Talking with fellow gardeners about growing potatoes, I’ve been amazed by the number of people who don’t know — or don’t take advantage of — the delicacy that is the “new” potato.
“New” meaning without a completely formed skin and before the top of the plant has died down.
You may have never bothered to grow them because you think it’s too difficult — or because they’re readily available in the grocery store, so why bother. But there’s actually a big difference between store-bought and homegrown potatoes. And a homegrown new potato is the best.
There are over 4,000 different potato varieties in the world. They’re loaded with potassium, vitamins C and B6, zinc and iron. In our area, it’s popular to grow Yukon Gold, Red Norland, fingerling, purple and Kennebec.
Seed potatoes can be planted in the spring as soon as the soil can be worked. They are tolerant of cold nights but should be covered if frost is expected. The seed can be purchased at most any garden store, but are hard to find later in the season, but will still grow well. It’s said that organic potatoes purchased from the grocery store can also be planted. But in my experience they don’t produce nearly as well.
To plant, dig a trench in well-draining soil about 8 inches down, mix in a shovelful of compost and a small handful of blood meal and bone meal. Place the seed potatoes about 10 to 12 inches apart, with rows 2 to 3 feet apart. I use the whole potato. You can, in principle, cut them in half or even smaller, as long as the potato is showing sprouts, or what are also called eyes. But cutting up the potato does run the risk of rot, since it exposes the tender insides, so proceed at your own risk.
Once your potatoes are planted, pile the soil up to form a hill over and around the seed. Water well and regularly. Once the leafy tops begin to emerge, about three weeks after planting, you can cover with some mulch, such as chopped straw, to ensure the soil stays moist. Since potatoes grow outwards, rather than downwards like a carrot, adding the mulch helps ensure the forming potatoes don’t get exposed to the sun. Exposure makes them turn green, which in turn makes them harmful to eat.
Potato tops – which, unlike the potatoes themselves, are not edible — can grow as high as a couple of feet. After they’ve formed blossoms, wait another week and see what you’ve got. Carefully dig down with a small tool or your fingers and feel for a potato. Or just pull up the whole top. Not all the potatoes will still be attached to the roots. So dig the rest up, using a shovel or a spading fork, being careful not to pierce any potatoes.
Your harvested new potatoes will be smaller than if you had waited until the fall and the tops have turned brown. For good eating, they should at least be the size of a golf ball.
New potatoes store only for a few days since their skin is thin and flaky. So don’t harvest more than you would use in that time. Do not store near onions. The moisture and gases in each speeds up deterioration in the other.
One plus of harvesting early is you lower the risk of vole damage or scab disease forming. Fully mature potatoes take between 75 and 120 days or even longer to grow, depending on the variety. New potatoes take about 55 days. So another advantage is that they enable you to make use of the space for other quick-growing veggies or even plant potatoes again for a second new potato crop. (Although I’ve never tried it, I understand potatoes also grow well in a grow bag or a 5-gallon bucket.)
My favorite way to prepare new potatoes is to boil until still firm but easily pierced, smother with butter, salt and pepper, and best of all, freshly chopped parsley. Give it a try — there’s still time!