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Kennebec Potato - 2 LB Bag

Kennebec Potato - 2 LB Bag

An American Classic for 60+ Years | Super disease-resistant and heavy-bearing

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Item # 35710

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Days to Maturity: 80 from direct-sowing

For a potato that's been around since World War II, Kennebec sure gets a lot of attention and praise! The choice of fine restaurants and gourmet cooks everywhere, it's also the home gardener's favorite for early, generous crops that taste delicious and store well. Give it a try this season and we predict it will become your go-to tater, too.

Kennebec is a large, oval potato with a thin tan skin (easy to peel), few pockmarks or craters, and firm, dense white flesh. It is good for baking, chipping, mashing, scalloping, and boiling. Superbly disease-resistant (it was developed by the USDA), it adapts to gardens in all climates and conditions across the U.S., and was originally selected in Maine. In other words, this is a homegrown potato that anyone can grow and everyone will love!

Finishing earlier than most others, Kennebec also delivers a few extra spuds in every harvest, too. Possibly this is because of its terrific disease-fighting capabilities, which keeps the plants healthy and highly productive. Kennebec is resistant to potato leafroll virus, late blight, black leg, fusarium (dry rot), phoma rot, potato wart, and two types of potato virus. You just can't beat it for ease of care and successful crops every time.

Expect these plants to reach just 8 inches high but spread 18 to 24 inches wide in fertile, well-worked, well-drained soil. Like all Potatoes, Kennebec fares best in sandy, enriched soil, but if you have heavy or clay soil, just used a raised bed or plant the tubers more shallowly, mulching them well with straw.

Here's how to grow them:

If your soil is normal to sandy, work in some gypsum and Epsom salts before planting, then set the tubers 3 or 4 inches deep and about a foot apart. (If your soil is heavier, plant more shallowly and rely on mulch rather than soil for coverage.) Potato tubers should be planted in early spring, at the same time as you sow your green peas. If a late frost threatens, just toss a few inches of straw or other mulch over the young plants, and chances are they'll be fine.

When the shoots emerge, you may want to sow some bush beans alongside the young plants -- they'll keep the bugs down. Basil and Summer Savory are also fine companions that keep insects at bay -- we usually just wait to see which Potatoes didn't sprout, and fill in the gaps with these helpful herbs. (Of course, Marigold, friend to all vegetables for its ability to destroy more nematodes than commercial repellents, is always a beautiful choice too.)

Potatoes tend to grow their fruit right under the soil, and over time the tubers may stick out above the soil line. This can cause greening, which ruins the flavor (and adds toxins to the Potato), so watch your plants and add more soil, straw, or peat moss as necessary to keep the taters under wraps. The plants may also bloom, and small, hard green fruits will appear when the flowers pass. Don't be tempted to harvest them -- they're toxic!

When it's time to harvest, begin at the outer edges of each plant and work your way in. You want to gently turn over the soil using a garden fork or blunt-edged spade, to avoid cutting into the potatoes. Store the spuds, unwashed and not touching one another, in a totally dark, cool place, where they'll last for several weeks. (You can eat them after they've sprouted; just cut away the inedible sprout and its eye.) Once you've harvested the crop from end to end, begin in a new spot and work your way through it from a different direction. You'll be amazed at how many spuds you missed the first time!

This bag of tubers plants 20 to 25 feet of row. Make Kennebec part of your permanent vegetable garden -- try it this season!

Potato Germination Information

Potato Seed Germination How to Sow Potato:
  • Best sown indoors at a temperature of 68-86° and at a depth of 4 times the size of the seeds
  • They will germinate in 10-15 days
  • They are not often grown from seed, unless they are a variety that is true from seed
  • They are generally grown from pieces cut from certified “Seed Potatoes"
  • Each 11/2 inch square piece should contain at least one eye
  • Plant the pieces 2-4 inches deep
  • Plant them 2 weeks before last frost and look for sprouts in 2 weeks
  • When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed

How to Grow Potato:
Transplanting: For seed grown types, transplant when there are at least two sets of true leaves

Spacing: Space them 9-12 inches apart in rows spaced 24-36 inches apart

Lighting: Site in full sun

Soil: Site in a slightly acid (pH of 4.8 to 5.4), light, rich soil with excellent drainage. Keep plants evenly watered and fertilize prior to planting

Additional Care: When the plants are 6-8 inches tall, mound soil around the stem to keep the potato tubers from turning green. Repeat the mounding when the plants are 18 inches tall. Tuber production will be best in climates with cool summers

Appearance and Use:

This spreading annual vine is grown for its edible tubers that form underground on the roots. They are rounded or oblong and colored white, red, or purple. Dig the small “new” potatoes when the tops begin to flower; dig the full sized potatoes 2 weeks after frost has blackened the stems. In warm southern areas the plants go dormant before frost, so harvest the tubers when the plants turn yellow


About Potato:
Botanical name: Solanum tuberosum
Pronunciation:  so-la’num tu-be-ro’sum
Lifecycle:  Annual
Origination: Solanaceae; native to Peru

Superior Germination Through Superior Science

Park's Superior Seeds Park Seed's humidity- and temperature-controlled seed storage vault Park Seed offers some of the highest-quality vegetable and flower seeds available in the industry, and there are a number of reasons for this.

First of all, we have humidity- and temperature-controlled storage, and we never treat any of our seeds with chemicals or pesticides. Nor do we ever sell GMO's (genetically modified seeds), so you always know the products you're buying from us are natural as well as safe for you and the environment.

