Growing guide
How to grow potatoes
A short, high-input rabi crop that fits between paddy and a late wheat or spring crop.
At a glance
- Planting window
- Early crop: late September – early October · Main crop: 10–25 October
- Duration
- 75–110 days by variety
- Climate
- 15–22 °C for tuber growth
- Soil
- Sandy loam to loam, loose and deep; pH 5.5–7.5
- Water need
- Moderate · about 400–500 mm a season
- Seed
- 10–12 quintals of seed tubers per acre
- Spacing
- 60 × 20 cm
- Yield
- 100–120 quintals per acre.
What to do, and when
Dates assume planting around 10 Oct. Change the plan to shift them.
- 1–2 weeks before — Cure and treat seed: Sprouted seed tubers establish faster.
- Day 0 — Plant on ridges: With P, K and half N.
- Days 25–30 — Earth up + nitrogen: Cover tubers to prevent greening.
- Months 1–3 — Blight watch: Spray protectively before fog.
- Months 3–4 — Cut haulms, then dig: 10–15 days later for firm skins.
- Months 3–4 — Sell or store: Cold store for off-season prices.
Varieties to consider
Buy certified seed or planting material from an authorised source.
- Kufri Pukhraj — Early, high-yielding table potato.
- Kufri Bahar · Kufri Jyoti — Popular table varieties in the north.
- Kufri Chipsona-1 · Kufri Frysona — Processing types for chips and fries contracts.
Water
- First light irrigation soon after planting, then every 7–10 days; stop 10 days before digging.
- Never let it go short at: Stolon formation · Tuber initiation · Tuber bulking
- Drip irrigation suits this crop.
Nutrition
- Dose: About 180 kg N, 80 kg P₂O₅, 100 kg K₂O per hectare in the north-west plains
- Planting: all P and K with half the N.
- Earthing up (25–30 days): remaining N.
Pests and diseases to watch
Prevent first; spray only when needed, with a product registered for the crop, at label dose.
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Yield and economics
Seed is the biggest cost. Cold storage lets you sell later at a better price.
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- Price: Indicative farm-gate price (₹9/kg)
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What would you like to do next?
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Where these numbers come from
- ICAR / state university general recommendation A typical range for irrigated conditions. Your soil test decides the final dose.
- Common grower practice in north India Widely followed by farmers; confirm with your KVK for your block.
- Agriculture Novel indicative estimate A planning number, not a quote. Replace it with your own costs and your mandi’s price.
