Blog article by Nanelle Jones-Sullivan
I recently got an email saying seed potatoes will ship mid-April. Potatoes are a cool-season crop, which for my microclimate ends, not begins, in mid-April.
I order mine in the fall and look for “early” varieties (and the long, thin finger-shaped fingerlings, but early fingerlings have proven to be elusive!).
I let them sprout (or “chit”) over the winter, and plant in February or March.
I use large grow bags, which dry out too quickly for warm-season crops but can be stored in small spaces when not being used.
“Earlies” generally grow in a “determinate” pattern. Setting all early on. You can position multiple layers of determinate potatoes in one container to try to increase your yield. Still, like determinate tomatoes, the individual stems won’t continue to bear over a long season.
This year, I’m growing Purple Viking, an early all-purpose variety with purple and pink skin; Red Thumb, a red-skinned, early-maturing fingerling; and Austrian Crescent, a mid-season fingerling with pale yellow skin and long, crescent-shaped tubers. Austrian Cresent may be indeterminate and benefit more from “hilling up” (adding organic matter to keep the stems covered).