Superior Standards - University Inspected

Testing seeds against minimum germination standards To make sure we are providing the best seed product possible and that our customers will get the highest number of seedlings from every packet, we conduct our own germination testing and have quality-control measures in every stage of our seed-handling operation. We hold ourselves to standards that are at or above federal and state standards, including testing specific crops more frequently than recommended by federal guidelines. And in order to maintain our organic certification, we welcome Clemson University to inspect us annually to make sure our organic seeds, which are stored and processed separately, are being handled properly.

Hand Packed By Experienced Technicians

Park Seed has been handling and packing vegetable and flower seeds for 145 years, a history that has given us a great understanding of how each variety should be cared for and maintained throughout every step of theprocess, from collection to shipping.

When packing our seeds, the majority are actually done by hand (with extreme care!), and we often over-pack them, so you're receiving more than the stated quantity.

The Park Seed Gold Standard

Park Seed's exclusive Fresh-Pak gold foil seed packets And many of our seeds are packed in our exclusive Fresh-Pak gold foil packets, which are lined to keep moisture out, so the seeds stay fresher for longer. We carefully pack very tiny or fragile seeds in crush-proof vials to ensure safe delivery to your home. Some of the small seeds are also offered as "pellets" (have a clay coating) to make sowing and growing easier.

When it comes to the kinds of seeds we offer, we are constantly seeking something new and provide many unique and hard-to-find varieties from all around the world. Our on-staff horticulturists are ready and available to share their expertise to help you with the success of these seeds, so you can grow a beautiful and productive garden!
Does Park sell GMO's or treated seeds?
GMO freeIt is important for our customers to know that Park Seed does not sell GMO or treated seed.

What are the differences between organic, heirloom, and hybrid seed?
Basically, organic seeds are seeds that are produced without the use and exposure to artificial/chemical fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and other chemicals. They have to be grown, harvested, stored, and handled under very strict organic rules and procedures. All of our organic seeds are USDA 100% certified organic through Clemson University and the certificate has to be renewed yearly.

Heirloom Seeds are open-pollinated -- they are not hybrids. You can gather and save heirloom seed from year to year and they will grow true to type every year, so they can be passed down through generations. To be considered an heirloom, a variety would have to be at least from the 1940's and 3 generations old (many varieties are much older -- some 100 years or more!).

Hybrid seed are the product of cross-pollination between 2 different parent plants, resulting in a new plant/seed that is different from the parents. Unlike Heirloom seed, hybrid seed need to be re-purchased new every year (and not saved). They usually will not grow true to type if you save them, but will revert to one of the parents they were crossed with and most likely look/taste different in some way.

What are pelleted seeds? Why do you use them? How do I handle/sow them?
Pelleted pentas seedsExtremely small seed such as Petunias and Pentas are shipped as pelleted seed to make them easier to handle and sow. Pelleted seed are coated, usually with clay, to make them larger in size. After sowing, the coating will dissolve when wet and the seed will germinate. Pelleted seeds are shipped in vials placed inside seed packets, which protects them from being crushed. When sowing, be certain to use thoroughly moistened soil, to be sure that the clay coating absorbs enough moisture to dissolve. For sowing pelleted Petunia seeds, place the seeds directly on the soil surface and do not cover with soil, as light aids in the germination.

What is ideal temperature to germinate most seeds?
The ideal temperature to germinate most seeds is approximately 70 degrees F; give or take 1-2 degrees either way. This would be a good germination temperature for most flower and vegetable seeds and would be the most practical and feasible temperatures achieved for gardeners starting seeds in the home. You will notice for some seeds that it is recommended to use alternating day (warmer), night (cooler), temperatures, which is fine if one can provide such conditions. But most people are unable to provide those temperatures in a home setting, so just use the overall 70 degree F recommendation and the seeds should germinate well.

How long should grow lights be kept on per day and how close to the plants should the light be kept?
For germination and seedling/plant growth, you want to simulate the natural day-night cycles, and as a general rule, grow lights should be on 8-12 hours per day and off at night. You can vary this timing, as some seeds such as tomato, pepper, petunia, impatiens, and others, benefit from 14-17 hours of light per day (and the remainder of the 24 hour period in darkness). The most common grow lights used are fluorescent; using cool white, warm white, and wide-spectrum fluorescent tubes. These lights work well for germination and for growing plants up to a transplantable size. Fluorescent lights should be kept close though, 3-6 inches above the soil or the growing plants, adjusting the height as the plants grow.

How long will seeds keep in storage?
Park Seed stores seed in a special temperature- and humidity-controlled storage facility, which keeps seeds in excellent condition. Our seeds should be good for at least 1-2 years on average. Seed viability and storage time will vary depending on the seed item; some will keep a shorter time and some will keep longer. Seeds should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place. A basement will do (if not too humid), or a cool, dark room or closet. We recommend the best way to extend seed storage life is to store them in something air tight, such as a plastic zipper storage bag or canning jar, and place it in the refrigerator. This will extend the life of seeds for many years.

What is the best way to store seeds over a longer time period?
We recommend the best way to extend seed storage life is to store seeds in something air tight, such as a plastic zipper storage bag or canning jar, and place it in the refrigerator. This will extend the life of seeds for many years.

What depth should I sow various seeds?
When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed. When sowing seed indoors, the planting depth can be less, depending on the seed being sown, so it is always best to check specific directions. Here are some general guidelines concerning planting depth in relation to seed size: Tiny, dust-like seeds need to be sown on the surface of the growing medium or soil, uncovered, as they need light to germinate. The planting depth for small seed can be anywhere from barely covering, to 1/8-inch deep, to possibly 1/4-inch deep, depending on the recommendation. Medium seed should be planted at 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep, depending on the recommendation. Larger seeds can be planted 1-inch or deeper, depending on the recommendation.