If you’re looking for a reliable and tasty potato to grow in your garden, learning how to plant Yukon Gold potatoes is a perfect choice. This easy step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire process, from choosing seed potatoes to harvesting your own golden spuds. Yukon Golds are famous for their buttery flavor and versatility in the kitchen, and they’re surprisingly simple to grow, even for beginners.
How to Plant Yukon Gold Potatoes
Planting Yukon Gold potatoes follows the same basic principles as other potato varieties, but paying attention to their specific timing and spacing needs will give you the best harvest. The key steps are selecting good seed, preparing your soil, planting at the right time, and providing consistent care as they grow. Let’s break down each step to ensure your success.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
Before you head to the garden, gather a few essential supplies. Having everything ready makes the planting process smooth and efficient.
- Yukon Gold Seed Potatoes: Always use certified disease-free seed potatoes from a garden center, not grocery store potatoes.
- A Sunny Garden Spot: Potatoes need at least 6-8 hours of full sun daily.
- Well-Draining Soil: Loose, slightly acidic soil (pH 5.0-6.5) is ideal.
- Compost or Aged Manure: For enriching the soil before planting.
- A Shovel or Garden Hoe: For digging trenches or holes.
- A Measuring Tape or Stick: For consistent spacing and depth.
Step 1: Choosing and Preparing Your Seed Potatoes
Start with healthy, certified seed potatoes about 1-2 weeks before your planned planting date. Grocery potatoes are often treated with sprout inhibitors and can carry disease, so it’s worth investing in proper seed.
First, examine each potato. Look for firm tubers with several “eyes,” which are the small dimples where sprouts emerge. If your seed potatoes are larger than a golf ball, you can cut them into pieces. Each piece should be about 1.5 to 2 ounces and have at least 2-3 healthy eyes.
After cutting, let the pieces “cure” in a cool, airy place for 1-3 days. This allows the cut surfaces to dry and form a callus, which helps prevent rot once planted in the soil. You’ll know they’re ready when the cut sides look dry and leathery.
Step 2: Timing is Everything
Potatoes are a cool-season crop. The best time to plant Yukon Gold potatoes is in early spring, about 2-4 weeks before your last expected frost date. You can plant them as soon as the soil is workable—not frozen, and not too soggy. A good test is to squeeze a handful of soil; if it holds together in a ball and drips water, it’s too wet. If it crumbles easily, it’s ready.
For a fall harvest in milder climates, you can plant a second crop about 110 days before your first expected fall frost. Yukon Golds typically mature in 80-100 days, so plan accordingly.
Step 3: Preparing Your Planting Site
Potatoes thrive in loose, fertile soil. Start by removing any weeds, rocks, or debris from your chosen area. Then, work the soil to a depth of about 8-12 inches using a shovel or a garden fork. This loosening is crucial for good root development and easy tuber growth.
Mix in a generous 2-4 inch layer of compost or aged manure as you turn the soil. This adds nutrients and improves drainage. Avoid using fresh manure, as it can be to strong and may promote scab disease on the potato skins.
Choosing Your Planting Method
There are two main methods for planting potatoes: the trench method and the no-dig method. The trench method is classic and works well in most gardens.
- Dig a straight trench 4-6 inches deep.
- Space your seed potato pieces about 12 inches apart within the row, with the eyes facing upward.
- Space your rows about 2.5 to 3 feet apart to leave room for hilling later.
- Cover the seed pieces gently with 3-4 inches of soil.
Step 4: The Planting Process
Now for the main event. Place your cured seed potato pieces in the prepared trench or holes, eyes pointing up. Gently cover them with the initial layer of soil. Don’t pack the soil down tightly; just a light covering is fine.
Water the area thoroughly after planting to settle the soil around the seed pieces. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged as you wait for sprouts to emerge, which usually takes 2-3 weeks.
Step 5: Caring for Your Growing Potatoes
Once the green shoots are about 6-8 inches tall, it’s time for “hilling.” This is the process of mounding soil around the base of the plant. Hilling protects the developing tubers from sunlight (which turns them green and toxic), supports the plant, and encourages more potatoes to form along the buried stem.
Use a hoe to pull loose soil from between the rows up around the stems, leaving just the top few inches of leaves exposed. You’ll repeat this process every few weeks until the plants start to flower. By the end, you’ll have a sizable mound around each plant.
Watering is critical, especially once the plants flower, as that’s when tubers are forming. Aim for about 1-2 inches of water per week, including rainfall. Consistent moisture prevents misshapen potatoes, but avoid overwatering which leads to rot.
Step 6: Harvesting Your Yukon Gold Potatoes
You can harvest “new” potatoes about 2-3 weeks after the plants finish flowering. For full-sized, mature potatoes for storage, wait until the plant’s foliage turns yellow and begins to die back. This usually happens around 80-100 days after planting.
To harvest, use a digging fork on a dry day. Insert the fork into the soil about a foot away from the plant’s stem and gently lift, being careful not to pierce the tubers. Sift through the soil with your hands to find all the potatoes. Brush off excess dirt and let them cure in a dark, well-ventilated place for 1-2 weeks before storing.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
Even with good care, you might encounter a few issues. Here’s how to handle common potato problems.
- Green Potatoes: Caused by exposure to sunlight. Always hill properly and store harvested potatoes in complete darkness.
- Colorado Potato Beetles: Pick these orange-striped pests and their larvae off by hand and drop them in soapy water.
- Late Blight: Shows as dark, water-soaked spots on leaves. Remove and destroy affected plants immediately; do not compost them.
- Scab: Rough patches on the potato skin. Prevent by maintaining a slightly acidic soil pH and rotating your crops each year.
FAQ: Your Yukon Gold Potato Questions Answered
Can I plant Yukon Gold potatoes from the store?
It’s not recommended. Store-bought potatoes are often treated to prevent sprouting and can carry diseases that persist in soil for years. Certified seed potatoes are a safer, more reliable investment for your garden.
How deep should I plant Yukon Gold seed potatoes?
Plant them about 4 inches deep initially. Through the process of hilling, you will eventually cover them with up to 12 inches or more of soil as the plants grow.
Do Yukon Gold potatoes need to flower to produce?
Flowering is a sign of growth, but it is not strictly necessary for tuber production. Some plants may flower profusely while others barely do; both can still produce a good harvest underneath the soil.
What is the best fertilizer for growing Yukon Golds?
They prefer a balanced, low-nitrogen fertilizer. Too much nitrogen encourages leafy growth at the expense of the tubers. Using plenty of compost at planting time is often sufficient.
How many potatoes will one Yukon Gold plant produce?
On average, you can expect 5-10 potatoes per plant, depending on growing conditions, spacing, and care. With proper hilling and watering, a healthy plant can be quite productive.
Growing your own Yukon Gold potatoes is a rewarding experience that yields delicious results. By following these clear steps—preparing your seed, planting at the right time, hilling consistently, and harvesting carefully—you’ll be well on your way to enjoying homegrown potatoes with that signature golden flesh and rich flavor. Remember, the most important ingredients are patience and attention to your plants needs throughout the season.