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I love Fedco!
Red potatoes — have any favourites you grow?
- Thread starter Joel_BC
- Start date
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
going to check out Fedco!
Lazy Gardener
Super Self-Sufficient
I ordered my seeds for the year before the new catalog EVEN came out. Now, with the new catalog, I'm going through severe withdrawal issues. I DON'T NEED MORE SEEDS. But, there are so many to try! I have lots of new pepper varieties I've bought, but... my indoor pepper is putting on an impressive number of little peppers. I may be able to clone that pepper enough by spring that I'll have mature, blooming plants to carry me through the summer. My egg plant is also growing nicely, though it looks a bit chlorotic. It keeps setting buds, but they then drop. Hope to be able to clone that as well.
- Thread starter
- #24
Joel_BC
Super Self-Sufficient
My report on 2019's spuds (so far).
Well, I asked for advice about red potato varieties, and I tried one variety recommended to me on this thread. (By the way, thanks to all of you who responded with recommendations & experiences.)
All varieties showed impressive top growth.
Red Norlands... yes! These were recommended to me in this thread. I'd bought some at local markets just to try them for their taste/texture value, and I liked them. Smooth and creamy, and they make far less-dry mashed potatoes than Russets, even if you don't add milk to them! Earliest maturing of what I planted. The return was 6:1 (probably more than that) by weight; decent size, some quite largish. Like weighing nearly a pound. (Some fusarium, but not much.)
Yukon Gold. I've relied on these in the past for general size, good eating, and good return. Around 6:1, this year, generally good size & mostly quite clean. I consider this good performance given our weather, soil, etc.
Russet (my reliable late-season ones). Tops are still green, so it will be a while until I dig them.
One thing I feel disappointed about: when I buy seed potatoes here, they're wholesaled hundreds of miles from here and sold in brown paper sacks. They vary in size, some like a hen's egg (and not a really large one at that). I tried planting the smaller ones in a position in my rows where they'd get the best watering, but that compensation didn't really work. I can say definitely that smallish seed potatoes produced modestly compared to larger-size ones.
Well, I asked for advice about red potato varieties, and I tried one variety recommended to me on this thread. (By the way, thanks to all of you who responded with recommendations & experiences.)
All varieties showed impressive top growth.
Red Norlands... yes! These were recommended to me in this thread. I'd bought some at local markets just to try them for their taste/texture value, and I liked them. Smooth and creamy, and they make far less-dry mashed potatoes than Russets, even if you don't add milk to them! Earliest maturing of what I planted. The return was 6:1 (probably more than that) by weight; decent size, some quite largish. Like weighing nearly a pound. (Some fusarium, but not much.)
Yukon Gold. I've relied on these in the past for general size, good eating, and good return. Around 6:1, this year, generally good size & mostly quite clean. I consider this good performance given our weather, soil, etc.
Russet (my reliable late-season ones). Tops are still green, so it will be a while until I dig them.
One thing I feel disappointed about: when I buy seed potatoes here, they're wholesaled hundreds of miles from here and sold in brown paper sacks. They vary in size, some like a hen's egg (and not a really large one at that). I tried planting the smaller ones in a position in my rows where they'd get the best watering, but that compensation didn't really work. I can say definitely that smallish seed potatoes produced modestly compared to larger-size ones.
Last edited:
Lazy Gardener
Super Self-Sufficient
Good post, Joel. I also like Norland, though it doesn't compare to my favorite, red skin/pink flesh potato: Adirondack Red or All Red. I just love the flavor and novelty of that pink flesh. But, by far, Norland out produces either of the latter. If I could only grow one potato, I think it would have to be the Norland. Not sure how it compares to other varieties as a winter storage potato. Bet Kennebec does better. There are just so many wonderful varieties to choose from, I usually plant 5 - 6 hills of each.
