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'Yukon Gold' Potatoes

Sub-Category:	Early Season

Sub-Category 2:
Description:	Very early season. Medium to large, upright plants yield small to medium, slightly flattened, oval tubers with thin, golden buff-yellow skin, small, pink eyes and dry, mealy, yellow flesh. Excellent storage because of long tuber dormancy. Resistant to mild mosaic, PVLR, PVA. Susceptible to common scab, PVY, early blight, fusarium, dry rot, silver scurf, rhizoctonia.
Days To Maturity:	60-75
Seed Sources:

Rating Summary

Overall: (3.9 Stars) Taste: (4.2 Stars) Yield: (3.4 Stars) Ease/Reliability: (4.0 Stars)

Reviews

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Number of Reviews: 24

KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease

Reviewed on 06/11/2021 by v_gardener - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Westchester, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Not Sure Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
The Yukon Gold Potato variety has been my family\'s favorite to buy from the grocery store, but homegrown Yukon Gold potatoes are even better! Super buttery-tasting and thin-skinned that you don\'t need to even add any butter. I found that this variety was prone to some pests, as well as diseases, but I didn\'t find there to be a tremendous effect on the yield. Overall, a great variety that requires some crop rotation/pest control.

Reviewed on 11/12/2011 by Minnesota Mike - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Minnesota, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
1st year growing Yukon Gold. Grew them 3 ways: 1) cut up seed in 6 in trench/ 6-8in spacing, covered with soil, piled straw over growing vines; 2) whole seed just covered with soil in 2 in trench/ 4-6 in spacing, piled straw over growing vines; 3) whole seed laid on top of worked up soil, 4-6 in spacing, piled straw over growing vines. Best results (yield, quality) with #2. Lost a lot of cut seed to wet spring and the deep trench spuds were not as big as #2 with less yield. #3 had lowest yield. #2 was easy to harvest. I just peeled the straw back and pretty much picked them up. About 20% grew slightly below ground, but my harvest loss rate (sticking them with fork/cutting with shovel) on #2 was very much lower than #1. Straw seems to keep moisture/temp pretty even but it takes a fair amount of straw or the growing spuds will get light. Yukon is THE BEST tasting spud I have ever grown. Excellent baked, fried, and OK mashed (I always mash in about 25% rutabagas with spuds - everyone loves it unless you tell them they are eating rutabagas!). My yield/quality was around 1 lb seed to 6/8 lb usable harvest with method #2 - and the size was mostly larger with less marbles compared to other methods. Vines only received about 4 - 6 hours light per day. Worked in Pot. Sulfate and 13/13/13 at planting. Will grow again. Update for 2012 season. Grew about 15 lbs of seed whole (no cutting seed) and gave them 6 -8 hrs light this year. Yield increased to about 10 lbs harvest for 1 lb of seed. Good size, few marbles. Very tasty spud that the whole family likes, so will decrease squash production and increase spud production. They keep really well but we just finished the entire crop of spuds by Christmas. Still have a basement full of squash.

3 of 3 gardeners found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 03/26/2011 by GABrownThumb - A novice gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Hall, Georgia, United States Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
This variety does okay in zone 7, Georgia. I haven\'t tried a lot of other potatoes, however, so do not know how it compares to other options.

Reviewed on 10/20/2010 by skiman - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Franklin, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
We just recently discovered sources suggesting that the hollow heart and brown center issues associated with Yukon Gold can be avoided by planting seed pieces at close spacing, i.e. 4-6 inches, and by applying nitrogen at low rates, i.e. pre-plant rates of 70-120 lb/a and post-planting rates of 20 lb/a per application. Does anyone have experience with planting at this close spacing and with low nitrogen rates? Apparently, Yukon Gold, because of its low stem density and the propensity for tuber bulking to occur at a very rapid pace in a short interval, is highly susceptible to hollow heart and brown center. While this makes sense on paper, we are wondering if anyone has actual experience with this and can confirm the theory that planting seed pieces close together will slow the abovementioned rapid tuber growth and thusly solve the hollow heart/brown center problem with Yukon Gold. Otherwise, as many others have pointed out, this is a great potato to eat--it is just hard to grow. If closer spacing at planting will solve this problem, then Yukon Gold would get a higher rating from us.

Reviewed on 12/01/2009 by Elaine L. - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Genesee, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
The yield is exellent. I filled a 5 gallon bucket by digging only 3 hills. I will definitely grow "the gold" another year.

Reviewed on 11/25/2009 by Steven - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Monroe, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Very good tasting potato, easy to grow, yield pretty good. Will grow more purple viking next year though as it tastes better and is slightly bigger.

Reviewed on 11/25/2009 by Kell - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Franklin, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Yukon Gold has been a stapel in my garden for years. The yield is not the greatest but good flavor , decent size and multi usable.

Reviewed on 08/01/2009 by YorkerJenny - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Onondaga, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I chose Yukon Gold, because it's very famous and very expensive in the supermarkets. I planted on May 14 and harvested about half of them on July 27. I planted 5pd potato seeds, I got total 17pd. They are cute with pink eyes, but the number of eyes are so little, so the number of plants, so the yield . That's why I gave 2 stars. Yukon Gold was the first with Russet Norkotah affected by late blight. Too much rain!!! I gave 4 stars for taste, because it has some nice taste, a lot more character than Superior has. But compare to its fame, it doesn't have 5 star (excellent) taste. Overall rating is 4, because it's better than average, but not excellent. It's texture looks like it's great for mashed potato, but its taste is better when I fry. I got the seeds from americanseedco.com I think it's one of the best kept secret on the internet. 2010 update: a lot less rain and hot weather, so I sowed 1pd, I got 19pd!

