When to plant Potato
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Potato in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Direct-sow outside | Mar 25–May 6 | Feb 24–Apr 7 | Jan 13–Feb 24 | – |
| Transplant outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | Jun 28–Sep 8 | May 30–Aug 10 | Apr 18–Jun 29 | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a semi hardy crop. In climates like this one, hardy and semi-hardy crops typically go in during the cooler months (fall through late winter), not on a frost-relative schedule.
Potato goes into the ground anywhere from six weeks before your last frost to right at it, a wider spread than most crops on this page because the two anchor sources genuinely disagree. Colorado State University Extension calls potato semi-hardy with a zero-to-two-week-before-frost rule (Fact Sheet 7.212); Purdue Extension's Table 1 (HO-186-W) instead lists potato as hardy, with a four-to-six-week-before-frost window, a substantial gap, not just a difference in tier name. This page keeps Colorado State's semi-hardy label, since its numeric data for potato is more complete, but widens the window to the full six-week-to-zero-week span both sources allow.
Soil should read 45°F at planting, from Colorado State alone; Purdue has no soil-temperature row for potato to compare against. Days to maturity run 95 to 125, combining Colorado State's 125 with NC State's 95 to 120 and Missouri Extension's 100 to 120.
Given how far apart the two sources land on frost tolerance, a cold-winter climate is better served by Colorado State's later, closer-to-frost window; a mild-winter climate has more room to use Purdue's earlier range, since seed potatoes tolerate cool soil reasonably well either way.
Buy seed potatoes, whole small potatoes or cut pieces sold specifically for planting, not table potatoes from a grocery produce bin, which are often treated to prevent sprouting. Nurseries typically stock seed potatoes in early spring to match the window above.
Frost hardiness
Semi-hardy. Tolerates light frost. Best planted close to the last frost date.
Minimum soil temperature
45°F
For direct sowing/germination, where an Extension source stated it.
Days to maturity
95–125
Sourcing notes
Real disagreement between anchor sources: CSU calls potato semi_hardy with a 0-2wk-before-frost rule; PURDUE's Table 1 instead lists potato under Hardy with a 4-6wk-before-frost rule - a substantive ~4-6wk gap, not just a tier-label difference. Kept CSU's semi_hardy label (its numeric data is more complete for this crop) but widened the window to the full union (6wk-before to at-frost) and flagged clearly. DTM: CSU 125, NCSU 95-120, MOEXT 100-120 - combined range. Min soil temp (45F) sourced from CSU only; no PURDUE Table 3 row exists for potato.
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
Sources
- Colorado State University Extension, Vegetable Planting Guide (Fact Sheet 7.212) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- University of Missouri Extension, Vegetable Planting Calendar (G6201) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- NC State Extension, Central North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (AG-756-01) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- Purdue Extension (Dept. of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture), Indiana Vegetable Planting Calendar (HO-186-W) (accessed 2026-08-04)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide (Pub. 426-331) (accessed 2026-08-04)