How to Grow Potatoes Guide 🥔

Growing Non-GMO Red Pontiac 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 from a hard freeze.

Red Pontiac potatoes are grown just like other potato varieties. Tubers should be buried at least 3-4 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. Starting when the plants reach about 8 inches high, hill up the soil around them periodically to avoid the tubers from poking out as they grow. Repeat until the mounds are 8-12 inches tall. Mounding up some earth above some leaves will not hurt the plant.

Fertilize at the time of planting and once again when the seedlings have emerged. Water regularly throughout the early and mid-season. Infrequently and deeply is best. 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.

Red Pontiac 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 large tubers beneath the soil. When they are ready to harvest, it is like digging up buried treasure! In an edible landscape, potatoes are great for filling in greenery to highlight other colorful plants.

Harvesting Red Pontiac 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 12-18 inches 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 through the cool winter months in good conditions.

About Red Pontiac Seed Potatoes

Red Pontiac potatoes can also be called Dakota Chief. They are oblong with a slightly waxier texture that helps them retain their shape better during the cooking process.

This variety is considered a high yielder, producing tubers ideal for baking, roasting, and mashing. They retain their shape well for things like soups, stews, and potato salad.

Red Pontiac potatoes are a color variation on the Pontiac potato and have become the best, all-purpose red potato on the market. The mutilation was originally discovered in Florida but was bred more thoroughly in Michigan before being released by the USDA in 1938.

Seed potatoes are the best for ensuring a healthy good crop each year.

Red skinned potatoes have unique health benefits from other potatoes. Their red skin contains fiber, B vitamins, iron, and potassium.

Stories From Our Gardeners

"Red Pontiac Potatoes always remind me of the potato salad that my husband’s family loves. They prefer a sweet potato salad with sweet pickles. I prefer dill pickles which create more of a savory dish. Either way, Red Pontiac is the best variety to use!"

- Lara Wadsworth, True Leaf Market Writer

Red Pontiac Seed Potatoes Seeds Per Package:

• 2 Lb - Wholesale - Approximately # Seeds
• 5 Lb - Wholesale - Approximately # Seeds
• 10 Lb - Bulk Seeds - Approximately # Seeds

Non-GMO Red Pontiac Seed Potatoes seeds are available for Fast Free Shipping on qualifying orders.