From Southern Connecticut throughout Eastern Tennessee and Northern Washington, zone 7 features cool weather, allowing gardeners to plant hardy crops like Potatoes.
Gather all the information regarding the growing conditions and season for Potatoes and the harvest time from the article below.
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What Potatoes Grow Best in Zone 7?
Potatoes have a wide range of varieties depending upon the harvesting time as some give summer harvest while some give winter harvest.
Some of the most famous varieties of Potatoes grown in Zone 7 include:
- Early-season Varieties: In this group, the varieties like Yukon Golds and Red Norland have shorter harvests, giving the first yield in late summer.
- Mid-season Varieties: These varieties take longer to develop and give the first harvest during fall. Russet Burbank and Kennebec fall under it.
- Late-season Varieties: These Potatoes are ready to harvest only during early winter, even if you plant them in mid-spring, like others. It consists of varieties like Cara Russet and All Blue.
Some other addition to your Potato list for zone 7 can be Red Potatoes, Purple Potatoes, Fingerling Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, White Potatoes, and Yellow Finn.
When To Plant Potatoes In Zone 7? (a & b)
The mild climate favored by Zone 7, with minimum temperature ranging from 0 to 10ºF, makes planting easier for crops like Potatoes.
Sub-zones 7a and 7b do not differ much in temperature, given the 5ºF difference, allowing the schedule of the Potatoes plantation from late April to early May.
You can also do fall cropping from August to October for Potatoes in Zone 7a or plant the potatoes two weeks before the last frost date, which usually occurs on 7th April.
Nevertheless, restrain from planting the Potatoes too early or too late as it will impact the yield and quality.
How To Plant Potatoes In Zone 7?
Being a tuberous crop makes Potatoes dependent on the soil. So whether you grow Potatoes in containers or ground, use the best planting material.
Start by choosing the seeds of the Potato variety you want to grow or use the grocery Potatoes, but they are not efficient enough.
Now, follow the steps below to plant the seed Potatoes effectively in both containers and grounds.
Potatoes in Ground
- Ensure that the location receives at least 8 hours of direct sunlight and has a pH of 6-6.5.
- Perform tillage up to 8 inches on the ground to make it loose and well-draining.
- Dig a 6 inches deep hole or a 1 to 1.5 feet wide and 0.5 to 1 feet deep trench and layer it with compost or well-rotted manure and soil.
- Now plant the seed Potatoes in the trench at a distance of a foot or drop the Potatoes in the hole spaced at least 1.3 feet apart by keeping the eyes faced upwards.
- Lastly, cover the pit back with soil and water it thoroughly.
After the appearance of green sprouts, add soil layers above the trench to hill the crop. Perform the step continuously for a month and a half.
Thus planted Potatoes give their first yield after 80-110 days, depending upon the maturity time and variety.
Potatoes in Container
- Choose a terracotta container about 1.5 to 2 feet deep with enough drainage holes.
- Fill half the height of the container with compost and a well-draining potting mix made from organic compost, fine perlite, and peat moss in a 1:1:1 ratio.
- Now place the seed Potatoes in the pot at 15 cm apart. Also, you can place at least 4 to 6 Potatoes in a single container.
- Fill the container back with the soil mix and water it thoroughly.
Wait for the saplings to reach a height of 0.5 feet to re-add the compost and mulch for at least a month at an interval of 2 weeks.
Doing so assures you of the first harvest within three months.
From Editorial Team
Extra Tips!
Do not use the same potting mix you used to grow other solanum crops like Tomato as it increases the chance of infection spread.
Allow dry soil between the waterings, but not too long as it makes the Potatoes turn scabby.
