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How to grow potatoes

Takes light frost · Nightshade family

When to sow and plant

  • Plant out 29 March – 5 April

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Planting calendar for your area
Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

  • Plant out: 2–3 weeks before the last frost (USU Extension: How to Grow Potatoes in Your Garden)

Good and bad neighbours

Better not next to it · 1

  • TomatoExpert rule· C

    Both get late blight; side by side, tomatoes catch it more easily.

    C: Expert rule with a reason

    Tomato

Gardeners’ lore, not proven · 3

  • KohlrabiLore: good· D

    Traditional advice, not tested.

    D: Tradition, named by at least two sources

    Kohlrabi

  • CeleryLore: bad· D

    Traditionally seen as bad neighbours; no proven reason.

    D: Tradition, named by at least two sources

    Celery

  • Chinese cabbage, KaleLore: bad· D

    Traditionally seen as bad neighbours; no proven reason.

    D: Tradition, named by at least two sources

    Chinese cabbageKale

Crop rotation

After the nightshade family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years.

  • The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
  • Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
  • Heavy feeders two years in a row on the same bed are not a mistake, but they take more out of the soil.

At a glance

Family
Nightshade family (Solanaceae)
Nutrient needs
Heavy feeder
Frost
Half-hardy, tolerates light frost
Spacing (row × plant)
76–91 × 25–30 cm (30–36 × 10–12 in)
Plants per m²
5.3
Per square foot (30 × 30 cm)
1 plant
Life cycle
Annual
Harvest
After 90–120 days

Spacing according to USU Extension: How to Grow Potatoes in Your Garden. Other sources: 60 × 30 cm (24 × 12 in) (RHS: How to grow potatoes).

Questions and answers

When can I plant out potatoes?

Plant out, average for Germany: 29 March – 5 April. Enter a German postcode above for your area, or your own frost date in the planting calendar.

How far apart should I plant potatoes?

76–91 × 25–30 cm (30–36 × 10–12 in) (row × plant), according to USU Extension: How to Grow Potatoes in Your Garden.

What grows well next to potatoes?

Tomato: Better not side by side (C), Kohlrabi: Gardeners’ lore, not proven (D), Celery: Gardeners’ lore, not proven (D) and Chinese cabbage, Kale: Gardeners’ lore, not proven (D).

How long a break do potatoes need in the same bed?

After the nightshade family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years. The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

More from the nightshade family

Sources

Show 10 sources
  1. Landwirtschaftskammer Schleswig-Holstein: Fruchtfolge im Garten (Gartenmerkblatt, 2020)
  2. University of Maryland Extension: Growing Potatoes in a Home Garden
  3. USU Extension: How to Grow Potatoes in Your Garden
  4. RHS: How to grow potatoes
  5. NYC Parks GreenThumb: Square Foot Gardening (Growing Veggies in NYC Training)
  6. Südtiroler Bauernbund: Merkblatt Fruchtfolgen im Gemüsebau (Oktober 2022)
  7. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy (über die GBIF-API, species/match)
  8. BUND: Mischkultur – Gute und schlechte Nachbarn (August 2026)
  9. Gartenakademie Rheinland-Pfalz (DLR): Anbauplanung im Gemüsegarten (o. J.)
  10. Gartenakademie Rheinland-Pfalz (DLR): Übersicht – Kultur verschiedener Gemüsearten im Hausgarten (o. J.)

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.