31 Potato Varieties to Grow: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Planting, and Enjoying Potatoes

Discover a selection of garden-tested spuds to suit every harvest and taste preference.

By Medha deb

Created on Sep 2, 2025

Discover a selection of garden-tested spuds to suit every harvest and taste preference.

Potato Varieties: A Gardenerâs Guide to Flavor, Color, and Seasonality

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are among the most versatile crops, beloved for their culinary diversity and ease of cultivation. With hundreds of varieties available, selecting the right potato for your garden can dramatically enhance your harvest experience. Whether you crave creamy new potatoes for salads, robust russets for baking, or striking purple spuds packed with antioxidants, this guide introduces 31 popular potato varieties, organized by seasonality, color, and usage. Prepare to transform your garden and kitchen with spuds tailored to every taste and climate.

Understanding Potato Types and Maturity Seasons

Potato varieties are generally classified by their maturity season and :

Early and First Early Potatoes: Harvested 10â12 weeks after planting, these produce small, thin-skinned tubers perfect for salads and roasting.
Second Early Potatoes: Ready in 13â16 weeks, slightly larger than first earlies; ideal for boiling and fresh eating.
Maincrop and Late Potatoes: Mature after 20+ weeks, yielding larger yields and thicker skins suited to storage, baking, and mashing.

For continuous supply and diverse uses, gardeners often combine several maturity types throughout the season.

Selection Criteria: How to Choose Your Potato Varieties

Harvest timing: Match variety to your climate and kitchen needs.
Color and culinary use: From creamy golds to vibrant purples, flavors and textures vary.
Disease resistance: Some varieties offer unique resistance to common potato ailments.
Space requirements: Certain varieties need more soil depth or spacing.

Below you’ll find a detailed breakdown of the most popular choices. Each includes botanical details, harvest maturity, culinary notes, and recommended companion planting.

Early Season Potatoes

âRed Norlandâ: Thin red skin, creamy texture, sweet flavor. Great for salads and roasting.
âYukon Goldâ: Waxy yellow flesh, moist and buttery flavor, excels when roasted or boiled.
âPurple Vikingâ: Uniquely patterned purple skin, white flesh. Moderate resistance to disease.
âAdirondack Blueâ: Rich blue skin and flesh, high in antioxidants. Good for mashing or baking.
âNorchipâ: Reliable yield, thin skin, excellent for boiling and steaming.

Quick Table: Early Season Potato Highlights

Name	Color/Flesh	Recommended Use	Days to Maturity
Red Norland	Red / White	Salads, Roasting	70â90
Yukon Gold	Yellow / Yellow	Roasting, Boiling	70â90
Purple Viking	Purple / White	Mashing, Roasting	70â90
Adirondack Blue	Blue / Blue	Mashing, Baking	70â90

Second Early Potatoes

âCharlotteâ: Yellow skin and flesh, firm texture. Perfect as a new potato, ideal for salads.
âRed Pontiacâ: Red skin, white flesh, very productive. Good for mash and boiling.

Second early varieties tend to be slightly larger than their first early counterparts, providing a seamless transition from late spring to early summer harvests.

Maincrop and Late Season Potatoes

âRusset Burbankâ: Thick, brown netted skin. Classic choice for baking, mashing, fries. Stores exceptionally well.
âDesireeâ: Red skin, yellow flesh, waxy texture. Very versatile, great for roasting, boiling, and mashing.
âGerman Butterballâ: Golden skin/flesh, creamy interior. A chef favoriteâand also a superb storage potato.
âCarolaâ: Yellow skin, yellow flesh, buttery and smooth. Excellent all-purpose potato.
âNicolaâ: Yellow-skinned, waxy potato, renowned for quality and flavor in salads or boiling.

Quick Table: Maincrop/Late Season Potato Highlights

Name	Color/Flesh	Recommended Use	Days to Maturity
Russet Burbank	Brown / White	Baking, Fries	100â120
Desiree	Red / Yellow	All-purpose	100â120
German Butterball	Yellow / Yellow	Baking, Storage	110â130
Carola	Yellow / Yellow	Boiling, Roasting	110â130

Unique and Colored Potato Varieties

âViolet Queenâ: Deep blueish-purple skin and flesh, nutty rich flavor. High antioxidant content. Some frost and scab resistance.
âRussian Blueâ: Vibrant purple flesh, white rim around edge, great for mashing or baking, high vitamin C and anthocyanins.
âClancyâ: Mix of rose gold, red, creamy yellow skin; cream texture. Bred for disease resistance, good fresh and for storage.

