Disclaimer: I am not an expert.

I get certified seed potatoes from Atwoods or other local place (Carmicheals in Bixby).

I usually plant mine 4 weeks before average date of final freeze. That is about March 5-10 or so for me.

Scott is more of an expert than he'll admit!

I have grown blue potatoes for years and they grow just like any other potato. They look great in a 4th of July potato salad, mixed with red and white potatoes, to make a patriotic potato salad. In the past I always mail-ordered them from a certified seed potato supplier like Wood Prairie Farm. This year, the local Lowe's in Ardmore had them in the late winter, so I bought them locally. I believe the specific one I planted was All-Blue. (These potatoes make a lovely dish of pale purple mashed potatoes too.)

The small round, red potatoes grow well here as do the normal brown-skinned ones with white or golden flesh. I've also grown various fingerling potatoes here, and they grow well in our climate also.

You always want to buy seed potatoes that are certified to be disease-free, so it is not a good idea to use grocery store potatoes since they are not certified. Potatoes that are certified have been treated to prevent disease because the diseases carried on potatoes (including early blight and late blight) tend to wipe out the whole crop. Sometimes, if early blight or late blight appears, you can treat your plants with a fungicide and save them and your crop, and sometimes you can't. So, it is just better to start with seed potatoes that are certified to be disease-free.

Also, grocery store potatoes are sprayed with anti-sprouting agents to keep them from sprouting during the months they are in cold storage, in transport or in the store. So, if you wanted to use grocery store potatoes as your seed potatoes, you'd have to hope the anti-sprouting agent had worn off enough to let them sprout. Or, you can buy organic potatoes because they are not sprayed with anti-sprouting chemicals.

I have used grocery store potatoes as seed potatoes, but only after gardening for a couple of decades. I bought several varieties of organic fingerling potatoes from a Whole Food store in Dallas about 8 or 9 years ago and used them as my seed potatoes and they did just fine. I, on the other hand, was nervous the whole time.....worried they'd come down with blight and infect my other potatoes. Nowadays, fingerling seed potatoes are easier to find and I purchase the certified seed potatoes for them.

I try to get my seed potatoes into the ground about 4 weeks before the average date of the last spring frost, which for me here in Love County would mean the last week of February, since our average last spring frost is March 27th. (Of course, the weather does what it will do and last year our last spring frost was May 3rd, but you can't control Mother Nature!) You can plant somewhat later than the recommended "one month before the last spring frost", but it can lead to decreased yields.

Potato plants grow and produce best when daytime high temperatures are between about 60 and 75 degrees and when nighttime lows are in the 45-55 degree range. So, early planting gets them in the ground in time to enjoy the relatively brief time frame when the temperatures are in this range. Also, the plants have to reach a certain size before the plants will set and size their tuber crop (before soil temperatures reach 85 degrees), so early planting gives them time to make maximum growth before tuber initiation begins.

Hope this info helps.

I've linked the Wood Prairie Farms website for you....just to give you an idea of all the types, shapes, colors and sizes of potatoes that you can grow.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Prairie Farm

Scott and Dawn-
Thanks for all of the information.
One more question:
Does Atwoods carry very many varieties? Did you happen to notice the "all blue" variety? The Atwoods here in town (Norman) is a pretty big store and probably carries the same products as other stores in the state.
Thanks again-
Zach