How to Grow Yukon Gold Potato
Solanum tuberosum 'Yukon Gold'
Yukon Gold Potato is a popular variety prized for its creamy texture and golden-yellow flesh. Gardeners grow this cool-season crop to enjoy delicious homegrown potatoes that store well after harvest.
📷 Wikipedia: PotatoStarting Yukon Gold Potato: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Yukon Gold Potato is not usually started indoors.
Since potatoes are direct-sown cool-season crops, do not start them indoors; plant seed pieces directly in the garden a few weeks before the last frost date.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 5.8 and 6.2. Plant seed potatoes directly outdoors two to four weeks before your last frost date, as they are a cool-season crop. Place pieces with eyes about 4 inches deep in rows spaced 30 to 36 inches apart. Expect germination within 14 to 28 days once the soil warms up sufficiently.
Space plants 12 to 15 inches apart within your rows. These potatoes do not require support or trellising. Water consistently to provide 1 to 2 inches per week, ensuring the soil stays moist but never waterlogged. Apply a layer of straw mulch after hilling to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Watch for Colorado potato beetles, aphids, wireworms, and flea beetles; hand-pick adults and use insecticidal soap for soft-bodied pests. Prevent late blight, early blight, scab, and blackleg by rotating crops annually and avoiding overhead watering. Harvest 70 to 90 days after planting when vines begin to yellow and die back.
When to Plant Yukon Gold Potato
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | — | June – July | August – September |
| Zone 2 | — | May – July | August – September |
| Zone 3 | — | May – June | July – October |
| Zone 4 | — | April – June | July – October |
| Zone 5 | — | April – May | July – November |
| Zone 6 | — | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 7 | — | March – May | June – November |
| Zone 8 | — | March – April | May – December |
| Zone 9 | — | February – March | April – December |
| Zone 10 | — | January – March | April – December |
| Zone 11 | — | January – February | March – December |
| Zone 12 | — | January – February | March – December |
| Zone 13 | — | January – February | March – December |
Companion Plants for Yukon Gold Potato
✓ Good companions
Fix nitrogen in soil, improve potato yield without competing for space
Benefits from loose soil created by potato growth, different root depths
Repels aphids and may improve potato flavor and disease resistance
Provides natural windbreak and shade, different nutrient requirements
Repels Colorado potato beetles and wireworms with natural sulfur compounds
Planted at corners of potato patch, repels Colorado potato beetles
Repels Colorado potato beetles and nematodes, reduces soil pests
Acts as trap crop for Colorado potato beetles and aphids
✗ Keep away from
Increases susceptibility to blight and competes for similar soil nutrients
Allelopathic effects inhibit potato growth and development
Both are nightshades, attract same pests like Colorado potato beetle and blight
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
