Collection: All Seed Potatoes

Enjoy growing your own homegrown organic potatoes – great in containers too!

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Seed Potatoes - Grow Organic

 

Growing Seed Potatoes 

Seed potatoes are a fundamental element for anyone looking to cultivate their own potato crop. These versatile tubers come in a wide array of types, each with its unique characteristics and uses. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a novice looking to start your potato adventure, it's essential to understand the diversity of seed potatoes available to ensure a successful harvest.

Are Seed Potatoes Really Seeds? 

Seed potatoes are not traditional seeds but rather small, whole potatoes that act as the starting point for potato cultivation. They are the source of new potato plants, as each potato eye can sprout into a plant. When choosing seed potatoes, selecting healthy, disease-free tubers with well-developed eyes is crucial. These characteristics are key to ensuring a bountiful harvest.

Early Season Varieties

Early-season seed potatoes are the first to mature and are usually ready for harvesting in about 75 to 90 days. These varieties thrive in cooler climates and produce smaller, smooth-skinned potatoes. Some popular early season varieties include Yukon Gold, Red Norland, and Purple Violet . Yukon Gold boasts a creamy texture and golden-yellow flesh, making it perfect for mashed potatoes or roasting. Red Norland and Purple Violet offer vibrant colors and excellent potato salads or steaming choices.

Mid-Season Varieties

Mid-season seed potatoes typically take around 90 to 120 days to mature and adapt well to various climates. They produce medium-sized potatoes with a well-balanced flavor and texture. Kennebec, Russet Burbank, and Yellow Finn are popular mid-season choices. Kennebec is known for its versatility, making it suitable for baking, frying, and mashing. Russet Burbank is famous for its high starch content, creating the perfect texture for fluffy mashed potatoes or crispy fries. Yellow Finn potatoes are waxy and ideal for boiling or sautéing.

Late Season Varieties

Late-season seed potatoes require the longest growing period, approximately 120 to 135 days, and are best suited for regions with a long growing season. These potatoes yield larger, starchy tubers that store well. Varieties such as Russet Norkotah, Purple Majesty, and German Butterball fall into this category. Russet Norkotah is an excellent choice for baking and making hash browns. Purple Majesty adds a colorful twist to your dishes with its deep purple skin and flesh, while German Butterball offers a buttery flavor and is perfect for creamy mashed potatoes.

Specialty Varieties

In addition to the classic categories, specialty seed potatoes cater to specific culinary preferences and garden conditions. Fingerling potatoes, for example, are elongated and finger-shaped with a unique nutty flavor. They are prized for roasting, grilling, or sautéing. Other specialty varieties include Blue Potatoes, which showcase striking blue skin and flesh, and All Blue, a deep blue variety ideal for mashing and boiling.

Ideal Growing Conditions

Successful potato cultivation hinges on providing the right growing conditions. Potatoes prefer well-drained, loose soil with a pH level between 4.8 and 6.5. Plant seed potatoes in early spring when the soil temperature reaches 45-50°F (7-10°C). Spacing and depth vary depending on the variety but typically involve planting 3-4 inches deep seed potatoes and 12-15 inches apart in rows. Adequate watering, mulching, and hilling are crucial for healthy growth and preventing pests and diseases.

Seed potatoes are the foundation of a thriving potato crop, offering a diverse range of flavors, textures, and colors to suit every culinary preference. Understanding the different varieties and their ideal growing conditions is essential for a successful harvest. Whether you're aiming for early, mid-season, or late-season potatoes or experimenting with specialty varieties, the world of seed potatoes has something to offer every aspiring potato farmer.

FAQs: Annie's Perennials

What are perennial plants?

Perennial plants live for more than two growing seasons. If properly cared for, they will return year after year with consistent bloom times to add color and diversity to your garden.

What is the difference between annuals and perennials?

The key difference between annuals and perennials is their lifespan. Annuals live for one growing season, although some of our annual plants do re-seed, thereby prolonging their benefits past a single season. Perennial plants and perennial flowers persist for several years, returning year after year, every growing season. Another difference is that true annuals will bloom throughout the entire season; whereas, perennials may bloom intermittently during or between seasons.

What are the benefits of growing perennials?

Perennial plants and flowers provide lasting beauty and structure to your garden. They have specific seasonal bloom times that remain consistent year after year, ensuring vibrant color for your garden throughout the seasons. Perennials also contribute to biodiversity and help the overall environment. Their deep root systems help prevent soil erosion and retain nutrients, while also sequestering carbon. Planting lots of different perennials with varied bloom times ensures consistent, reliable food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial wildlife.

When should I buy perennials to plant?

The ideal time to plant perennials is spring or early fall. This allows them to establish their root system before extreme weather.

How do I care for perennial plants?

