Crops › Fingerling Potato
How to grow Fingerling Potato
in the US
Sow March to April, harvest July to August. About 100 days from seed to plate.
Shown for zone 6. Zone table further down.
If you're after a proper tasty potato that's a bit special, fingerlings are a cracking choice. They're not the biggest spuds, like, but they more than make up for it in flavor and versatility in the kitchen. On the plot, they're pretty straightforward once you get the hang of them.
Sowing
Fingerling potatoes aren't started as plug plants, you'll be planting 'seed potatoes' directly into the ground. Check your USDA zone for the best time to get them in; for example, if you're in zone 3, aim for May, but folks in zone 9 can start as early as January or February. Dig a trench about 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm) deep and space your seed potatoes roughly 12 inches (30 cm) apart in rows 2 to 3 feet (60-90 cm) apart. They really thrive once the soil warms up properly, which is key to a good crop, you know what I mean.
Growing on
Once your potato plants start to grow, you'll want to 'hill' them up. This means drawing soil up around the stems as they grow, covering them over. Do this a few times throughout the season, like when the plants are about 8 inches (20 cm) tall, then again when they're a foot (30 cm) or so. This encourages more potatoes to form along the stem and protects the new tubers from sunlight, which is important for proper development.
Looking after it
Keep your potato patch consistently watered, especially when the plants are flowering and setting new tubers, you know what I mean. A good layer of mulch can help keep the soil moist and stop weeds from taking over. Give them a feed with a balanced organic fertilizer, or just plenty of good compost, to keep them happy and productive on the plot.
What goes wrong
The main things to watch out for with fingerlings, like many potatoes, are wireworms and slugs. Wireworms can be a proper nuisance, munching on your tubers; good crop rotation helps keep them at bay. Slugs love a good potato too, especially the delicate skins of fingerlings, so keep an eye out and pick them off by hand, or use slug traps like I say.
Harvest
Your fingerlings should be ready for harvest around 100 days after planting, typically late summer into early fall. The plant tops will start to yellow and die back, that's your signal. Dig them up carefully with a fork, as their skins are quite delicate, you don't want to damage them. Store in a cool, dark place, ideally between 38 and 42°F (3-6°C), where they'll keep well for up to four months, which is cracking.
I always try to harvest a few 'new' fingerlings early, just for an absolute cracking pan-fried treat straight from the ground, they're proper special like that.
Dates for your plot
Type your zone and the plant-out advice shifts to your frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Russian Banana This variety gives you lovely long, yellow fingerlings with a truly creamy texture. They're a gourmet choice, perfect for roasting or salads. | No club votes yet |
| French Fingerling These heirloom beauties boast a distinctive pink skin with yellow flesh that's got attractive red streaking inside. They're a real looker on the plate and taste just as good. | No club votes yet |
| Austrian Crescent A proper gourmet potato, Austrian Crescent offers smooth, crescent-shaped tubers that look elegant. They're fantastic for a special meal, easy to roast whole. | No club votes yet |
| Rose Finn Apple You'll get creamy flesh from these, wrapped in a lovely rose-pink skin. They're a classic choice for their texture and gentle flavor. | No club votes yet |
| Purple Peruvian Fingerling These are a showstopper with their deep purple skin and matching purple flesh, offering a unique nutty flavor. They'll add a real splash of color to your dinner plate. | No club votes yet |
| Bliss Red A cracking choice for small, red fingerlings that have a wonderfully moist flesh. They're versatile in the kitchen and cook up beautifully. | No club votes yet |
| AmaRosa AmaRosa gives you vibrant red skin and, unusually, red flesh too, which holds its color well when cooked. They're especially excellent when roasted, turning out sweet and tender. | No club votes yet |
| Pinto Gold These novelty potatoes are yellow with a really unique, flecked skin pattern, making them stand out. They're a bit of fun to grow and taste great too. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
Buy Fingerling Potato seeds
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Sowing by USDA zone
| Zone | Sow / plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | May | September |
| Zone 4 | April to May | August to September |
| Zone 5 | April | August |
| Zone 6 | March to April | July to August |
| Zone 7 | March | July to August |
| Zone 8 | February to March | June to July |
| Zone 9 | January to February | June |
| Zone 10 | March to April | August to September |
Cook the harvest
Parboiled fingerling potatoes finished in a hot skillet until the cut sides are deeply golden and caramelized, then finished with a generous shower of garlic, parsley, and lemon. Ready in 30 minutes total, this is the weeknight side dish that makes people reach for seconds before the main course is even cleared.
35 min · easyWhole fingerling potatoes roasted at high heat until their thin skins blister and crackle, their interiors creamy and rich. Served alongside a garlicky aioli for dipping, this is the simplest possible way to let fingerlings shine — and they need almost no help. A restaurant-quality appetizer from very little effort.
40 min · easyFingerling potatoes braised in white wine and chicken broth with fresh herbs until the liquid reduces to a fragrant, lightly thickened glaze coating every potato. This French braising technique extracts the maximum flavor from the fingerlings while infusing them with the wine and herb-perfumed braising liquid. An effortless yet elegant side.
35 min · easyElegant halved fingerlings paired with silky smoked salmon, capers, red onion, and a dill crème fraîche dressing — an assembled salad that looks like it belongs on a brunch menu at a fine hotel. Fingerlings' nutty, waxy flesh is the perfect foil for the rich, salty salmon. Effortlessly impressive.
33 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: Thyme, Beans, Chamomile
Questions people ask
When do you sow Fingerling Potato in the US?
Sow Fingerling Potato from March to April in zone 6, earlier or later by zone.
How long does Fingerling Potato take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 100 days, with the harvest July to August.
Which Fingerling Potato varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Russian Banana, French Fingerling, Austrian Crescent, Rose Finn Apple and more.
Track your Fingerling Potato from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.