Red potatoes are the waxy, thin-skinned potato of salads, roasting and boiling — the ones that hold their shape when cooked instead of falling apart. Their red skins and creamy white flesh make them as pretty as they are useful, and because they are harvested young as well as mature, they give the gardener two crops from one planting: new potatoes in early summer and full-size reds later.
Red potatoes take 90–120 days to mature, but the real pleasure is the early harvest: dig a few plants when they flower and you have new potatoes weeks before the main crop is ready. They are grown from seed potatoes like all potatoes, earthed up as they grow, and dug when the tops die back. This guide covers chitting, planting, earthing up, the new-potato harvest, and storage — red potatoes keep well, though not quite as long as russets.
Red Potatoes at a glance
| Growing factor | What this crop needs |
|---|---|
| Sun | full sun |
| Soil pH | 5.0–6.0 |
| Days to germination | 14–28 |
| Days to maturity | 90–120 |
| Spacing | 12 inches |
| Water needs | moderate |
| Cold tolerance | frost-tolerant |
| Family | Solanaceae |
Starting seeds
Red Potatoes is sown directly where it will grow — it does not take kindly to being moved. Sow into prepared, raked soil and keep the seedbed evenly moist until germination, which takes 14–28 days. Sow in short rows and thin the seedlings to the final spacing once they are big enough to handle. Our seed-spacing calculator works out how many seeds you need for your bed.
This crop tolerates frost, so the season is generous: in Zones 3–5 plant in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked; in Zones 6–8 plant in spring and again in late summer; in Zones 9–10 plant through autumn and winter; and in Zones 11–13, which are frost-free, grow it through the cooler months with afternoon shade. Check your dates with our frost-date calculator or the last-first frost lookup — and when in doubt, ask your local extension service.
Red potatoes grow from seed potatoes, not true seed. Chit them before planting: set the tubers in a light, cool place, eyes up, for a few weeks until short, sturdy sprouts form.
Transplanting and planting out
There is no transplanting step for Red Potatoes — it is sown in place and thinned instead. Once seedlings have two or three true leaves, thin them to their final spacing of 12 inches apart, pulling the weakest and leaving the strongest. Thin on a calm, cool day and water the row afterwards so the remaining seedlings settle back in. Thinning feels wasteful, but crowded plants stay small and are far more prone to pests and disease. Our plant-spacing calculator shows how many plants fit your bed at 12-inch spacing.
Soil and feeding
Red Potatoes grows best in soil with a pH of 5.0–6.0, so test your soil before you plant — a cheap test kit tells you more than guessing ever will. Work in plenty of compost or well-rotted manure to improve structure and feed the soil life, and make sure the bed drains freely. Our soil-volume calculator and raised-bed soil calculator work out how much soil or compost your bed needs.
Feed generously through the season: work compost into the bed before planting and side-dress with a balanced fertiliser once plants are growing strongly. Hungry fruiting and leafy crops repay feeding with visibly bigger harvests, but too much nitrogen gives leaf at the expense of fruit, so follow the label. Our fertiliser calculator works out how much to apply.
Red potatoes prefer a slightly acid soil, pH 5.0–6.0, which also helps keep scab down. Dig in plenty of compost before planting, but avoid fresh manure, which encourages scab and forked tubers.
Watering
Water evenly and avoid letting the soil swing between soaked and bone dry. A deep soak once or twice a week beats a daily sprinkle, because it encourages roots to grow down where the soil stays cooler and moister. Mulch helps enormously here, holding moisture and keeping the soil temperature steady. Our watering calculator gives a starting point for your bed size and soil, and the watering schedule generator can build a routine around it.
Sunlight and temperature
Give Red Potatoes full sun — at least six hours of direct sun a day, and more is better in most zones. Sun drives flavour and yield in this crop, and plants in shade stay leggy and unproductive. Our sunlight calculator can check whether your spot gets enough sun.
