Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

Environment

The bounded range this crop tolerates.

Temperature

5152535

10–25°C

pH

45.578.5

5–6.5

EC (hydro)

01234

1.8–2.4 mS/cm

Daily light

5152535

18–28 mol/m²/d

✓Single harvest

Climate and zones

USDA zones: 2–11 (winter low around -46°C)
Frost: frost hardy
Season: cool (spring/fall)

✓Outdoor year-round (in zone)

✓Outdoor in growing season

✓Unheated greenhouse / hoop

✓Heated greenhouse

·Indoor (heated home)

·Indoor hydroponics + grow lights

Growing systems

Root mass: very heavy. Thin-channel systems can't hold this crop.

·Deep water culture (rafts)

·NFT channels

·Vertical / aeroponic tower

·Drip / Dutch buckets

✓Media bed (ebb and flow)

·Wicking bed

✓Soil bed

Growing media

Medium	pH effect	Retention	Bacterial surface
Soil-based mix (Potting soil)	varies	high	high
Coco coir (Coconut coir)	slightly acidic	high	moderate

Nutrient demand by stage

NPK ratios are relative weights. EC targets shift through the plant's life.

Stage	N	P	K	EC (mS/cm)
seedling	2	1	1	1.4
vegetative	2	1	3	2

Companion-growing notes

Heavy uptake of potassium. Co-grown crops with the same demand will end up deficient even at "correct" EC.

Aquaponics suitability

Compatible

Fish waste provides enough nitrogen for healthy growth. Supplemental potassium, calcium, and iron may still be needed depending on fish stocking density.

Care notes

Feasible in deep media beds or large containers (30 L) with loose substrate that allows hilling. Not suited to NFT, DWC or other water-culture systems. EC 1.8-2.4 mS/cm. pH 5.0-6.5 (prefers slightly acidic conditions; above pH 7.0 common scab disease increases). Temperature: 15–22°C for tuber formation (critical: above 28°C tuber formation slows or stops). Moderate to high light (DLI 18-28 mol/m2/day). Plant seed potatoes (small whole tubers or cut pieces with 2-3 eyes each) 10–15 cm deep. As the plant grows, mound additional media around the stem (hilling) to keep developing tubers in darkness. Harvest 'new' potatoes (small, thin-skinned) 60-70 days after planting, or full-sized tubers at 90-120 days as the foliage dies back. Cure harvested tubers in a dark, cool (10–15°C) humid place for 1-2 weeks before storage. Late blight (Phytophthora infestans, the disease behind the Irish famine) is the most serious threat, reduced by resistant varieties and keeping foliage dry. In aquaponic media beds potatoes grow well but need deep, hilling-friendly substrate.

Notable varieties

Cultivar	Type	Origin	Days	Notes
Yukon Gold	open pollinated	University of Guelph, 1980	80	Yellow-flesh early potato. The default home-garden potato in much of North America. Equally good boiled, mashed, roasted. Stores 4-5 months.
Russet Burbank	open pollinated	Luther Burbank, 1872	120	The standard commercial baker and the actual McDonald's french fry potato. Long, brown-skinned, high starch. Long-season; not suited to short-summer zones.
Red Pontiac	open pollinated		100	Red-skinned, white-flesh mid-season. Holds shape when boiled (waxy), the standard 'red potato' in supermarkets. Heat-tolerant; works in Southern US where Yukon Gold struggles.
Kennebec	open pollinated	USDA, 1948	105	Large white-flesh, late blight resistant, the variety that saved many home gardens during 1950s blight years. All-purpose; the classic American potato.
German Butterball	heirloom		120	Late, yellow-flesh, exceptional flavor and storage (6-8 months). The 'fancy' home garden potato; what you grow if you want better than Yukon Gold and have the season for it.