The potato calendar, month by month
When to chit, plant and lift, and how the RHS and Garden Organic compare.
RHS planting times: first earlies around late March, second earlies early to mid-April, maincrops mid-April to early May. Plant a little later in colder regions. RHS: How to grow potatoes
| Job | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chit earlies (milder areas from late January, colder areas up to early March) RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||
| Plant first earlies (around late March) RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | |||||||||||
| Plant second earlies (early to mid-April) RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | |||||||||||
| Plant maincrops (mid-April to early May) RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | yes | ||||||||||
| Lift first earlies RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | yes | ||||||||||
| Lift second earlies RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | yes | ||||||||||
| Lift maincrops (late August to October) RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | yes | yes | |||||||||
| Plant cold-stored seed potatoes for Christmas (under cover) RHS: How to grow potatoes | yes | yes |
RHS and Garden Organic, side by side
Two respected UK sources, slightly different numbers. Use whichever suits your plot, and keep notes on what works for you.
| Job | RHS | Garden Organic |
|---|---|---|
| Chitting | Late January (milder) to early March (colder); four to six weeks RHS: How to grow potatoes | Plant when shoots are 2cm, in around four to six weeks Garden Organic: It’s time to chit your potatoes! |
| Plant first earlies | Around late March RHS: How to grow potatoes | Mid- to late March Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide |
| Plant second earlies | Early to mid-April RHS: How to grow potatoes | Early to mid-April Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide |
| Plant maincrops | Mid-April to early May RHS: How to grow potatoes | Mid- to late April Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide |
| Spacing | Earlies 30cm apart, rows 60cm; maincrops 37cm apart, rows 75cm RHS: How to grow potatoes | Earlies 30cm apart, rows 50–60cm; maincrops 40cm apart, rows 70cm Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide |
| Start earthing up | When shoots are about 23cm tall; leave the top 10cm showing RHS: How to grow potatoes | When plants are around 15cm tall; leave about 5cm showing Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide |
| Earlies ready | First earlies June and July; second earlies July and August; In as little as 12 weeks RHS: How to grow potatoes RHS: How to grow potatoes | June to July, about nine to ten weeks after planting Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide |
| Lifting maincrops to store | Cut off top growth when leaves yellow; lift 10 days later RHS: How to grow potatoes | Leave two to three weeks after the haulms die back Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide |
Rules of thumb
- Garden Organic says the soil should be at least 6C (43F) at planting. A good sign is when grass and weeds begin to grow. Garden Organic: Potatoes growing guide
- Potatoes need an open, sunny site that isn’t prone to late frosts, because the young shoots can be damaged by frost in April and May. RHS: How to grow potatoes
- First earlies are more likely to escape blight, because the disease tends to increase as summer goes on. RHS: Potato and tomato blight
- Aim to finish stored potatoes before early spring, when they start to sprout and shrivel. RHS: How to grow potatoes
Good growing guides don’t always agree: spacings, planting weeks and how long earlies take all vary a little between the RHS, Garden Organic and Kew. Each fact here links to who said it, and things that can change, like pest status or variety lists, show the date we checked them. Where you garden matters too: the RHS says to plant a little later in colder areas. See when sources disagree for every difference side by side.
Next: pests & problems →