Crops › Russet Baking Potato › Russet Burbank
Russet Burbank
Russet Baking Potato in the US
This is the one everyone thinks of for a proper baked potato. It gives you that lovely dry, fluffy texture, just right for butter and all your favorite toppings.
Sow window for Russet Baking Potato generally, zone 6.
Buy Russet Burbank seeds
Partner retailers. If you buy through these links we may earn a small commission. It never costs you more.
How to grow it
You'll want to get your certified seed potatoes into cool soil, around 45–55°F, when the danger of hard frost has passed for your area. For most folks, that means planting outdoors sometime between late winter and late spring, depending on your USDA zone. For instance, if you're in zone 9, you might be planting as early as January or February, but in zone 3, you're looking at May. Pop them about 6 inches deep and give them a good 12 to 15 inches between each potato in the row, with about 3 feet between your rows. This gives them plenty of room to grow properly.
Once your potato plants start to grow, you'll need to 'hill' them up a few times. This means drawing soil up around the stems, covering them lightly as they grow taller. It encourages more tubers to form, and it's key for stopping any light getting to the potatoes and turning them green. Keep an eye on the spacing, like I say, about 12-15 inches apart in rows 3 feet wide, so they don't get too crowded out.
Full Russet Baking Potato guide →
More Russet Baking Potato varieties
Track your Russet Baking 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.