Potato Planting Considerations

What an everyday topic for a day-of-rest-and-worship Sunday!  Saint Patrick's Day happens this week though, and we all know what that means for potato planting.  The main part of this post is a copy of an email written in response to a question from one member of the gardening group I meet with.  While some details are specific to where I live in Kansas, some of this might be of interest to gardeners elsewhere.  

Here's the question:  

I've recently learned that there are determinate and indeterminate potatoes. The kind that are hilled up and keep growing throughout the season are indeterminate.  My question is what varieties of indeterminate potatoes grow well here? I don't recall that seed potatoes are ever labeled as to which they are. I do know that the Kennebec that I've been growing are the determinate kind.

Here's my response:  

What an interesting question!  I've never known about this difference in potatoes, although it makes sense, given the fact that it's a close relative of tomatoes, which have similar quantities.  

Here's the link to a recent K-State publication on growing potatoes in Kansas.  https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF488.pdf  The trusted Ward Upham is the author, and it was published in 2020 (updated from a paper written by Chuck Marr, a long-time state vegetable specialist.)   The recommended varieties listed are:

Superior--determinate

Norchip--determinate 

Irish Cobbler--determinate

Kennebec--determinate 

La Rouge--UNDETERMINED (I couldn't find anything on this variety.)

La Soda--Indeterminate?  (based on learning that it's an improved Pontiac)

Norland--Determinate

Red Pontiac--Indeterminate

Norgold Russet--Determinate

Norkotah--Determinate

The chart at the above site notes various characteristics about each of the potato varieties listed.  They are divided initially by skin color ( 4 white, 4 red, 2 russet--in that order here), but also by maturity season (early, midseason, and late).  

Apparently there's a lot of controversy on the question of determinate/indeterminate potatoes, and some of what I've read online is super confusing.  One site says that all "late" potatoes are indeterminate, and all early ones are determinate.  Midseason ones can be either.  That theory falls apart, however, if you look at Kennebec, which is a late, determinate variety,   That combination isn't supposed to exist according to this logic, although the theory makes a lot of sense to me generally.  

Some sources say that "no one" makes much of determinate/indeterminate distinctions because it's simply not considered a very useful distinction.  You grow both the same way anyway.  I'm not so sure that I agree, given the fact that indeterminate ones potentially have a higher yield--if you hill them up or add a comparable growing medium of some kind.  .  

Here's why I question the logic that the distinction is insignificant:  Potatoes generally do not grow well under high-heat conditions.  My theory is that early summer heat in Kansas puts a damper on the growth of potatoes.  The later the maturity date, the longer they must struggle to grow in hot weather.  I suspect that the plants might die early because of heat stress.  However, with careful attention to variety selection (choose heat tolerant varieties) and culture (deep mulch, topped off regularly), their growth can be extended longer and the production volume can be increased.   

I learned that the indeterminate ones are the best suited to bag, tub, bucket, or tower growing.  You'll need to start with 4 inches of soil in the bottom, and then add additional material (soil, straw, etc.) as soon as the stalk reaches 12 inches.  Bury the plant so that only two inches shows at the top.  Repeat until the plant dies, or there's no more room in the container.  Theoretically, your container should be filled with harvestable potatoes by this time.  

I presume we know that all new potatoes develop above the seed piece.  Determinate potatoes simply don't grow tall or long enough to fill in much above the seed piece area.  Potatoes that form on determinate plants easily push above the soil level and turn green when exposed to sunlight, making them inedible.  

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I saw both Superior and La Soda listed as heat tolerant potatoes.  I know that Stutzmans carried La Soda last year, and I believe that a number of the other recommended varieties were available there as well. I hope to stop in tomorrow to see what is being offered this year.

Below you'll find lists of determinate/indeterminate potatoes.  Bear in mind that you may need to view these lists with a bit of skepticism.  If you spot one that you'd like to try, I think you will be able to see if it might work here--even if it's not on the K-state list--if you can learn that it is tolerant to heat and drought. Then try to see if it's available locally.  Some varieties are available by mail order, but shipping costs will be high, so buying them locally will likely be cheaper.

My thinking is that my variety choices this year will likely be some combination of Superior and La Soda (because they're heat tolerant and La Soda is also drought tolerant and probably indeterminate), Norland (because it's very early), and Red Pontiac (because it's indeterminate).  I'll try growing some of them in the bags that I picked up at Simply Good Overstocks at a low price.   What I'm gathering is that La Soda might be the best choice if I were to plant only one kind.  

La Soda was my first choice already decades ago. At that time, the only place I could buy them was Midwest Feed--now long-gone.  For quite a while I didn't see them offered anywhere else.  That's why I was so surprised and pleased to see them at Stutzmans last year.

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Here's the site where I found the information below:  https://www.gardeningdream.com/the-ultimate-list-of-determinate-and-indeterminate-potatoes/

Determinate

• Caribe
• Norland
• Russet Norkotah
• Red Norland
• Ratte Potatoes
• Chieftain
• Yukon Gold
• Sierra Rose
• Sierra Gold 
• Gold Rush 
• Adirondack Blue
• Adirondack Red

Of the above list, I have grown Caribe ( not usually available locally, but a good one for me), Norland (or perhaps Red Norland--a standard early red, readily available locally), and Yukon Gold (OK, but not overly productive).  

