Growing golden potatoes like Yukon Gold can be a rewarding addition to any vegetable garden. With their rich, buttery flavor and creamy texture, these potatoes make fantastic roasts, mashes, fries, and more By following some simple steps, you can grow an abundant harvest of golden potatoes right in your own backyard
Choosing a Good Location
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Golden potatoes need full sun, so pick a sunny spot in your garden They require at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
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The soil should be loose, well-draining, and enriched with organic matter. Sandy loam or loam soils are ideal.
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Allow plenty of room for plants to spread. Space potato rows 2-3 feet apart.
Prepping the Planting Site
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Improve drainage by mixing in compost or aged manure. This also provides nutrition.
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Ideal pH is 5.5-6.5. Test soil and adjust if needed.
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Remove weeds and work soil to a depth of 10-12 inches. Break up large clumps.
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Add a balanced fertilizer a few weeks before planting. Something like 10-10-10 is good.
Selecting and Preparing Seed Potatoes
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Purchase certified disease-free seed potatoes from a reputable source.
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Choose medium sized potatoes with well-developed eyes or growth buds.
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Cut larger potatoes into smaller pieces with at least 1-2 eyes per piece.
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Let cut pieces sit out for 2-3 days to heal cuts before planting.
Planting Your Potatoes
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Dig trenches or holes about 4 inches deep and 12 inches apart.
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Place seed potato pieces in trenches 4-6 inches apart with eyes facing up.
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Cover pieces with 2-3 inches of soil. Water well after planting.
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As shoots emerge, gradually fill in trenches until level with soil.
Caring for Your Plants
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Water 1-2 inches per week. Consistent moisture is important.
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Hill or mound soil around stems once plants are 8-12 inches tall.
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Use straw or mulch to maintain soil moisture and reduce weeds.
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Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer or compost tea every 2-3 weeks.
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Check for pests like potato beetles and aphids. Use organic methods to control.
Harvesting Your Golden Potatoes
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After vines start dying back, wait 2 weeks before harvesting.
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Dig carefully with a fork, taking care not to stab potatoes.
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Gently brush off excess soil, but don’t wash potatoes yet.
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Allow potatoes to cure in a dark, cool place for 1-2 weeks to toughen skins.
Storing Your Crop
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Store cured potatoes in a cool (40-50°F), dark place with good ventilation.
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Avoid moisture and ensure potatoes are thoroughly dry before storage.
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Check periodically for any rotting potatoes and remove immediately.
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Use within 2-3 months for best flavor and texture.
Enjoying Delicious Golden Potatoes
Now comes the best part – enjoying the fruits of your labor! Golden potatoes are perfect for:
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Roasting – Toss with oil, salt, pepper, garlic. Roast at 400°F until browned and crisp.
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Mashing – Boil, drain, and mash with butter, milk, and spices. So creamy!
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Frying – Cut into wedges, fry in oil at 350°F until golden brown.
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Soups & stews – Dice and add to hearty soups and stews for texture.
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Salads – Dice cold potatoes and add to fresh salads for a filling addition.
With the right location, preparation, and care, growing a bountiful crop of delicious golden potatoes is easy and rewarding. In just a few short months, you can harvest armloads of these beautiful tubers to enjoy all year long. Give golden potatoes a try this gardening season – your family and tastebuds will thank you!
Planting, Growing, Harvesting, and Storing Potato Plants
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Have you ever thought about growing potatoes? To us, potatoes epitomize the joy of gardening—satisfying to plant, quick to grow, and fun to dig up. Our Potato Growing Guide covers planting, growing, harvesting, and storing potatoes.
Potatoes aren’t fussy vegetables, which makes them a fabulous choice for first-time growers. They do well in most soils and almost always produce plenty to hunt for at harvest time. That said, you can do a few things to elevate your crop.
The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a cool-weather vegetable that typically yields bigger crops in the northern portion of the United States; however, they can be grown as a winter crop in warmer climates. Potatoes are related to peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants but are adapted to higher elevations and harsher growing conditions; the Incas in Peru first documented them. According to the Maine Potato Board, this vegetable arrived in the American Colonies in 1621 when the Governor of Bermuda sent potatoes to the Governor of Virginia at Jamestown.
The edible part of the potato is the underground tuber, an enlarged storage portion of the potato plant. Once the plants are 6 to 8 inches tall or around 5 to 7 weeks after planting, the tuber develops from underground stems called stolons.
Potatoes are nuggets of goodness. The nutrient-rich skin provides 45% of your daily vitamin C and 18% of potassium, plus many more nutrients.
