When to plant potato in Melbourne
Potato is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Melbourne's frost dates of Aug 28.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Aug 14 – Sep 4
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Oct 23 – Dec 12
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
70 – 120 d
Melbourne's 270-day season leaves this much room.
Potato on Melbourne's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
HARVEST
AUG 28
MAY 25
Common questions
When can I sow potato outdoors in Melbourne?
Direct-sow around mid August (Aug 14–Sep 4) in Melbourne, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 86%.
When will potato be ready to harvest in Melbourne?
Expect to harvest from around late October (Oct 23–Dec 12) in Melbourne, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 77%.
How long is the growing season in Melbourne?
Melbourne has roughly 270 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow potato to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow potato as soon as the soil is workable — it tolerates cool weather and light frost. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and Melbourne's frost dates.
Confidence 86/100 · NOAA GHCN-Daily · 1991–2020 normals · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.