Potatoes

Potatoes can grow in any size container, but I've found that the larger the container the bigger the potato. I grew mine in 7g containers with 2 pieces of sprouted potato in each about 8 inches down. Then as the potato top came up, I filled it almost to the top with an inch remaining to hold water so it could soak in and not run off. I use a good topsoil and mix it with a good potting soil that is compost based. This year I also planted in a galvanized tank that is 16 inches deep and saw the size of my potatoes double. The number of potatoes were the same but the size was bigger. Either way they were fun to grow!

Every year I try a different fertilizer, most of them chicken manure or fish based. The last 3 years I have put Neptunes harvest crab and lobster shell fertilizer in the soil and mix well before I plant my potatoes. Since I am planting in containers, this helps with a lot of the trace minerals that the plant won’t usually have unless in the ground, and helps with the microbial activity. I then will try and fertilize monthly starting with a 2-1-1 ratio and move to a 1-2-2 ratio. This will give me green growth early and roots later.

Growing up we planted on Good Friday and harvested when the plant tops died down in September. Sometimes we would harvest a few of the plants in July for the smaller new potatoes.

Potato seed will produce potatoes above the seed potato, that is why they are planted so deep…usually a spade length down and as the top emerges mound around them. If planted too shallow all you will get is tops and maybe a few very small potatoes. If planted too shallow the potatoes will push through the surface and expose the potato to the sun turning the skin green. Do not eat a green potato…they will be poisonous.

A week before planting cut the seed potato into fourths with at least 1 eye per piece. This will get you more bang for your buck. Allowing the pieces to dry and form a callus over the fresh cuts creates a barrier to make them less likely to break down in cold, wet soil conditions.

Mid-April through mid-May is ideal potato-planting time. The soil has warmed above 45 degrees, and you’ve got time for the plants to grow plump tubers.

When deciding on which potato varieties to grow there are a couple of different factors that can play into your decision. There are three different categories that are based on maturity dates — early-maturing, mid-maturing, and late-maturing. However, like most other crops the maturity date is just a suggestion because weather conditions can play into how fast they will mature. The early maturing varieties will on average mature around 85 days. While the mid-maturing varieties will be mature around 100 days and the late-maturing potato varieties will mature around 115 days. In Denver people like to plant around St Patricks Day. If the ground is too cold and wet the seed will rot and your yield will go down. Wait for Good Friday. You will have plenty of time.

Early Maturity Varieties:

  • Red Norland A medium oblong potato with shallow eyes, smooth red skin and white flesh. Norland is an early to mid season variety which is quite versatile for both boiling and baking.

  • Irish Cobbler Potato produces medium-sized tubers with tan skin, deep eyes, and a slightly netted skin. Plants are early to produce consistently-high yields of brick-shaped potatoes that are great for boiling or baking. This is widely considered one of the best tasting early-maturing potato varieties.

  • Viking Viking Potato is an early-maturing variety that produces large harvests on compact plants, making it a great option for containers, grow bags, or raised bed gardens. The plants are resistant to scab and the potatoes have a long shelf-life after harvest. This is a great variety for mashing, baking, fries and more.

  • Adirondack Blue Dark purple skin and flesh. High yields of large, oblong tubers with consistent, blue-violet flesh. Holds color when cooked. Deep eyes create a unique look. High in antioxidants.

Mid-Maturity Varieties:

  • Yukon Gold Yukon gold and other yellow potatoes are low- to medium-starch potatoes, and are well suited to roasting, mashing, baked dishes, and soups and chowders. 

  • Kennebec White Kennebec is a medium- to late-maturing white potato. A fast growing. High yields and stores well.

  • French Fingerling French fingerling potatoes are small to medium in size and are slender and cylindrical in shape with rounded ends, averaging 2-3 inches in length. They have a nutty sweet flavor.

  • Austrian Crescent Austrian Crescent is a golden crescent-shaped fingerling with a firm waxy texture and deep yellow flesh. It is delicious in salads or when roasted or boiled, staying firm after cooking. They are high yielding with a rich nutty, buttery taste.

Late-Maturity Varieties:

  • German Butterball German Butterball Potatoes are a gourmet potato variety with a brown peel and yellow flesh. These specialty potatoes have a buttery melt-in- your-mouth flavor and flakey texture. German Butterball Potatoes are most commonly used as baking potatoes but can also be fried or roasted.