Grow This: Different Color Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the easiest foods to grow in summer, and store over winter months. With an investment of a little time, and a very small amount of money, you can provide your family with plenty of potatoes for months.

Potatoes come in many different varieties and colors. By growing different types with different colors you can add health benefits on many levels. The visual presentation of food is also important to our health and the use of foods with different natural colors has tremendous psychological effects on us.

When you grow your own colored potatoes you have greater creative cooking options, as such if you live in the United States, you can combine Red, White, and Blue potatoes to make a patriotic 4th of July Potato salad. Or in Canada, a Canada Day Potato salad, and so on.

By growing some of your own food you save money and reduce environmental damages by reducing shipping of foods to stores for your consumption.

Yukon Gold

Early to mid Season harvest. Has yellowish skin and flesh, produces big tubers. Is drought tolerant, and retains its’ color when cooked. Uses: Baking, boiling, roasting and frying.

Russian Blue

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Late Season harvest. Deep blue-purple skin and flesh, producing a lot of potatoes so require more space. Drought tolerant and retains its’ color well when cooked. Have a firm consistency. Uses: Mashed, baked, boiled, and to make colorful French Fries, and Potato Chips.

All Red

Late Season Harvest. Has red skin and pinkish flesh, produces medium to large potatoes. Noted for having high antioxidant qualities. Uses: Steamed or boiled.

Banana Potato

Late Season Harvest. Has a longer, banana like appearance and excellent flavor. Uses: Potato Salad, baking, boiling or frying.

Dark Red Norland

Early Season Harvest. Has red skin, and white flesh. Uses: Plant every two weeks and use as “new potatoes”, Steamed or boiled.

Pontiac

Late Season Harvest. Has red skin and white flesh. Grows well in clay soils, produces lots of large tubers; Uses: Boiled or steamed.

Sweet Potatoes

Late Maturing, they require at least 140 frost free growing days. They are orange in color and produce very big tubers and grow best in sandy soils. Uses: Baked, mashed, boiled, or made into a Sweet Potato Pie.

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From Wikimedia

How to Grow Potatoes

You must start with “Seed Potatoes” as those found in grocery stores for consuming have been treated so they will not grow. You may prepare the bed as soon as the ground is workable, and plant when risk of frost is low and temperatures are above freezing.
Potatoes require slightly acidic soil, never plant them in areas that have had lime added.
Plant about 3 inches deep, in rows 2 feet apart, leaving about 1 foot between plants. You may cut each seed potato into parts as long as each part has at least 2 “eyes”, and then you can plant one part per hole. Until the plants emerge from under the soil, keep watering minimal to avoid disease. When plants are about 1 foot high, hill them up or use straw to cover the lower parts of the plant. When potatoes are exposed to the sun, they turn green and become toxic.

Watch for the colorful Colorado Potato beetle and remove them by hand when you find them.

You can harvest “new potatoes” about 8 weeks after planting, do so by gently digging around the plant and removing the small potatoes while keeping the plant intact. Other potatoes may be harvested when the plants begin to die.

Storage
Potatoes must be stored a dark cool place. Do not store them near apples. I store mine in the basement in large storage totes, with the lids slightly open for air circulation. I keep a small pail of water in the room for humidity, but have found that washed potatoes do not keep as well, so I only dust off the dirt before storing them.
Potatoes may be canned or frozen. If you are planning on freezing them they should be cleaned, cut up for their use, prior to freezing and should be blanched.