Potato Varieties
There are many different choices for the potato gardener, limited only by personal preference. Listed below are the most common varieties.
Reds — This kind of potato has reddish skin, white flesh and a lower starch content. They are especially good for roasting. Red varieties are more susceptible to scab, as their skin is generally thinner and they have shallower eyes than brown-skinned potatoes. However, the issue is not serious enough to be a deterrent to planting red potatoes.
Whites — The most common type of potatoes found on grocery store shelves, white potatoes have pale skin and white flesh. They are good all-purpose potatoes, suitable for just about any dish.
Yellow — Varieties of yellow potato include Yukon Gold. Yellow potatoes have yellow flesh and are notably good for baking and frying.
Russet — The classic baking potato, russets have a high starch content (which also makes it great for mashing) and a skin that is a bit thicker and darker than other white potato varieties.
Many varieties, like fingerling potatoes aren't found in the grocery store but are plentiful in season at Farmer's markets.
Planting potatoes: Choose a sunny spot with well draining, loose soil, so that the roots and tubers can develop. . Trench Method: A traditional potato planting method involves digging a shallow trench, about 6" deep and placing the seed potatoes in the trench, eyes facing up. You then cover the potatoes with a couple of inches of soil. As the potato plant grows, soil is continually hilled up along the sides of the plants. This keeps the soil around the developing tubers loose and keeps the surface tubers from being exposed to sunlight, which will turn them green and somewhat toxic. Hill soil whenever the plants reach about 4-6" in height. You can stop hilling when the plants begin to flower.
Maintenance: Potatoes don’t like a particularly rich soil. If you have some organic matter and the pH is good, the potatoes should be happy. What they do rely on is a steady water supply. Water them at least and inch a week.
Reds — This kind of potato has reddish skin, white flesh and a lower starch content. They are especially good for roasting. Red varieties are more susceptible to scab, as their skin is generally thinner and they have shallower eyes than brown-skinned potatoes. However, the issue is not serious enough to be a deterrent to planting red potatoes.
Whites — The most common type of potatoes found on grocery store shelves, white potatoes have pale skin and white flesh. They are good all-purpose potatoes, suitable for just about any dish.
Yellow — Varieties of yellow potato include Yukon Gold. Yellow potatoes have yellow flesh and are notably good for baking and frying.
Russet — The classic baking potato, russets have a high starch content (which also makes it great for mashing) and a skin that is a bit thicker and darker than other white potato varieties.
Many varieties, like fingerling potatoes aren't found in the grocery store but are plentiful in season at Farmer's markets.
| Variety | Maturing | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Yukon Gold | Early to Mid season | Large, yellow-fleshed variety. They are excellent baked, boiled, or mashed. These potatos store well. |
| Superior | Mid season | Good baked, boiled, or mashed. Resistant to potato scab. |
| Red Pontiac | Late maturing | High yields, large round potatoes, easy to grow, stores well. |
| Kennebec | Late maturing | Excellent producer, large potatoes, great for baking or frying, stores well. |
| Russet Norkotah | Late maturing | Excellent baking potato, excellent producer, large potatoes. |
| White Rose | Early to Mid season | Good producer, good for cooking, doesn't store well. |
| Russet | Mid season | Excellent producer, excellent baking potato, large potatoes, excellent for storage. |
| Norland | Early maturing | Red skin, white flesh, excellent when boiled, fried, or mashed, stores well. |
Planting potatoes: Choose a sunny spot with well draining, loose soil, so that the roots and tubers can develop. . Trench Method: A traditional potato planting method involves digging a shallow trench, about 6" deep and placing the seed potatoes in the trench, eyes facing up. You then cover the potatoes with a couple of inches of soil. As the potato plant grows, soil is continually hilled up along the sides of the plants. This keeps the soil around the developing tubers loose and keeps the surface tubers from being exposed to sunlight, which will turn them green and somewhat toxic. Hill soil whenever the plants reach about 4-6" in height. You can stop hilling when the plants begin to flower.
Maintenance: Potatoes don’t like a particularly rich soil. If you have some organic matter and the pH is good, the potatoes should be happy. What they do rely on is a steady water supply. Water them at least and inch a week.
HARVESTING - New young potatoes are harvested when peas are ripe or as the potato plants begin to flower. For storage of full sized potatoes harvest them when the vines turn yellow or have died-back.
STORAGE - Keep them in the dark, in a spot where temperatures are about 40 degrees.
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