Crops › Red Skin Potato
How to grow Red Skin Potato
in the US
Sow March to April, harvest June to July. About 80 days from seed to plate.
Shown for zone 6. Zone table further down.
Red skin potatoes are a proper cracking vegetable to grow at home, dead easy to be honest. They thrive in slightly cooler conditions, and you'll find they get their best, vibrant color when they're soaking up plenty of sun. There’s nothing quite like digging up your own fresh spuds, is there?
Sowing
You'll want to get your seed potatoes in the ground after the last frost date, you know, when the soil has started to warm up a bit. Chitting them first, letting them sprout a bit on a windowsill, can give them a head start. For folks in Zone 3, that's usually May, Zones 4 and 5 are looking at April or May, and if you're in Zone 6, March or April is often right. Down in Zone 7, March is good, Zone 8, February or March, and Zone 9 can even get going in January or February. Plant them about 4-6 inches deep and a foot apart, in rows about 2-3 feet apart.
Growing on
Once your potato plants start to emerge from the soil, you’ll want to "hill up" or "earth up" the soil around them. This means drawing soil up over the shoots, leaving just the top few inches showing. Do this a couple of times as they grow, it encourages more spuds and keeps the tubers from turning green. They do well in grow bags or large containers too, if you're a bit short on ground space on your plot.
Looking after it
Red potatoes love consistent moisture, especially when they're flowering and forming tubers underground. Don't let them dry out too much, or you'll get small, cracked spuds. A good layer of mulch can really help keep that moisture in and keep the weeds down. A light feed of balanced fertilizer or some well-rotted compost worked into the soil before planting will set them up nicely.
What goes wrong
Like most plants, potatoes can have their issues. Flea beetles can munch on the leaves, leaving them looking a bit shot-holed, and aphids might gather on the undersides. Keep an eye out and give them a good spray of water if you spot too many, or use an insecticidal soap if it gets proper bad. Slugs can be a nuisance too, especially in damp weather.
Harvest
You're looking at around 80 days from planting until you can start digging. You can lift them early for those lovely tender skins, proper new potatoes, or leave them a bit longer for full-sized spuds. For me on my plot, that's usually July or August, but it'll depend on when you planted them. Red potatoes are best eaten within two to three months; they don't store quite as long as some of the russet types, so enjoy them fresh.
I always give my potatoes a good drink a few days before I plan to dig them up, it makes the soil softer and the spuds come out much cleaner, you know what I mean.
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 |
|---|---|
| Red Pontiac This is a classic red potato with lovely white flesh and a smooth texture. It’s a good, reliable choice for those who want a versatile spud for boiling. | No club votes yet |
| Norland Red A cracking early variety, this one. It’s perfect if you're keen to get those first new potatoes from your garden. | No club votes yet |
| Chieftain This is a good, dependable red potato that gives uniform tubers. It stands up well to storage, better than most reds, which is always a bonus. | No club votes yet |
| Red Gold A bit different, this one, with its lovely yellow flesh beneath that red skin. It makes a plate look proper nice, a real eye-catcher. | No club votes yet |
| Viking Red If you want a good harvest, this is your choice, you know. You'll get plenty of spuds from these plants, they're proper high-yielders. | No club votes yet |
| Desiree A proper European favorite, this one, with its distinctive pink skin. It has firm flesh that holds its shape well, great for roasting or mashing. | No club votes yet |
| French Fingerling Red This is a gourmet choice, these long, thin ones, with their yellow flesh. They're great for a fancy dish, adding a bit of elegance to your plate. | No club votes yet |
| Rose Gold You get a lovely smooth red skin with this variety, and the texture inside is just so creamy. It's a great all-rounder for many dishes. | 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 Red Skin Potato seeds
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Sowing by USDA zone
| Zone | Sow / plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | May | August |
| Zone 4 | April to May | July to August |
| Zone 5 | April | July |
| Zone 6 | March to April | June to July |
| Zone 7 | March | June to July |
| Zone 8 | February to March | June to July |
| Zone 9 | January to February | May to June |
| Zone 10 | March to April | July to August |
Cook the harvest
Light gnocchi made from red skin potatoes — their slightly waxier texture creates dumplings with a pleasantly chewy bite and a slight earthiness that pairs beautifully with nutty brown butter and crispy sage. A weeknight-achievable pasta alternative that showcases what happens when you use the right potato for the job.
95 min · mediumA thick, creamy summer chowder that puts red potatoes and sweet corn together in a smoky, herb-scented broth. Red-skin potatoes stay in perfect chunks through the slow simmer and look beautiful against the golden corn. This is the chowder to make when both ingredients are at summer peak.
45 min · easyA light, herb-forward potato soup made with red skin potatoes left chunky rather than blended — the deep red skins showing through a broth rich with fresh dill, chives, and parsley. This is a soup that feels nourishing rather than heavy, perfect for spring and summer evenings when you want something warming but not stodgy.
40 min · easyHalved red potatoes roasted in a hot oven with olive oil, garlic, and fresh rosemary until cut sides are golden and caramelized. Simple, fast, and the kind of reliable side dish that makes everything else on the plate better. The red skin adds color and holds the potato together beautifully.
40 min · easyWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: Corn, Beans, Calendula
Questions people ask
When do you sow Red Skin Potato in the US?
Sow Red Skin Potato from March to April in zone 6, earlier or later by zone.
How long does Red Skin Potato take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 80 days, with the harvest June to July.
Which Red Skin Potato varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Red Pontiac, Norland Red, Chieftain, Red Gold and more.
Track your Red Skin 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.