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bart1_gw

Best potatoes for 'New' potatoes?

18 years ago

I'd like to try to harvest some new potatoes this year and I was wondering if a certain variety is better than another for news? I planted:

All Blue

Kennebec

Yukon Gold

Caribe

Katahdin

Which of these would make the best canidate for new potatoes?

Thanks!

Bart

Comments (13)

  • 18 years ago

    Yukon Gold.

    Just because they taste great ! Especially when they are harvested early. I just had some yesterday... they were very good.

    Just my opinion. :)))

  • 18 years ago

    Agree - we have been eating new Yukons this past week or so and they are hard to beat ;)

    Dave

  • 18 years ago

    Purely from Southern cooking tradition, it's the little new red-skinned potatoes cooked with fresh-picked beans and a ham hock that make for blissful early summer eating.

    Most cookbooks recommend using red potatoes for mashing because the taste is so much richer than white potatoes, so there's something to be said for red potatoes in my book! As for the taste of Yukon Golds, I wouldn't put them down, but I'm just partial by habit to red-skinned potatoes, little or big!

  • 9 years ago

    Any other opinions about "new" potatoes? Read so many different opinions. Not interested in trying to get a quantity at the end of the year, but quality fresh eating.

    "Red Pontiac"? Read that it is good, but also read that it is rather mediocre but easy to grow. "Red Norland" good, or just early? Which is better for fresh steaming?

    Trying "Yukon Nugget", assume it is similar to "Yukon Gold" except supposedly with more smaller tubers.

    Always have thought that white potatoes like "Kennebec" were rather bland as new potatoes. Unfair?

    "Purple Majesty"?

    Fingerlings?


  • 9 years ago

    I've never harvested any fingerlings for 'new' given their size is so small even at full growth. Red Pontiac make excellent new potatoes, so do most any of the reds. They have always been the early potato standard. 6 weeks ago we planted Red la Soda this year to harvest as new. Yukons are also good, as I said above.

    But its getting awfully late for potato planting so depending on where you live, you best make a choice and get planted.

    Dave

  • 9 years ago

    digdirt it not at all late to go potatoes even in the hottest parts of USA.

  • 9 years ago

    Potatoes are a cool weather, cool soil temp crop and normally planted between 2 weeks prior to last frost dates and 2 weeks after last frost date. That is mid-March to early May. Since it takes them a couple weeks to sprout frost does not pose a serious threat to them. Since last frost dates have already passed in the "hottest parts of the USA" and are rapidly approaching in even the northern parts of the country then it is quickly becoming late for potato planting in much of the country.

    Does that mean they must be planted at that time? Of course not. But the later the delay, the warmer the soil, and the greater the decline in production.

    Dave

  • 9 years ago

    Early Red Norland are ones I grow and like...mostly because they are early to form decent sized tubers and they are the red color I associate with new potatoes. I've eaten many others as earlies, also, and I've liked them all.


    My potatoes are not in yet here in SW Michigan. We had 18-20 degree nights several times recently so I'm glad they are not in yet. Also, our heavy clay soil stays wet and cold for a long time in the spring so I tend to wait at least this long most years, anyway. Plus our last frost date is still a ways out...guess we are just slow around here. But the seed potatoes are sitting on the windowsills and are nicely chitted! They will be going into the ground soon.



  • 9 years ago

    Here in zone 5, I will plant potatoes till mid June or as long as I can get seed potatoes. We grow red Pontiac and red norland for new potatoes that we sell at our markets. We also grow Kennebec but like others have said are not as good as new we also grow some blue. Had hard time finding blue seed this year.

  • 9 years ago

    I'm trying red, white and blue. Planted blue in January, cause they said they take a long time. Planted red a month ago in the spots where no blue came up.

    This week I am putting in Yukon. Was told they're determinate and grow fast. Hope they will have enough time through June.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I planted my sprouted potatoes this week in Ohio, they will be out well before the start of May. Not sure what they point of planting them much earlier, last weekend temps went down into the 20s at night. I planted "Red Pontiac", "Yukon Nugget" a new type with supposedly smaller potatoes than "Yukon Gold", and "Purple Majesty". I'm just overthinking it, but want to concentrate on new potatoes and use the best choices, since I get bored with the potatoes at the end of the year. Yes, I know they are perfectly edible, I'm just less inspired to cook them.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like Red Pontiac and Yukon Gold for new potatoes as well. I planted out earlier than normal on March 5th this year and most were up in about 4 weeks but a couple stragglers just came up in the last week. Most are between 4 and 6 inches now and growing fast so I will probably be doing the first hilling next weekend. I planted Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac, and French Fingerlings (first time) this year.

  • 9 years ago

    The blues need up to six months here. Now I'm down to three months so im putting out the fast growing determinate potatoes.

    I've been told most reds and Yukons are good for new potatoes.