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 06/14/2009 by skiman - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Franklin, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Yukon Gold has been the North American standard for yellow-fleshed potatoes almost since its release in 1980 by Gary Johnston (Guelph University). It quickly achieved recognition in the marketplace as a potato variety and is one of the few potato varieties marketed 'by variety name'. This alone is a remarkable achievement. (We are still trying to find out how this happened.) There are precious few potato varieties marketed by variety name. Yukon Gold has long domancy and excellent flavor. It is a versatile, general-purpose potato being good for baking, mashing and potato salads. Nonetheless, one must be aware that this variety is plagued by problems with hollow heart in the absence of irrigation, and even though it yields a high proportion of marketable tubers, its yields are, at best, only moderate. These issues are of no consequence to home gardeners and so this variety ought to continue its well-deserved popularity on consumers tables.

Reviewed on 03/31/2009 by jkersmanc - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Otsego, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Very good potatoes. Good keepers, but many had hollow areas inside.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 01/23/2009 by Lewis - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Cumberland, Illinois, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I love this yellow potato! It is my favorite to grow every year. It always produces well, and keeps well also. Excellent for both baking and mashing.

Reviewed on 05/23/2008 by farmerdill - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Richmond, Georgia, United States Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Yukon Gold is a bit finicky about growing conditions. In the New River Valley of Virginia, it matched the Red Pontiac and Kennebec in yields. It does not do so well here. It is a pretty potato but somewhat in between on usage. Red Pontiac is much better "new" potato or mature boiling potato, while Kennebec is head and shoulders above it as a baker.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 01/08/2008 by CaseyV - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Tioga, Pennsylvania, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
YG grew well in my garden. I had 6-8 potatoes per plant. Early in the season we cooked some golf-ball sized whole. Very good! Later in the season, after the foilage withered, we had a nice yield of 4" pototoes. The skins are flaky when baked. We bought seed potatos and cut & dried the eyes ourselves.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 08/26/2007 by Luffa Zar - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Dane, Wisconsin, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
yukon gold is tasty gerat soup potato, yeild low past two years.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 01/12/2007 by starflakes - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Roberts, South Dakota, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
For all the hype, I do not like this potatoe. It was not that great on flavor, the yield was poor and it honestly had a bitter taste on the skins. German Butterball is the potatoe you want as it is the real deal while Yukon is a pretender.

Reviewed on 01/13/2006 by walter - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Erie, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Yield is average. The flavor is lackluster standing on the hype of its yellow flesh. Its waxy flesh is poor for baking and good for mashing. White fleshed mashing potatoes present superior eye appeal.

Reviewed on 12/26/2005 by goodolboy - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Cocke, Tennessee, United States Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
We grow several different varieties of potatoes every year, some years trying new ones compared against our favorites, seeking to improve yield if possible without sacrificing TASTE and other factors such as ease of germination, ease of growing, some drought tolerance, good size and appearance for both use and sale, versatility of use and good storage capability. The Yukon is dependably easy to germinate, easy to grow, is of a good size and appearance or both use and sale, it's versatile in use, and has good storage capability. Growers note: The plants have a tendency to grow quite tall compared to some other varieties, given similar spacing and other conditions, so in a windy area they may get blown over when some others may not. however, they do seem to survive this better than some others when it does happen here. In terms of taste, we prefer the Yukon over any of the 15+ varieties that we have grown. Now if wasn't a poor yielder, it would have just about everything that anyone could ask of a potato.

1 of 1 gardener found this review helpful.

Reviewed on 09/28/2005 by Lisa in Oregon - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Oregon, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
They taste good, look good, work well in any way I cook them, keep very well. No data on yield but otherwise these seem perfect.

Reviewed on 12/28/2004 by skiman - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Franklin, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Tubers are exceptionally dense. Texture is moderately dry and mealy, making them quite suitable for baking, boiling and french fries, less desirable for roasting. Yukon Gold is the most popular yellow-fleshed variety in North America and is the only yellow-fleshed variety marketed by its name. Please be aware of unscrupulous dealers substituting other yellow-fleshed varieties for Yukon Gold--look for the characteristic shallow, pink eyes to be sure. Yields are not as high as other varieties, but its dependability and acceptable flavor overrule most of its deficiencies. Please be aware that it is susceptible to hollow heart when grown without irrigation. We also had a few problems with it not keeping well in storage.

Reviewed on 12/24/2004 by gardener2001 - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Delaware, United States Frost Free Season: More than 203 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I grew this variety for the first time this year and had great results. I will grow again this coming year.

Reviewed on 12/12/2004 by EveAriel - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Oneida, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
High yield in small, fertile space. Great taste. Cooks well many ways.

Reviewed on 11/10/2004 by russell - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Ontario, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
Average yields,tubers hold up well in storage, good eating quality,dryer than most. When boiled it has a tendency to fall apart.

Reviewed on 09/28/2004 by Debby Kelly - A novice gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Oneida, New York, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Delicious potatoes, great color, slightly grainy texture when boiled. Will plant again

Reviewed on 09/13/2004 by Catskills - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Ulster, New York, United States Frost Free Season: Fewer than 103 days Soil Texture: Not Sure Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Very tasty, beautiful yellow flesh. Dependable in our cool-night area

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