The taste of tiny, tender new potatoes need not be restricted to summer. You can grow them in the fall and winter if you know what you’re doing and time it right, so you could eat them at Christmas.
Use cold-stored potato tubers, available from specialist seed merchants in July and August. These are seed potatoes from late winter that have been held back ready for summer planting.
First and second early varieties such as ‘Charlotte’, ‘Nicola’ and ‘Maris Peer’ are recommended. As these will go straight into warm soil, they do not need to be chitted prior to planting.
Late-winter tubers can be kept fresh by putting them in the fridge or leaving them in a cool, light place all through spring and early summer. This way, you can let them grow long, fragile sprouts. These will need to checked regularly for aphids.
Tubers are swollen, usually underground, parts of a stem or root used to store food by the plant. They have buds that can produce new plants. Examples are tuberous begonia, cyclamen, dahlia and potato.
Nothing beats the flavor of fresh, newly harvested potatoes. With some planning and proper timing, you can grow potatoes for a delicious Christmas day harvest. The key is choosing the right planting time in your climate.
Follow this guide for tips on when and how to successfully plant potatoes to enjoy fresh spuds on Christmas!
How Long Do Potatoes Take to Grow?
Potato growing time varies by variety On average
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Early season potato varieties mature in 60-80 days after planting.
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Midseason potatoes need 80-100 days to size up.
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Late season spuds require 100 or more days before reaching maturity.
To have potatoes for Christmas harvest, choose early or midseason varieties that take under 100 days. Planting timing depends on your first fall frost date.
When to Plant Potatoes for Christmas Based on Climate
The ideal potato planting time for Christmas depends on when your growing season ends with cold weather.
Short Season Climates (Frost Before November)
If frost hits before November, plant in July or August. This gives early potato varieties time to form tubers before foliage dies back.
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Start seed potatoes indoors 4 weeks before planting out.
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Plant outdoors in July or early August at the latest.
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Select extra early varieties like Yukon Gold, Caribe, Irish Cobbler.
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Harvest potatoes as needed, but by late November to avoid ground freezing.
Moderate Season Climates (Frost November-December)
Where frost holds off until late fall, aim to plant in August or September.
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Plant directly outside in August for early varieties or September for midseason types.
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Choose early and midseason varieties like Yukon Gold, Red Gold, Red Pontiac.
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Harvest new potatoes for Christmas meals 2-3 weeks after foliage dies back.
Long Season Climates (Frost January Onward)
In frost-free areas, potatoes for Christmas can be planted in September or October.
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Plant in September/October for a late December to January harvest.
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Select mid to late season varieties like Russet Burbank, Purple Majesty, Kennebec.
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Time digging around Christmas once plants have been dead for 2-3 weeks.
Tips for Planting Potatoes for Christmas
Follow these tips to help ensure a successful potato crop for Christmas:
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Prepare soil well with compost and nutrients 6-8 weeks before planting potatoes.
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Chit or pre-sprout seed potatoes 2-4 weeks before planting outdoors.
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Space potatoes 12-18 inches apart in rows spaced 2-3 feet apart.
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Plant early varieties 5-6 inches deep. Cover mid/late season potatoes with 8 inches of soil.
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Water newly planted potatoes well and keep soil consistently moist until plants emerge.
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Mulch around plants with straw to retain moisture and reduce weeding.
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When plants flower, mound soil or mulch around bases to encourage extra tuber growth.
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Stop watering plants 2 weeks before ideal harvest time so skins set.
Following these tips will help you time potato planting correctly for your growing season. With the right timing and care, you’ll be rewarded with delicious fresh spuds for Christmas dinner!
When to Harvest Potatoes for Christmas
Potato harvest time depends on when you want to enjoy them:
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New potatoes – these tiny, tender spuds can be dug up starting about 2 weeks after plants finish flowering, usually midsummer. New potatoes are great for summer meals.
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Fresh storage potatoes – for bigger but still fresh tasting potatoes at Christmas, wait 2-3 weeks after vines have completely died back before digging. This allows skins to set but potatoes are still freshly harvested.
