🥔 When to Plant Potatoes

🥬 Vegetable
Cool Season

Plant seed potatoes in cool soil

📅 Planting Calendar by USDA Zone

Select your zone to highlight your exact planting dates. Dates are calculated from each zone's average frost dates.

Find my zone
Zone Last Frost Start Indoors Transplant Direct Sow
Zone 2A May 30 May 2
Zone 3B May 15 Apr 17
Zone 4A May 8 Apr 10
Zone 4B May 1 Apr 3
Zone 5A Apr 25 Mar 28
Zone 5B Apr 18 Mar 21
Zone 6A Apr 21 Mar 24
Zone 6B Apr 10 Mar 13
Zone 7A Apr 5 Mar 8
Zone 7B Mar 28 Feb 28
Zone 8A Mar 20 Feb 20
Zone 8B Mar 12 Feb 12
Zone 9A Feb 28 Jan 31
Zone 9B Feb 15 Jan 18
Zone 10A Feb 1 Jan 4
Zone 10B Jan 15 Dec 18
Zone 11A Jan 1 Dec 4

Potatoes are one of the most productive crops per square foot. Easy to grow and incredibly satisfying to harvest.

Top Growing Tips

  • Plant seed potatoes (not grocery store potatoes) 2-4 weeks before last frost
  • Hill soil around stems as they grow to increase tuber production
  • New potatoes can be harvested early; full-size after vines die back
  • Green skin means solanine — don’t eat green potatoes
  • Rotate planting location yearly to prevent disease

Companion Planting

Good companions: beans, corn, cabbage, horseradish, marigolds

Avoid planting near: tomatoes, squash, sunflowers (disease transfer)

Harvest Timeline

70-120 days depending on variety