Red potatoes have thin, smooth red skin and a waxy texture, making them ideal for boiling, roasting, and salads. Red potato varieties often mature earlier than russets, allowing for a quicker harvest cycle. Timing the planting process precisely is crucial for a successful yield, as these plants thrive in a specific, cool-weather window. Proper timing ensures the tubers develop before the stressful heat of summer arrives, leading to a robust and bountiful crop.
Pre-Planting Preparation
Before planting, prepare the seed potatoes through “chitting,” which is pre-sprouting. This involves placing the seed potatoes in a cool, bright location for several weeks. This encourages short, sturdy, green sprouts to form on the “eyes,” giving the potatoes a head start. Chitting leads to faster emergence and potentially higher yields once they are in the soil.
Larger seed potatoes should be cut into block-shaped pieces two to three days before planting. Each piece should weigh about two ounces and contain at least one or two healthy eyes. Allowing the cut pieces to sit in a well-ventilated, dry area lets the surfaces “cure” or form a protective callus. This curing helps prevent rot and disease once they are planted in the moist ground. Smaller tubers can be planted whole.
Determining the Ideal Planting Window
The soil temperature is the primary factor in planting red potatoes, which must be consistently above 45°F (7°C) for successful growth. Planting into cold, wet soil, especially below 40°F (4°C), increases the risk of the seed potatoes rotting before they can sprout. The ideal planting time is often two to four weeks before the average last frost date, allowing the plant to establish roots in cool, moist conditions.
Potatoes can tolerate a light, brief frost once the foliage emerges, but a hard freeze can damage the young shoots and set back the plant’s growth. Planting too late means the plants will face the heat of mid-summer. Tuber development is inhibited by high soil temperatures, particularly those exceeding 80°F (27°C). Monitoring the soil temperature with a thermometer is a more reliable indicator than relying solely on the calendar date for the final planting decision.
The Physical Planting Process
Once the soil has reached the optimal temperature, the prepared seed pieces are ready to be placed in the ground. A common method involves digging a shallow trench or furrow approximately four to six inches deep. The seed pieces should be planted with the cut side facing down and the sprouts, or “eyes,” pointing upward.
Proper spacing ensures the plants have adequate room to produce tubers and allows for necessary cultivation. Place the seed pieces 10 to 12 inches apart within the trench to encourage the development of good-sized potatoes. Cover the seed pieces with only three or four inches of soil, leaving the trench partially unfilled. This shallow planting sets the stage for “hilling,” where soil is progressively mounded up around the emerging stems. Hilling covers the developing tubers, preventing them from turning green and becoming inedible due to sun exposure.
Calculating Harvest Timing
The planting date ultimately determines the harvest timeline, which varies depending on whether you desire “new” potatoes or a mature crop for storage. Red potatoes are often early-maturing varieties, and small, thin-skinned new potatoes can be harvested approximately 60 to 70 days after planting, often coinciding with the plant’s flowering stage. Harvesting new potatoes involves gently digging at the side of the plant to remove a few small tubers without disturbing the entire root system.
For a mature crop suitable for longer storage, wait until the plant’s foliage begins to yellow, wither, and die back. This process, known as senescence, signals that the plant has finished producing energy and the tubers are entering their final stage of maturity. Waiting an additional one to two weeks after the vines have completely died back allows the potato skins to thicken and “set.” Full maturity for red potatoes occurs around 80 to 100 days after the initial planting.