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Cured storage potatoes – leave potatoes in ground 4-6 weeks after foliage dies to fully mature. These will store longer but won’t be as fresh tasting immediately after harvest. Cure harvested potatoes in a dark, cool place for 2 weeks before long term storage.
Monitor your potato plants and dig a test hill before harvesting to check maturity. factor in your first expected fall frost date when planning potato harvest timing.
What Potatoes are Best for Christmas Meals?
For the classic taste of new potatoes with Christmas dinner, look for early maturing varieties like:
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Caribe – a high yielding white-skinned, yellow-fleshed spud. One of the earliest to mature.
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Early Rose – a favorite red-skinned, white-fleshed potato with creamy texture.
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Yellow Finn – a tasty yellow-fleshed variety that holds well but isn’t ideal for long term storage.
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Yukon Gold – a popular golden-skinned, white potato with slightly nutty, buttery flavor. Stores well.
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Ruby Gold – red skin and flesh variety that matures early. Makes a pretty roasted Christmas potato!
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Purple Viking – a small purple-skinned, white-fleshed spud with great creamy flavor.
Medium season potatoes you can often grow for Christmas including All Blue, Canela Russet, Magic Molly and Red Gold. Avoid late season types as they likely won’t mature before your first fall frost.
Enjoying the Bounty of Fresh Christmas Potatoes
Part of the fun of growing your own spuds is digging them right before your holiday meal. The sweet, moist flavor of freshly harvested potatoes can’t be beat!
With the right potato variety choice and strategic early-mid summer planting time for your climate, you can enjoy reaping homegrown Christmas potatoes. Don’t let cold weather stop you from this garden and kitchen joy.
When to plant the seed potatoes
Most early potatoes take about 12 weeks from planting to cropping.
If you plant potatoes in the ground in the middle of summer, they should grow and form tubers before the first frosts in the fall. This is especially true in south gardens that are protected from the wind.
If you have a greenhouse that doesn’t get frost, a cool conservatory, or a sunny porch, you can plant potatoes in late August or early September and harvest them at Christmas.
How to grow potatoes indoors for Christmas harvests
- Use a container that is at least 30 cm (1ft) deep and wide, and make sure the bottom has drainage holes. You can also buy containers specifically made for growing potatoes.
- Plant food, garden soil mixed with garden food or well-rotted manure should be added as a layer. For 30cm (1ft) deep pots, a layer 10cm (4in) thick is enough. Larger pots can be half-filled, though.
- Give each tuber about 30 cm (1ft) of space and plant one to three of them in a pot. Then, cover them with 15 cm (6in) of compost or soil.
- As the leaves grow, cover the potatoes with more soil or compost until the pot is full to within 2 inches (5 cm) of the top. Leave a lip to aid watering.
- Keep well-watered and feed with a general-purpose liquid fertiliser.
- As the season goes on, make sure the greenhouse doesn’t get frosty, because frost would hurt the potato leaves.
- In late fall, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. They can then be taken off and composted.
- If you keep the compost pretty dry, you can leave the tubers in their pots until you need them for Christmas.
Growing Potatoes for Christmas could be impossible. Why do I say that?
How do you grow Christmas potatoes?
Follow our advice on growing Christmas potatoes, below. Total time: 20 minutes Fill a potato bag or large pot (at least 40cm wide) with peat-free, multi-purpose compost, until it’s two thirds full. Lightly firm the compost, then set three seed potato tubers on the surface, 20-30cm apart. Add more compost to just cover the tubers.
Can you grow potatoes in autumn?
For autumn planting, you do best growing either a first or second early variety as these are very reliable for Christmas harvesting. However, you will need to get second crop seed potatoes. These are seed potatoes that have been cold stored to be planted in summer. You can normally buy in summer.
When should I plant Christmas potatoes?
I asked a large group of gardeners when they recommended planting Christmas potatoes and the general feeling from these folks was that August and September are the best months. I believe planting after the third week in September dramatically reduces your chances of having a crop ready for Christmas.
When should I plant potatoes?
Use cold-stored potato tubers, available from specialist seed merchants in July and August. These are seed potatoes from late winter that have been held back ready for summer planting. First and second early varieties such as ‘Charlotte’, ‘Nicola’ and ‘Maris Peer’ are recommended.