These visually stunning potatoes bring both nutrition and aesthetic appeal to the garden.

Companion Planting for Potatoes

To improve your yield and minimize pests or diseases, plant potatoes near the following companions:

Basil
Beans
Marigolds
Thyme

Marigolds help repel nematodes and beetles, while beans and thyme boost overall soil health.

Disease Resistance and Growth Tips

Potatoes such as âClancyâ grown from seed are less prone to tuber-transmitted diseases.
Some varietiesâincluding âViolet Queenâ and âRussian Blueââshow moderate resistance to common potato afflictions like scab and drought.
Regular hilling (pushing up soil around plant stems) increases tuber yield and helps prevent greening.

Planting and Harvesting Guide

Plant potatoes in spring once soil temperature reaches at least 43Â°F (6Â°C).
Space larger, bushier varieties like âRussian Blueâ at least two feet apart in rows for optimal growth.
To maximize yield, hill soil around growing plants multiple times through the season.
Harvest shortly after plants flower for “new potatoes,” or wait until the foliage dies back for fully mature tubers.
Store late potatoes in a cool, dark, dry space for winter use.

Culinary Uses of Potatoes

Salads: Early and second early, thin-skinned (Red Norland, Charlotte).
Roasting: Yukon Gold, German Butterball, Red Norland.
Baking: Maincrop russets, German Butterball.
Mashing: Purple Viking, Desiree, Russian Blue.
Chips and fries: Russet varieties, Nicola.
Novelty dishes: Colored varieties (Violet Queen, Adirondack Blue) for stunning presentation and additional nutrition.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which potato varieties are best for salads?

Early and second early potatoes with thin skins, like Red Norland and Charlotte, are ideal for salads as they hold shape and have a pleasant texture.

What makes a good storage potato?

Late season potatoes with thicker skins, such as Russet Burbank and German Butterball, store well for extended periods in cool, dry conditions.

Are colored potatoes more nutritious?

Yes, varieties like Violet Queen and Russian Blue are higher in antioxidants (notably anthocyanins) compared to white or yellow potatoes.

What is “hilling,” and why is it important?

Hilling refers to drawing soil up around potato stems during the season, protecting tubers from sunlight (which can turn them green and toxic) and increasing the harvest.

Can you grow potatoes from seed?

Some modern varieties, like Clancy, are bred to be grown from true botanical seed, reducing disease transmission associated with tubers and increasing diversity.

Summary Table: Select Potato Varieties and Their Attributes

Variety	Color	Maturity Type	Best Use	Disease Resistance
Red Norland	Red/White	Early	Salads, Roasting	Moderate
Yukon Gold	Yellow/Yellow	Early	All-purpose	Good
Russet Burbank	Brown/White	Main/Late	Baking, Fries	High
Desiree	Red/Yellow	Main/Late	Mashing, Roasting	Good
Adirondack Blue	Blue/Blue	Early	Baking, Mashing	Moderate
Clancy	Rose, Red, Yellow	Main/Late	Creamer, Storage	High
Violet Queen	Purple/Purple	Late	Novelty, Mashing	Good
Russian Blue	Purple/White	Early/Mid	Mashing, Baking	Moderate

Final Tips for Potato Success

Diversify your planting: Grow a mix of early, mid, and late varieties for a continuous harvest.
Portion seed potatoes carefully: One pound of seed potatoes per five feet of growing space is standard.
Monitor for blight and scab: Avoid soggy soil, rotate plantings, and select disease-resistant cultivars.
Mulch generously: Mulching helps retain moisture and prevent tuber greening.

Additional Resources

For deeper cultivation tips and troubleshooting, consult Epic Gardeningâs full guide on potato growing.
Experiment with less-known varieties sourced from specialty retailers for further diversity.
Join local gardening groups and forums to exchange tips and seed potatoes adapted to your microclimate.

Gardeners’ Glossary

Determinate potatoes: These varieties produce tubers at one soil depth, maturing all at once. Ideal for early harvest and small spaces.
Indeterminate potatoes: Tubers develop at multiple soil depths along stems, resulting in larger yields over longer periods.
True potato seed: Seeds produced sexually rather than as tubers. Enables greater genetic diversity and disease control.

References

Author

medha deb

Medha Deb is an editor with a master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Hyderabad. She believes that her qualification has helped her develop a deep understanding of language and its application in various contexts.

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