Despite the limited options in the grocery store, gardeners know there’s much more to potatoes than the traditional Idaho white potato. There are over 100 types of potatoes, varying in skin color, flesh color, and size from large to fingerling! Floury types are perfect for roasting or mashing, while firm, waxy potatoes are superb boiled or as salad potatoes. You can learn all about potato varieties in the section below.
Potatoes for planting are called seed potatoes and are usually sold in bags or netting. The planting season for seed potatoes starts in the spring, 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost. Read Next
You’ll need a location with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight and fertile, loose, well-draining soil; hard or compacted soil leads to misshapen tubers. Ideally, the soil is slightly acidic (pH 5.8 to 6.5), and the soil temperature is at least 45º to 55ºF (7° to 13°C). In the fall, mix compost or organic matter into the soil. Learn more about compost, soil amendments, and preparing the soil for planting.)
When to Plant Potatoes
Garden potatoes can be planted 2 to 4 weeks before the average last frost date. The soil temperature should be at least 55°F during the day and 45°F at night. However, pay more attention to the soil than the calendar to determine planting time. The soil should not be so wet that it sticks together and is hard to work. Let it dry out a bit first. If you have a late and wet spring, you can plant later—through April (depending on location) or even June, especially in containers.
In cooler regions, the early-maturing potatoes are usually planted early to mid-April. In warmer regions, planting times range from September to February; in central Florida, gardeners plant potatoes in January; in Georgia, they plant in February.
Watch This BEFORE You Plant Potatoes
FAQ
How long does it take to grow gold potatoes?
Description. Plant these in your garden and you will have a goldmine of yellow-skinned, yellow-fleshed potatoes ready to harvest in 100 days.
How do you prepare Yukon Gold potatoes for planting?
The seed potatoes are cut in pieces or planted whole depending on the size of the potato, but each piece needs to have at least one ‘eye’, so don’t cut the pieces too small. Mine were cut in half and although it’s not imperative, the potatoes were left out overnight to let the cut faces dry a little.
Can I just throw potatoes in the ground?
If you simply bury the potatoes, most of them will sprout and grow, but it may take longer, as the soil temperature may be lower than inside your house (assuming you’re planting in the spring). Most commercial growers don’t bother chitting: they just plant the seed potatoes, and they mostly do fine.
Can you plant Yukon Gold potatoes from the store?
Yes, you can plant the eyes from your pantry potatoes and they should grow into new potato plants. This process is known as “potato propagation” or “vegetative reproduction” and it’s a common way to grow new potatoes.
Do Yukon Gold potatoes grow well?
Growing Yukon Gold potatoes is like a little garden magic, waiting for those hidden treasures to be unearthed later in the season. When I plant Yukon Gold potatoes, the soil is a canvas, and I make sure it’s primed for a masterpiece. Proper soil preparation helps these golden gems develop unimpeded by disease or poor drainage.
How do you care for Yukon Gold potatoes?
Cover the potatoes with soil, leaving the sprouts exposed. After planting, your Yukon Gold potatoes will need regular care to thrive. Water your potato plants deeply and regularly, especially during dry periods. Hilling is the process of mounding soil around the base of the potato plants as they grow.
What temperature should a potato plant be planted at?
The soil temperature should ideally be at least 45°F. Keep in Mind: Planting depth and spacing are crucial for the development of your potatoes. Once the plants reach about 6 inches tall, it’s time for hilling. I pull soil around the base of the plant to bury lower stems and any developing tubers.
How do you Hill a potato plant?
Water your potato plants deeply and regularly, especially during dry periods. Hilling is the process of mounding soil around the base of the potato plants as they grow. This encourages more tuber development and helps to protect the potatoes from sunlight, which can turn them green and bitter. To hill your potatoes: 1.
Where can I buy Yukon Gold seed potatoes?
You can buy Yukon Gold Seed Potatoes from the following seed companies: Be sure to pay attention to the price per pound and the size of the order you are getting. A good rule to remember is that each pound of seed potatoes will give you around 8 plants (if each seed piece is 2 ounces).
How deep should potatoes be planted?
Planting Depth: Plant your seed potatoes 4-6 inches deep, with the eyes facing upwards. Spacing: Space your potatoes 12-18 inches apart in rows that are 2-3 feet apart. Planting Technique: You can plant your potatoes in a trench or in mounds. Trench Method: Dig a trench about 4-6 inches deep and place the seed potatoes in the trench.