When to plant potato in Portland

Potato is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Portland's frost dates of May 1.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Apr 23 – May 14
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Jul 2 – Aug 21
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
70 – 120 d
Portland's 165-day season leaves this much room.
Potato on Portland'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
MAY 1
OCT 10

Common questions

When can I sow potato outdoors in Portland?

Direct-sow around late April (Apr 23–May 14) in Portland, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 86%.

When will potato be ready to harvest in Portland?

Expect to harvest from around early July (Jul 2–Aug 21) in Portland, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.

How long is the growing season in Portland?

Portland has roughly 165 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 Portland's frost dates.

Confidence 89/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.