Adirondack Red Potatoes

Posted on 29. Jul, 2008 by Mrs. Mecomber in Gardening

My firstfruits are in! I gave these to my church as a tithe. Look at how beautiful they are!

The potatoes are Adirondack Reds. It is my first year with them; it’s my first year with seed potatoes, actually. I bought these from Johnny’s Selected Seeds online. In years past, I just used store-bought eating potatoes, let them develop eyes, and plugged them in the ground. This year I just wanted to try seed potatoes. They are coming up beautifully.

The skins are very thin– even a moderate scrubbing will peel them off. I like eating potato skins, so I am careful when I scrub. These potatoes are also a little heavier– more dense– than the regular white potatoes I buy at the grocery store. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into them!

About potato growing– this year I was smart and made distinctive rows. I planted the potatoes closer together than recommended. After plugging in the potato quarters, I poured a layer of peat moss over the bed. I used peat as a mulch (it is very effective) for the growing season. Next year I will roto-till it in the soil, added with my compost. The plants just love this method.

I also heaped up mounds of soil around the potato plants when they grew to 8 inches. This encourages horizontal root growth and makes it much easier to dig for the potatoes. In times past, I had to basically uproot the plant and dig down into the hard ground to get my potatoes. Now, I just plunge my fingers into the peat and pluck what I need.

P.S. Is it true that rubbing a raw potato on one’s skin is as effective as a modern-day acne treatment?

Tags: Adirondack Reds, Gardening, mulch, peat moss, potatoes

8 Responses to “Adirondack Red Potatoes”

Lynne

29. Jul, 2008

Those potatoes look delicious! I wish I was a gardener, I can’t even get flowers to grow in pots!
GaFarmWomanPam

29. Jul, 2008

The red potatoes look beautiful. Most of the time I would save the store bought ones and use for planting,too. It was a lot cheaper. This year is was so hot so early the potatoes didn’t make very well here.
I haven’t heard about rubbing a raw pototoe on for acne. A lot of home remedies work wonders though.
Have a great day!
Ann Harrison

29. Jul, 2008

Hi!
I found you through EntreCard surfing.
What a beautiful garden you have. I actually made a little OneTrueMedia video a couple of days ago asking for people to identify the blooms of my vegetables that are growing.
(No one has figured them out yet!)
My Bug Life

29. Jul, 2008

wow..lovely red potatoes! I have never tried these before.
Atniz

30. Jul, 2008

I never seen a red potato in my life. Thanks for sharing this. I just showed it to my mum and husband. They are shocked too.
Mamaflo

30. Jul, 2008

Very interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a potato that was reddish inside………how did it taste, what was the consistency like?
Ellen

30. Jul, 2008

You little gardener!!! I’m so impressed. I’ve never seen a red potato with a red inside. The red potatoes we eat down here called “red potatoes” but they certainly are not red on the inside. hmmmmm Let us know how they taste!
Judy

08. Aug, 2009

I just harvested a hill of potatoes (no I didn’t label the 16 hill so it’s a surprise) anyway they are red and when I cut them they are red inside as well. I searched on line to see if they we ok to eat and your red pototoes came up. Thanks for posting the article now I can eat my homefries. They are beautiful potatoes.
Thanks Judy