When to plant potato in Chesapeake
Potato is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Chesapeake's frost dates of Mar 18.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Mar 4 – Mar 25
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 13 – Jul 2
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
70 – 120 d
Chesapeake's 248-day season leaves this much room.
Potato on Chesapeake'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
FROST
HARVEST
MAR 18
NOV 18
Common questions
When can I sow potato outdoors in Chesapeake?
Direct-sow around early March (Mar 4–Mar 25) in Chesapeake, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 89%.
When will potato be ready to harvest in Chesapeake?
Expect to harvest from around mid May (May 13–Jul 2) in Chesapeake, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
How long is the growing season in Chesapeake?
Chesapeake has roughly 248 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 Chesapeake's frost dates.
Confidence 89/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.