20 weeks, depending on the type. Dig the main crop once the tops yellow and die back.

Can I use potatoes from the supermarket?

It is best not to. Potatoes bought to eat can carry viruses and soil diseases into your bed. Plant seed potatoes grown for planting.

Whatever the calendar says, the soil, the frost and the heat ahead will tell you when.

Related growing guides

Ready to plant? Browse our seed potato collection (not available to Western Australia, Tasmania or Kangaroo Island).