How to Grow Potatoes Guide 🥔

Growing Non-GMO Katahdin Seed Potatoes

As soon as you receive your seed potatoes encourage them to sprout (called ‘chitting’) by placing them in an open egg carton in a warm, sunny place. Face the blunt end down and angle the side with the most eyes upward. The shoots should be about 1-inch long before planting. Bury seed potatoes in loose, neutral to acidic soil in early spring. They can handle moderately cold temperatures and light frosts, but be sure to protect them from a hard frost.

Katahdin potatoes are grown like other potato varieties. Tubers should be buried at least six inches deep and 12-15 inches apart. Not planting seed potatoes deep enough can result in high-set tubers being exposed to sunlight and becoming green. When the plants reach about 12 inches high, earth up the soil around them periodically to prevent the tubers from poking out as they grow. Repeat until the mounds are about 8 inches high. Mounding up the earth above some of leaves will not hurt the plant.

Fertilize with nitrogen at the time of planting and once again when the seedlings have emerged. Water regularly throughout the early and mid-season. In some regions, rainfall may be sufficient. Once the vines begin to naturally die off (about 70 days), decrease watering. This is a signal that the potatoes are getting ready to be harvested. If your fall frost is coming and the green bush is not turning brown yet, kill them by cutting the stem down. The potatoes need 2-3 weeks in the soil after the vine dies off to develop a good skin for storage. Do not plant potatoes in the same location more than every 3-4 years. Practicing crop rotation will reduce the incidence of disease and soil depletion.

Katahdin Seed Potatoes in the Vegetable Garden

Potato plants are a staple for every homesteader or home gardener wishing to store away food for the winter. These beautiful bushy plants produce plentiful tubers beneath the soil. When they are ready to harvest, it is like digging up buried treasure! Potatoes are great for filling in greenery to highlight other colorful plants in an edible landscape.

Harvesting Name of Katahdin Seed Potatoes

Once the potatoes have been left to cure in the soil for 2-3 weeks after the bush turns brown, carefully dig up the tubers. Use a shovel or turning fork 1-2 feet away from the base of the plant to loosen the soil. Remove the tubers from the soil. Hand removal is the best for avoiding punctures. Store in a cool place (45F) with high humidity (90-95%) for extended storage life. They can last five months or more in good conditions.

About Name of Katahdin Seed Potatoes

Katahdin potatoes have a fluffy and smooth texture making them wonderful for french fries, baking, and boiling, but will likely loose shape easily in potato salads.

This variety was created by the USDA by crossing multiple other varieties of potatoes. It was released for sale in 1932 and remains a market favorite.

Katahdin potatoes are considered a late-season potato and require a longer growing season.

Potatoes are high in vitamin A. Their skins can be great sources of fiber.

Tips From Our Gardeners

"Do not eat any tubers that have turned green due to sun exposure! As part of the Solanaceae family, the green parts of the plant are toxic."

- Lara Wadsworth, True Leaf Market Writer

Katahdin Seed Potatoes Seeds Per Package:

• 2 Lb - Wholesale - Approximately 10-15 Sets (when cut)
• 5 Lb - Wholesale - Approximately 30-35 Sets (when cut)
• 10 Lb - Bulk Seeds - Approximately 50-75 Sets (when cut)

Non-GMO Katahdin Seed Potatoes are available for Fast Free Shipping on qualifying orders.