Growing potatoes in zone 8
Plant certified seed potatoes 2–4 weeks before last frost — sprouts emerging into a late freeze regrow. Hill soil up around stems twice; tubers exposed to light turn green and bitter.
Zone 8 covers deep South, central Texas, coastal Pacific Northwest — two full gardens a year — a spring/summer garden and a serious fall/winter one. Zone dates are medians: frost timing varies within a zone with elevation and terrain, so treat these windows as a solid default and refine them with your own city’s dates below.
Make it local
These windows use zone 8's typical frost dates (last frost ~Mar 15, first frost ~Nov 15). For windows computed from your frost dates, run the ZIP code frost lookup and open the planting calendar — it remembers your city. The seed starting scheduler turns the whole seed rack into one printable, date-sorted list.
Frequently asked questions
When do I plant potatoes in zone 8?
Direct sow Feb 15 – Mar 1, counted from zone 8's typical last frost around Mar 15. It handles a light frost but not a hard freeze, so watch the forecast early in the window.
Can I direct sow potatoes in zone 8?
Yes — direct sow Feb 15 – Mar 1. This crop prefers direct sowing; its roots dislike transplanting.