It is frost-tolerant and will shrug off light frosts, which can even sweeten the harvest. Hard freezes will still damage it, so cover with fleece if a hard frost is forecast, and in cold zones treat it as a spring and autumn crop rather than a winter one.
Pests and diseases
The pests and diseases to watch for with Red Potatoes are aphids, hornworms, flea beetles and whiteflies.
Aphids cluster on tender new growth and under leaves, sucking sap and leaving sticky honeydew.
Hornworms are big green caterpillars that can strip a plant overnight.
Flea beetles chew tiny shot-holes in young leaves.
Whiteflies cloud up from the undersides of leaves when disturbed.
Prevention beats cure: rotate crops so the same family does not grow in the same bed year after year, clear debris at the end of the season, and inspect the undersides of leaves weekly. Our pest identifier helper can help you name a pest from its damage, and the plant-disease checker can narrow down a leaf problem.
Companion plants
Good companions for Red Potatoes are marigolds, basil, onions and lettuce.
Marigolds are the classic companion: their roots and scent deter several soil pests, and their flowers bring in pollinators and beneficial insects.
Basil is said to improve the flavour of its neighbours and its scent confuses some pests; it also makes good use of the same sunny, well-watered bed.
Onions help mask the scent of their neighbours from pests, and their upright leaves take little light from the plants beside them.
Lettuce is a shallow-rooted, quick crop that fills the gaps between taller plants without competing hard for nutrients.
Plant companions in the same bed rather than in a separate corner — that is how they do their work. Our companion-planting finder can suggest more pairings for your bed.
Harvesting
Red potatoes are ready about 90–120 days after planting, when the tops yellow and die back — but do not wait for that if you want new potatoes. Once the plants flower, dig a plant or two carefully with a fork and take the small, thin-skinned tubers for eating fresh: new potatoes are at their best the day they are dug. For the main crop, wait until the tops die, leave the tubers a week or two for skins to set, then dig on a dry day.
Red potatoes store well for a few months, though their thin skins mean they do not keep quite as long as russets. Cure them for a week or two in a cool, dark, airy place, then store in the dark — light turns them green, and green parts should be cut away generously before eating. Handle them gently at harvest: thin skins bruise easily, and bruised tubers rot in store. Eat damaged ones first.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tubers turn green | exposed to light | Earth up well and store in the dark; cut green parts away before eating. |
| Scabby patches on skins | scab in alkaline or dry soil | Keep soil slightly acid, water while tubers form, and avoid fresh manure. |
| Tops collapse with dark spots | blight | Remove affected foliage at once and harvest tubers promptly. |
Tubers turn green
Likely cause: exposed to light. Green skin means the tuber has been exposed to light and has built up solanine. Earth up thoroughly so no tuber sits near the surface, and store in complete darkness.
Scabby patches on skins
Likely cause: scab in alkaline or dry soil. Scab shows as rough, corky patches on the skin and is worst in alkaline, dry soil. The slightly acid pH red potatoes prefer helps, as does steady watering while tubers are forming.
Tops collapse with dark spots
Likely cause: blight. Blight starts as dark spots on leaves in wet weather and can kill the tops in days. Cut off affected foliage immediately, do not compost it, and dig the tubers sooner rather than later — blight can wash into the soil and rot them.
Frequently asked questions
How long do red potatoes take to grow?
Red potatoes take 90–120 days from planting to maturity, but you can harvest new potatoes much sooner — once the plants flower, dig a few and take the small tubers. The main crop is ready when the tops yellow and die back.
Are red potatoes waxy or floury?
Waxy. Red potatoes hold their shape when boiled or roasted, which makes them ideal for potato salads, roasting and boiling.
Do red potatoes need earthing up?
Yes — like all potatoes. Earth up every couple of weeks as the shoots grow, drawing soil up around the stems.
How do I store red potatoes?
Cure them for a week or two in a cool, dark, airy place, then store in complete darkness at a cool temperature. Their thin skins mean they keep for a few months rather than all winter.