What kind of potatoes

[catw]

What kind of potatoes are the best keepers? When I look them up none of them claim to be very good keepers. I don't know what kind my parents grew when I was a kid. I've been growing them in a plastic bin. The types of seed potatoes they sell at the local hardware are limited.

 

[lazy gardener]

I wouldn't worry a whole lot about what kind of potato is the best keeper. Just my opinion. Go for the best flavor. You can always buy potatoes, and unless you grow a lot, you won't have many to store anyways!

 

[BarredBuff]

Storage is usually more dependent on the atmosphere of where they are stored. It needs to be around 50 degrees, and fairly high humidity. It also needs to be dark. Conditions matter more than variety IMHO.

We like Kennebec (good all around tater), Red Pontiac (good all around red tater), and Yukon Gold (tasty, yellow fleshed tater)

Hope this helps!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Agree. The conditions under which they are stored is most important. The Kennebec is a slightly better keep than the Reds, but nothing last past 4 months anyhow. To keep potatoes much longer, you'd have to do a genuine, old fashioned root cellar and pack them in sawdust. You'd likely add another 6 weeks to the storage time.

 

[rancher hicks]

What kind of potatoes are the best keepers? When I look them up none of them claim to be very good keepers. I don't know what kind my parents grew when I was a kid. I've been growing them in a plastic bin. The types of seed potatoes they sell at the local hardware are limited.

What types of bins do you use? Do you have pics? It sounds like something I could use. How lbs. many can you grow in a season?

 

[rancher hicks]

Agree. The conditions under which they are stored is most important. The Kennebec is a slightly better keep than the Reds, but nothing last past 4 months anyhow. To keep potatoes much longer, you'd have to do a genuine, old fashioned root cellar and pack them in sawdust. You'd likely add another 6 weeks to the storage time.

Who is this on the tractor. It looks as though they're wearing the "cone of shame".

Are these your potatoes? How many do you grow in a season ?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Rancher, that would be the grandson. A little masking for privacy.

We grow anywhere between a half ton to a ton, depending on variety and rainfall. I irrigate like crazy, but still…...

 

[rancher hicks]

Fred, is this a business thing or just for the family? We eat a lot of potatoes here.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fred, is this a business thing or just for the family? We eat a lot of potatoes here.

It's both.

 

[catw]

I guess kennebek is probably the best keeper. I think I'm going to find someone who grows them and buy from them. It really takes too much space to grow them myself. This is farm country but not many farmer's markets. Hardly anybody grows their own food the way farmers used to. But in the old days the wife was home tending to things like that and now most of them have their own careers.