Are you trying to get some green thumb exercise this summer? One way to enhance your home garden in the summertime is to incorporate a range of potato varieties. From mashed potatoes to potato salad to French fries, potatoes are capable of molding into anybody’s favorite side dish. Give yourself the gift of options by adding a few of the many different types of potatoes you can grow at home to your bountiful garden.
Daisy Gold
Daisy Gold potatoes are your stereotypical tater. They have an earthy, flaky, light-brown exterior that masks their cheerful, yellow insides.
Gardeners hold Daisy Gold potatoes in high regard for their resistance to detrimental viruses and nematodes. You can harvest these potatoes roughly 80 days after planting them.
Red Pontiac
Red Pontiac potatoes, known for their especially thin flesh, are perfect for baking, mashing, roasting, and a favorite for potato salad recipes. Though quite versatile, you should not fry Red Pontiac potatoes.
Magic Molly
Magic Molly potatoes stick out like sore thumbs in a potato lineup because of their rich purple color. When peeled, these potatoes reveal an even more vibrant purple inside. To enjoy Magic Molly spuds, you’ll need to have patience—they take 95-100 days to mature fully.
Red Gold
Red Gold potatoes offer a unique flavor that you can’t get from any other taters. Red Gold’s skin is noteworthy, too: yellow flesh with red eyes strewn around it. These potatoes hail from Northern Europe and are best for short-term storage.
Growing and Harvesting Spuds
Luckily, most gardeners find luck when growing potatoes. The different types of potatoes you can grow at home are low maintenance compared to other veggies, and their yields are often abundant.
Fix your potato seeds in fertile, well-drained soil that fares at a pH balance between 5.8 and 6.5. Potato plants grow best in full sun and loose soil (since they’re rooted plants).
Once you harvest them, it’s essential to follow these tips for proper potato storage for optimal shelf life. After cooking them, potatoes can last roughly three to four days in the fridge. However, they can last up to a year in the freezer if uncooked.
