Kennebec White Potato
Be sure to check out our Potato Growing Guide for more tips & tricks on successfully growing potatoes in your garden.
Kennebec White Potato is the go-to variety for making french fries and homemade potato chips. This white potato variety produces heavy yields of large, oblong potatoes. Kennebecs have a dark brown outside with a slightly bumpy texture. The interior flesh is ivory-white with a high starch content that makes it store very well. Although this variety is best known for its frying applications, it is a great all-around potato. It works excellent for baking, mashing and roasting as well!
Irish potatoes are a late, cool-weather crop and should be planted in late winter or early spring while temperatures are still relatively cool. Potatoes will not perform well during the heat of summer and should be harvested before temperatures significantly warm. Before planting, cut seed potatoes into smaller pieces leaving at least one to two “eyes” or buds per piece. For best results, cut the potatoes several days before the intended planting date. This will allow the potato pieces to “heal” or suberize, which will help to prevent any fungal infection of the seed potato after planting.
To plant potatoes, make a furrow or small trench along the intended row. The Hoss Double Wheel Hoe with Plow Set attachment is the ideal tool for making a furrow. Once the furrow is created, lay the seed potatoes in the furrow with the “eyes” facing upward. Seed potatoes may be spaced 8-12″ apart along the furrow. Cover the seed potatoes with dirt by closing the furrow. As they grow, potatoes should be hilled or mounded with soil. This can easily be done with the Plow Set attachment in the hilling position. Plants should be hilled so that almost all of the plant is covered with soil, leaving a few leaves at the top uncovered. Harvest potatoes when plants start to wilt and die. Potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place and will typically store for several months after harvest.
