Potatoes are easy and fun to grow. They are also very easy to plant. Throw them on the ground, cover them with straw and keep adding straw when the plants grow 9" above the previous layer of straw. It helps if you throw some manure on the ground first, but really they are not too high maintenance. One of the most difficult decisions is what kind. Rural King sells cheap 50 lb bags of the standard varieties, but what do the varieties mean?
Early, Mid-season, and Late
There are three main areas of harvest time. Early are ready in about 90 days, while late may take 150 days to mature. Early is great if you want baby potatoes to can up. They have lower yields than the late varieties. Late varieties are excellent if you want to store in your root cellar.
Eating Qualities
Texture, flavor, and even color vary from potato to potato. Think about what you normally buy to eat and then look up the qualities listed in a seed catalog. If you want to branch out, pick a new potato with similar qualities. Waxy potatoes are good for boiling and stay firm when cooking. These are great for salads. Mealy potatoes are great baked, roasted, or fried. Some are nutty in flavor and some are fairly mild. Color may attract you as well, but often doesn't affect taste.
Disease Resistance
Some are better for some reasons than others. If you ave nematode problems, you may want to search out a potato that is less effected by your local pest.
Early Varieties
1. Foremost
2. Red Duke of York
3. Accent
4. Caribe
5. Chieftain
6. Dark Red Norland
7. Superior
8. Adriondac Blue
9. Adriondac Red
10. Rose Finn
11. Purple Viking
12. Sangre
Mid-Season Potatoes
1. Charlotte
2. Belle de Fontenay
3. Carola
4. Kennebec
5. French Fingerling
6. Desiree
7. Nicola
8. Bintje
Later Varieties
1. Yukon Gold
2. Pink Fir Apple
3. LaRatte
4. All-Blue
5. German Butterball
6. Russian Banana
A more comprehensive list can be found here!
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