Staples in American cuisine, potatoes are a favorite among home gardeners. They can be stored for months, so you can enjoy homegrown potatoes in the winter. Gurney's offer certified potato seeds for sale. Choose from varieties for baking, potato salads, stews and more. View our selection of seed potatoes for sale and tips for growing potatoes.
How to Grow Potato
Grow in full sun. Fertile well-drained soil is preferred. Slightly acidic soil is helpful; however, they are adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions.
Colorado potato beetles are common pest and can be controlled with several products Gurney's offers. Gurney's super-lite insect barrier keeps insects off the plants. Oil Away Supreme suffocates the beetle eggs before they hatch. Pyola and Shield-All will kill adults and larvae. Surround at Home Crop Protectant creates a particulate barrier that pest find irritating. Most of these products work for other potato pest like flea beetles, leaf hoppers and aphids. For disease control, please refer to your local extension publications.
Seed Potato from Gurney's
Gurney's has long been known as a trusted source for "Certified" Seed Potatoes for home gardeners. Success at harvest time starts by using disease free seed potatoes.
Choosing the right Potato Seed
Choosing for your taste and uses is the biggest factor when selecting a variety of seed potatoes.What type of potato
- Starchy potatoes do not hold their shape when cooked and are best for baked potatoes, French fries and fluffy mashed potatoes.
- Waxy potatoes hold their shape when cooked and are used for potato salads, stews, steamed and boiled.
- All-purpose can be used across all categories of cooking
Seed Potatoes: Getting the most out of your purchase
Pre-planting treatment, proper timing, and plant spacing should be understood before planting seed potatoes. Use our zone finder to check out all of our information and recommendations before planting your potatoes.Pre-sprouting
4-6 weeks prior to planting seed potatoes, place them in a warm dark area. 2 weeks later expose them to light. This will cause the eyes to sprout. The sprouted potatoes are ready to plant. This step is not necessary but will lead to better success.How to plant potato seeds?
Plant seed potatoes as cut pieces or whole potatoes two inches deep, space 12 inches apart with rows spaced 30-36" apart.When to plant potato seeds?
Plant when soil temperature is 50 degrees . This is often 2-3 weeks before your last frost. Planting in cold wet soil will slow growth or rot the tubers.Where to plant potato seeds?
Potato seeds can be grown in the ground, containers, grow bags or raised beds.Grow in full sun. Fertile well-drained soil is preferred. Slightly acidic soil is helpful; however, they are adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions.
How to grow and care for your potato plants?
Fertilizing potatoes
Fertilize potatoes when they begin to grow and again when they bloom.Hilling Potatoes
Start hilling plants when they are 8-10 inches tall. Repeat every few weeks until 8 inches of soil is mounded. If not hilling, mulch to protect tubers from being exposed to sunlight.Weeding
Light cultivation, hilling and mulching help keep weed growth suppressed and increase yield.Watering
After plants emerge keep your crop consistently moist until plants start to turn yellow. Discontinue after that.Harvesting potatoes
For new potatoes, gently dig around the plants starting 60 days after plant emerges from soil. Harvest at golf ball size. For Storage, dig potatoes 2 weeks after foliage dies back.Storage
Store in cool, humid location and dark location.Controlling pest and disease
Successful pest and disease control starts with purchasing only "Certified Seed Potatoes", tilling in or removing the previous year's debris, rotating crop planting areas and keeping the garden weed free.Colorado potato beetles are common pest and can be controlled with several products Gurney's offers. Gurney's super-lite insect barrier keeps insects off the plants. Oil Away Supreme suffocates the beetle eggs before they hatch. Pyola and Shield-All will kill adults and larvae. Surround at Home Crop Protectant creates a particulate barrier that pest find irritating. Most of these products work for other potato pest like flea beetles, leaf hoppers and aphids. For disease control, please refer to your local extension publications.
