Kennebec Potatoes - Urban Farmer Seeds

Kennebec Seed Potatoes Tubers

High-yielding white potato thrives under challenging conditions
Large tubers handle nearly every cooking method
Reliable plants suit home-garden production
Superb baked, boiled, mashed, fried, or hashed

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Key Attributes

Botanical Name

Solanum tuberosum

Days to maturity

80 Days

Sun

Full Sun

About Kennebec, Seed Potatoes Tubers, Seed Potatoes Tubers

The Kennebec is one of the most popular potatoes grown by home gardeners! This variety is one of the top 10 potatoes grown in Maine and there is no question why. Its high yields of large, white skin, white fleshed tubers grow well under harsh conditions. Kennebecs are superb boiled, mashed, fried, hashed or baked! This variety is also a good jacket potato - smother it in sour cream, cheese, chives and bacon, it's absolutely perfect.

Growing details

Planting

Days to Germination

10–21 days

Row Spacing

12-18"

Plant profile

Maturity

Summer, Fall

Life Cycle

Annual

Plant Height

24 inches

Growth Habits

Spreading, Upright

Seed & variety

Color

Brown

Seed Type

Open Pollinated

Growing Season

Cool-Season Crop

Before Planting

Seed Potatoes benefits from a full-sun site with loose, well-drained, slightly acidic soil where potatoes and other nightshades have not recently grown. Incorporate compost and correct nutrients according to a soil test, avoiding fresh manure. Use certified disease-free seed pieces; cut large tubers into pieces with at least one eye and allow cut surfaces to cure before planting.

Planting

Plant certified seed potatoes in early spring when soil is workable and has warmed to about 45–50°F. Set seed pieces about 3–4 inches deep with 10–12 inches between pieces and roughly 30–36 inches between rows. Keep soil lightly moist until shoots emerge, avoiding saturation in cold ground. Begin hilling only after plants are established; that later work belongs to ongoing cultivation.

Watering

Maintain even moisture, supplying about 1–2 inches weekly once plants emerge. Water is most critical during tuber formation and bulking; avoid saturated soil and reduce irrigation as vines begin dying back.

Fertilizer

Use a balanced fertilizer according to soil-test recommendations, emphasizing adequate potassium and avoiding excessive nitrogen. Side-dress before hilling if needed, keeping fertilizer away from seed pieces and stems.

Harvesting

Harvest new potatoes after flowering by carefully removing a few tubers. For storage potatoes, wait until vines yellow and die back, then dig gently with a fork. Allow skins to set before extensive handling.

Tips

Hill soil or clean mulch around stems as plants grow to prevent exposed tubers from turning green. Rotate potatoes away from other nightshades, and remove volunteer plants that could carry disease.

Disease Resistance Abbreviations

FLB

Fusarium Leaf Blight

Pests & Diseases

Late blight, early blight, common scab, blackleg, soft rot, and viruses can arrive with seed tubers. Buy certified disease-free stock and reject shriveled, wet, or discolored pieces. Cure cut surfaces before planting, rotate nightshades, destroy volunteer potatoes, and never save tubers from symptomatic plants.

Colorado potato beetles, flea beetles, aphids, leafhoppers, wireworms, and grubs may damage plants or tubers. Rotate nightshades, handpick beetles and eggs, and remove volunteer potatoes after harvest.