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Freeport Gardening Guide: Potatoes

This is a how to guide to help anyone get started in gardening.

Potatoes

Potatoes taste better when you grow your own! Nutrient-rich “taters” epitomize the joy of gardening—satisfying to plant, quick to grow, and fun to dig up. Our Potato Growing Guide covers planting, growing, harvesting, and storing potatoes. 

Potatoes aren’t fussy vegetables, which makes them a fabulous choice for first-time growers. They do well in most soils and almost always produce plenty to go hunting for at harvest time. That said, there are a few things you can do to elevate your crop.

About Potatoes

The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a cool-weather vegetable that typically yields bigger crops in the northern portion of the U.S.; however, they can be grown as a winter crop in warmer climates. Potatoes are related to peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants, but are adapted to higher elevations and harsher growing conditions; they were first documented by the Incas in Peru. According to the Maine Potato Board, this vegetable arrived in the American Colonies in 1621 when the Governor of Bermuda sent potatoes to the Governor of Virginia at Jamestown.

The edible part of the potato is the underground “tuber” which is an enlarged underground storage portion of the potato plant. The tuber develops from underground stems called stolons once the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall, or around 5 to 7 weeks after planting.

Potatoes are nuggets of goodness. The nutrient-rich skin provides 45% of your daily vitamin C and 18% of potassium, plus many more nutrients. 

For more information on how to grow potatoes click the following hyperlink to Farmers Almanac Potatoes.

For other resources please click on Cornell Universities Potatoes link or click on Gardening Know How's Potatoes link. 

Sweet Potatoes: Unlike potatoes (which are tubers), sweet potatoes are roots and, as such, are propagated via a slip. What is a sweet potato slip? A slip from a sweet potato is simply a sweet potato sprout. Sounds simple enough, but how do you get sweet potato slips? If you’re interested in sweet potato slip growing read on to learn more. What is a Sweet Potato Slip? Sweet potatoes are members of the morning glory or Convolvulaceae family. They are grown not only for their edible, nutrient-rich roots but for their trailing vines and colorful blooms. Given that sweet potatoes are from a different family than regular spuds, it’s no wonder that propagation is different.

For more information on how to grow potatoes click the following hyperlink to Gardening Know How's Sweet Potatoes.  

For other resources please click on Gardening Know How's Sweet Potatoes link. 

 

Potato Tubers, French Fingerling:

Description:  Indeterminate. Roast, boil, or make the best potato salad of your life with these gourmet red-skinned fingerlings. It is mid- to late-season maturing, with pink to red skin and yellow flesh occasionally speckled pink. A scab-resistant, high-yielding heirloom.

Mature French Fingerling Potatoes on a light background.

 

Potato Tubers, Huckleberry Gold:

Description:  Indeterminate. Huckleberry Gold is not your basic lumper! This variety was carefully selected by a team of avid potato researchers and has earned rave reviews from the food section of the New York Times! This purple-skinned, yellow-fleshed variety is lower on the glycemic index than other potatoes (developed with diabetics in mind) and is perfect for those looking to reduce sugar intake. It is often compared to Yukon Gold; however, its sucrose levels are lower and antioxidant levels higher! This mid-season maturing, medium-sized oval variety has some resistance to hollowheart, scab and Verticilium wilt. Home gardeners and chefs will love this winning new heirloom.

Mature Huckleberry Gold Potatoes grown from Micro Tubers freshly dug from the ground.

 

Potato Tubers, Mondak Gold:

Description:  Indeterminate. A late-maturing variety developed at the University of Minnesota as an improvement on the beloved Yukon Gold. It boasts high yields, long storage quality, large tubers, and most importantly, a great taste! These rosy-skinned, golden-fleshed tubers can most closely be compared to a cross between a russet and a Yukon Gold, and they are supremely reliable and delicious.

Mature Mondak Potatoes grown from Micror Tubers arranged on blue background.

 

Potato Tubers, Purple Majesty:

Description:  Indeterminate. This royal tuber was selected for its deep purple color, high yield, and delicious flavor, and the results are exceptional! Colorado State University breeders crossed this variety, and the result is a potato with bright violet skin and flesh and plants that are quite hearty and disease resistant. An early- to mid-season maturing variety, it is perfect for new potatoes and should be consumed fairly promptly, as the shelf life is not long!

Purple Majesty Potato cut full-size tubers with Micro Potato Tubers on a white background.

 

Potato Tubers, Sangre:

Description:  Determinate. An early- to mid-season producer, these tasty tubers have blood-red skin and snow-white flesh, and they are exceptionally well suited to boiling and baking. Released by Colorado State University, Sangre has long storage life and relative disease resistance to hollowheart, blackspot and drought. Please be patient, as this variety is slower to emerge.

Cut and whole Sangre Potatoes grown from Micro Tubers with Micro Tubers on a white background.