In general, Perennials need watering, occasional fertilization, and deadheading to encourage repeat blooming. The specific care needs can vary by type. At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer many native and low water, low-maintenance perennials to make planting and caring for them easy. We want to make gardening success attainable for everyone.

Can you plant perennials in pots or containers?

Yes! We have hundreds of perennial plants that work well in containers as well as in garden beds. Just make sure your pot size is adequate for the root system of your particular plant.

Do perennials require full sun?

Some perennials prefer full sun, which typically means at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Other varieties require full or partial shade. At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer you many options for both shade and sun plants to fit every gardening need.

Do perennials attract pollinators and wildlife?

Yes! Perennials, with their reliable bloom times, are valuable additions to a pollinator-friendly garden. They provide consistent food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other beneficial wildlife. Planting many different perennials with varied bloom times will attract and feed pollinators throughout all of the seasons.

What are some popular perennial flowers?

Some common perennials include <strong>Yarrow</strong> (Achillea millefolium), </strong>African daisies</strong> (Arctotis) </strong>Butterfly Bush</strong> (Buddleja davidii), <strong>Campanula, Dahlia, Delphiniums, Peonies (Paeonia), Roses (Rosa), Irises, and Coneflowers</strong> (Echinacea). At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer almost hundreds and hundreds of popular perennials – like the ones previously mentioned, along with more unusual and hard-to-find varieties.

At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we also offer many more perennials that are quite unusual and hard to find

What are hardy perennials?

Hardy perennials are perennial plants that grow for multiple seasons and can survive very cold weather in their growing zones. For this reason, hardy perennial plants are the perfect plant selection for any garden.

Do perennials come back every year?

Yes, if planted and cared for properly, perennials will return year after year. At Annie’s, we offer hundreds of perennials that are perfect beginner plants– easy to grow and easy to care for - so everyone can garden successfully.

What are different types of perennials?

Flowering Perennials: Are known for vibrant, consistent and long-lasting blooms. Examples include peonies (Paenonia), roses (Rosa), coneflowers (Echinaea), Abutilon, Alstroemeria, african daisy (Arctotis), foxglove (Digitalis pupurea), carnations (dianthus), geraniums, sages (Salvia), Strawflowers (helichrysum bracteatum), hollyhocks and impatiens, among many others.

Foliage Perennials: Are known for their striking, colorful foliage. Hostas, heucheras, and ornamental grasses are some common varieties.

Shade-Loving Perennials: Thrive in low-light or partial shade conditions. Examples include astilbes, ferns, and bleeding hearts (dicentras). Some of our favorite shade perennials at Annie’s are Begonias, Fuchsias, Sedges, Hellebores, Heucheras, and Impatiens.

Sun-loving perennials: Thrive in full sun conditions (meaning full sun for at least 6 hours per day). Some common examples of sun-loving perennials are lavender (Lavandula), sage (Salvia), African daisy (Arctotis), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium). At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer almost one thousand sun-loving perennials – like the ones previously mentioned along with more unusual and hard-to-find varieties.

Herbaceous Perennials: These are perennial plants that die back to the ground each Fall or Winter, but whose roots remain alive and send up new growth and reemerge in the Spring or Summer. They include a variety of flowers and foliage, like columbines (Aquilegia), delphiniums, foxglove (Digitalis pupurea), and Iris.

Woody Perennials: These are shrubs and small trees that persist for many years, bringing useful structure and seasonal blooms to your garden. Examples include hydrangeas, California lilac (Ceanothus), fuchsias, and butterfly bushes (Buddleja).

Native Perennials: are well-suited to specific regions and often need less maintenance and human intervention. California native plant species might include yarrow (Achillea), California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), milkweed (Asclepias), monkey flowers (Mimulus), and some sages (Salvias), depending on your location. At Annie’s Annuals & Perennials, we offer one of the largest selections of CA native perennials to be found anywhere.

Long-Blooming Perennials: Have extended blooming periods and can include varieties like Alstroemeria, Abutilon (Flowering Maples), African daisies (Actotis), Agastache, coreopsis, yarrow (Achillea), and sages (Salvias).

Drought-Tolerant Perennials: Can withstand periods of dry conditions and need less watering. Examples include lavender (Lavandula), yarrow (Achillea), sedum (stonecrop), Agastache, Aloe, milkweed (Asclepias), and some sages (Salvias).

Deer-resistant Perennials: Have characteristics that make them less appealing to deer. Options include yarrow (Achillea), lambs' ears (Stachys byzantine), Agastache, and some ornamental sages (Salvia).

Perennial Bulbs: Some perennials grow from bulbs, including favorites like tulips, daffodils, freesias, ranunculus, and irises. They return year after year, adding color to your garden each spring.

Climbing Perennials: Perennial vines like clematis and wisteria add vertical interest to your garden, climbing trellises, arbors, and fences.