Planting Your Own Potatoes

Choose the variety you want to grow.

Yukon Gold.  Yellow.  60-80 Days.  Good keeper.  Thin yellow skin and meat.  Keeps color when cooked.  Cooks well in any method.  Outstanding flavor.  Dry texture.  Sweet taste.  Better when home grown than store bought.  Store in a cool, dark place.  The cooler they are stored, the sweeter they get.

Cobbler.  White.  60-80 Days.  Heirloom.  Strong potato flavor.  White skin with deep eye and meaty flesh.  Oblong shape.  Good mashing.  Boil & Bake well.  Early Season.  Called "Old Reliable" as it gives consistent yield.

Pontiac.  Red.  80-100 Days.  Easiest and most adaptable to grow.  Does well in clay soil.  Red skin and white flesh.  Good new potato.  Tubers vary in size and shape.  Store reliably.  High yield.

Kennebeck.  White.  80-100 Days.  One of the most popular.  High yield.  Large, white skin, white flesh.  Grows well in harsh conditions.  Good boiled, mashed, fried, hashed or baked.  Mid to Late Season.

Planting Preparation. . .

Cut into "seeds" with 1 or 2 eyes.  Let the pieces sit for 18-36 hours.  This helps form callouses and helps prevent rotting.

Planting in Rows. . .

Dig a trench 4"-5" wide and 6"-8" deep.  Set seeds 15" apart.  Cover with 3" soil.  Do not completely fill in trench.  Sprouts will emerge in about 2 weeks.  At this time, cover with another 3"-4" of soil.  When stems are 8" high hill with soil half way up stem.  Another hilling in 2-3 weeks again half way up stem.  Hilling every week or so with an inch of soil will prevent exposure to sunlight.

Planting in Straw. . . .

Dig a trench 4" deep and 12" wide.  Push seeds 1" into loose soil at bottom of trench.  Fill the trench with 6" of straw (NOT SOIL).  As sprouts emerge, add another 4"-6" of straw.  Repeat in 2-3 weeks as sprouts grow.