Stews, sides, gratins, fritters – is there anything potatoes can’t do? But as with many everyday heroes, it’s easy to take the tubers for granted. Enter specialty potatoes: petite, colorful and full of flavor, these spuds are entering the spotlight as consumer demand rises.

In 2024, potato sales went up around 3%, with the categories of petite, yellow and medley potatoes increasing in particular. With potato consumers reportedly concerned with convenience, demonstrating interest in smaller volume bags, the easy packaging for specialty potatoes combine with their eye-catching colors to make an appealing product for weekly shoppers.

Of course, the variety you choose can make a big difference. ‘Adirondack Blue’ and ‘Pinto Gold’ potatoes may look and taste good, but their marketable yields can be low. For University of Maine Cooperative Extension Professor Brett Johnson, a specialty potato growing trial showed that growing the ‘NDAF1489-4’ variety could bring in a revenue of as much as $91,700/acre – as opposed to the $18,690/acre of the ‘Purple Viking’ variety. The former may be in desperate need of a rebrand, but it gets the job done.

If you’ve chosen your variety and are ready to commit to planting, start by getting ahold of certified seeds that meet tolerance limits for regulated pests and diseases and meet grade standards. The right planting plan can help increase the efficiency of new potato production; green sprouting or chitting can speed days to maturity by seven to 10 days when paired with six- to eight-inch spacings.

To get these babies off to the right start, warm seed tubers to 50º F before handling or cutting, and be sure to cut with a sharp knife that is disinfected regularly with isopropyl alcohol. Be sure your seeds are healthy at the outset – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

From sprout development to full maturation, farmers looking to expand into specialty potatoes can generally expect a growing period lasting from May till September. They favor well-drained, light to medium textured soils that are relatively rock-free.

Practices such as crop rotation (with non-solanaceous crops), drip irrigation and the promotion of air circulation will be helpful in preventing blight and/or nipping it in the bud. It’s best to wait until after emergence to irrigate – moisture has to be managed and monitored carefully. If the soil moisture changes abruptly, it could mean a yield full of hollow hearts.

To protect against pests, crop rotation, green sprouting and early planting (paired with good organic soil management practices) will cover your bases. Targeted use of insecticides can address any additional incursions.

With the right soil, careful monitoring and a blight and pest defense plan in place, you can expect to see these taters safely to market, where customers will be waiting to fall in love with potatoes all over again.