Indeterminate

• Russet Burbank
• Ranger Russet
• Alturas
• Century Russet
• Russet Nugget
• German Butterball
• Strawberry Paw 
• Green Mountain 
• Canela Russet 
• Bintje 
• Red Pontiac 
• Maris Piper 
• Lehigh 
• German Butterball 
• Red Maria 
• Butte 
• Elba 
• Red Cloud 
• Katahdin 
• Desiree 

Red Pontiac is the only one from this list that I've grown.  

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Here's another more extensive list of determinate/indeterminate varieties.  It came from this place:  https://laidbackgardener.blog/2020/04/05/determinate-and-indeterminate-potatoes/.    

Determinate potatoes:

• ‘Accord’
• ‘Adirondack Blue’
• ‘Adirondack Red’
• ‘Amanda’
• ‘Annabelle’
• ‘Anya’
• ‘Arcade’
• ‘Atlantic’
• ‘Caribe’ 
• ‘Carlingford’
• ‘Charlotte’
• ‘Chieftain’
• ‘Colmo’
• ‘Courage’
• ‘Cranberry Red’
• ‘Dakota Pearl’
• ‘Dakota Pearl’
• ‘Dark Red Norland’
• ‘Dundrod’
• ‘Endeavour’
• ‘Estima’
• ‘Gold Rush’
• ‘Harmony’
• ‘Innovator’
• ‘Innovator’
• ‘Irish Cobbler’
• ‘Irish Cobbler’
• ‘Juliette’
• ‘Kennebec’
• ‘Kestrel’
• ‘Lady Claire’
• ‘Lady Rosetta’
• ‘Marfona’
• ‘Maris Bard’
• ‘Maritiema’
• ‘Melody’
• ‘Minerva’
• ‘Miranda’
• ‘Mozart’
• ‘Nadine’
• ‘Nectar’
• ‘Norland’
• ‘Onaway’
• ‘Orchestra’
• ‘Orla’
• ‘Pentland Javelin’
• ‘Premiere’
• ‘Purple Caribe’
• ‘Purple Majesty’
• ‘Ratte’
• ‘Red Norland’
• ‘Red Pontiac’
• ‘Reddale’
• ‘Rembrandt’
• ‘Rocket’
• ‘Russet Norkotah’
• ‘Russian Banana’
• ‘Saxon’
• ‘Shannon’
• ‘Shepody’
• ‘Sierra Gold’
• ‘Sierra Rose’
• ‘Soraya’
• ‘Superior’
• ‘Vales Emerald’
• ‘Viking’
• ‘Vivaldi’
• ‘VR808’
• ‘Warba’
• ‘Wilja’
• ‘Winston’
• ‘Yukon Gem’
• ‘Yukon Gold’ 
• 
  
• Indeterminate
• • ‘Agria’
  • ‘All Blue’ (‘Russian Blue’)
  • ‘Alturas’
  • ‘Amarosa’
  • ‘Ambo’
  • ‘Amora’
  • ‘Arsenal’
  • ‘Asterix’
  • ‘Bellanite’
  •  ‘Bintje’
  • ‘Brooke’
  •  ‘Butte’
  • ‘Caesar’
  •  ‘Canela Russet’
  • ‘Cara’
  • ‘Carbaret’
  • ‘Carola’
  • ‘Century Russet’
  • ‘Cultra’
  • ‘Daisy’
  • ‘Desiree’
  • ‘Dutch Cream’
  •  ‘Elba’
  • ‘Electra’
  • ‘Eos’
  • ‘Fambo’
  • ‘Fianna’
  •  ‘French Fingerling’
  •  ‘German Butterball’
  •  ‘Green Mountain’
  • ‘Hermes’
  •  ‘Katahdin’
  • ‘King Edward’
  • ‘Lady Balfour’
  • ‘Lady Christl’
  • ‘Lady Valora’
  •  ‘Lehigh’
  •  ‘Maris Piper’
  • ‘Markies’
  • ‘Morene’
  • ‘Navan’
  •  ‘Nicola’
  • ‘Pentland Dell’
  • ‘Pentland Squire’
  • ‘Picasso’
  •  ‘Pink Fir Apple’
  • ‘Ranger Russet’
  • ‘Record’
  • ‘Red Cloud’
  •  ‘Red Cloud’
  •  ‘Red Maria’
  • ‘Red Pontiac’
  • ‘Rooster’
  • ‘Royal’
  • ‘Russet Burbank’
  •  ‘Russet Nugget’
  • ‘Russian Nugget’
  • ‘Sante’
  • ‘Sassy’
  • ‘Saturna’
  • ‘Shelford’
  • ‘Slaney’
  • ‘Stemster’
  • ‘Strawberry Paw’
  • ‘Up to Date’
  • ‘Vales Everest’
  • ‘Vales Sovereign’
  • ‘Valor’
  • ‘Victoria’
  • ‘Yellow Finn’

Since very few of these varieties are available locally, I doubt that this list will prove to be very helpful, but I've put it here just in case . . . .

Miriam