Growing vegetables is becoming more and more popular in America and that is why potatoes are the number one grown plant in America today. That’s right; the once humble potato has become a very popular vegetable to grow. So if you are thinking of growing your own potatoes, you should know about the different varieties of potatoes and how to care for them.
There are five different types of potatoes that you can grow and that include the russet, purple russet, yellow russet, red russet and the missed leaf variety.
The russet is theOriginally thought to be the first type of potato. They are highly rated for growth and a very productive crop. This type of potato is sensitive to frost; so if you want to grow potatoes all year long, you should try the russet variety. They will continue to produce year after year after year after they are planted.
The next type of potatoes are the purple russet potatoes. These extremely hardy potatoes are highly productive and very easy to grow. This is the best variety of potato for a beginner. When buying purple russet potatoes, they will indicate on the bag that they are easy to grow.
Yellow russet potatoes are also highly productive and a very easy variety to grow. This is the best variety of russet potatoes for gardeners. Just make sure that you weathered russet potatoes have a few good size tines. The tines are so that you can puncture them and grow them from the tines. This is the best way to grow them.
Red russet potatoes are also easy to grow but have a tendency to have a tough skin. To soften the skin, you need to boil the potatoes. If you look on the bag of russet potatoes, it will tell you to boiling the potatoes for a minute, this is to allow the skin to come off easier.
The missed leaf variety of russet potatoes are so yellow in color that is it is a russet potato but has a few other varieties in it that make it special. It is a taterorosa variety and is a well known variety that won’t keep long. Taterorosa russet potatoes have an easier time growing then the normal russet variety.
The taterorosa variety of russet potatoes have an easier time keeping then the normal russet potatoes and this is the best variety for that reason. The problem that I have with the taterorosa russet potatoes is that they quit holding up to the second year of planting it.
The purple russet varieties are orange in color and are also easy to grow and don’t need much care or special soil to grow. The russet purple is the best variety that can be planted in zones 6 – 10. The vines don’t get too tall before it starts to die back in the second year.
The yellow russet varieties tend to be good crops for that area but is does seem to tolerate some shade. It is best to plant 3 or 4 varieties. One will grow and the other two will stay the same year round.
The two varieties of yellow russet potatoes are the Yukon gold and the Yukon white. The Yukon gold will do well in zones 4 – 10 and the Yukon white will do well in zones 6 – 10.
The last row of yellow russet potatoes are so-called “white” russet potatoes, this row includes the pretty white russet types. It is possible to get a crop of these rows from a farmer in most areas. His yard has a 20′ row of white russet potatoes, each row about 4′ long. A packet of seed should cost $1.50. Limiting the plants to 10′ long per row will make it economical to grow.
A high quality soil mix that has fertilizer in it that will feed the plants is what is needed. Mix the soil with 20% or 30% peat moss and 50% or 60% compost. If you do it wrong, the soil mix will drain too fast and the plants will be hungry and grow tall and leggy.
Planting
Even if you want to save a little money and use the potting soil from the nursery, it can be a little more difficult when planting from the actual potting soil that has been used. A thick layer of mulch, 2-3 inches deep will help hold the moisture in and prevent the roots from drying out. Pre-dig the hole so that there is about 3″ of soil below the hole and backfill so that the soil level is below the hole. I backfill with some manure and dirt to feed the plant and help it get established.
