How Long Does It Take to Grow a Chipping Potato?

Maturing Rates and Specific Gravity

• Early season potatoes mature in 90 days or less; mid-season varieties take about 100 days; late maturing varieties need 110 days or more. Late maturing potatoes are typically heavy potatoes that store well for long periods.

  "Specific gravity" is an attribute the potato industry uses to measure the dry matter or solids in a potato, among other things. The best chipping potatoes have high specific gravity and low water content. High specific gravity is needed to absorb a minimum amount of oil during frying and to yield light colored chips.

Early Season

• The exceptionally rapid-growing “Andover” (Solanum tubersosum “Andover”), a medium gravity potato, has white flesh and stores well. “Chippeta” (Solanum tubersosum “Chippeta”) is an early maturing, white potato with low gravity.

Midseason

• “Pike” (Solanum tubersosum “Pike”) is a high gravity, medium-sized, round hybrid potato with a buff-colored, slightly netted skin. The medium-gravity “Norvalley” (Solanum tubersosum “Norvalley”) is a round to oval potato with smooth white skin, shallow eyes and cream-white flesh. “Norwis” (Solanum tubersosum “Norwis”) is a blocky to oval-shaped potato with buff skin and cream to yellow flesh; it has medium gravity and is good for chips after harvest but not after long-term storage. “Marcy” (Solanum tubersosum “Marcy”) is a netted potato that yields well and has medium-high gravity. The short, oval “Kennebec” (Solanum tubersosum “Kennebec”) has buff skin, white flesh, high gravity and stores well. “Dakota Pearl (Solanum tubersosum “Dakota Pearl”) has smooth yellow skin with medium deep eyes and cream colored flesh; it has medium high gravity and makes good chips after long-term storage. The short, oval “LA Chipper” (Solanum tubersosum “LA Chipper”) is an elongated, somewhat flattened potato with smooth skin and white flesh; it has medium gravity. Another high gravity potato, “Atlantic” (Solanum tubersosum “Atlantic) is oval to round and has yellow skin.

Mid to Late Season

• The high gravity “Ivory Crisp” (Solanum tubersosum “Ivory Crisp”) has medium to high yield and stores well. “Reba” (Solanum tubersosum “Reba”) a short, oval, white fleshed potato, has medium gravity and also stores well.

Late Season

• High-gravity “Alturas” (Solanum tubersosum “Alturas”), an oblong, russet potato has white flesh and gives high yields. “Mega Chip” (Solanum tubersosum “Mega Chip”) also has high gravity and it stores well. “Snowdon” (Solanum tubersosum “Snowdon”) has high specific gravity and stores well but yields large numbers of small potatoes if you plant it too close together.