I have raised Yukon Gold for two years now....they do fine here. I got the first seed potatoes at Hummert's. Now I just save the tiny potatoes and plant them without cutting.
They should do well in a raised bed, once they are up good I would mulch them heavily to keep the soil cool and control weeds.

Old timers used to plant on St. Pat's day, but my Grandmother planted most of her early garden on election day.
March is a little early here; I have had them frosted back...they come on and do fine.

I have also tried the planting on top of the ground (in my already conditioned garden) and tossing on lots of loose mulch and you can raise them that way too. I don't think you get as much production that way, but haven't done it enough to be sure.

Be on the watch for potato bugs. I have them by the droves each year. Once the lay eggs and hatch the larvae can strip them overnight. They are a soft-bodied orange thing.
If you aren't familiar with them, I would look them up so you can be prepared. I dust with Sevin when I spot the beetles.

christie, I thought of something your kids might enjoy. Have them cover some potato peelings with lots of mulch and watch what happens.

Mom told me that is the only way Grandma every raised potatoes...with the leftover potato peelings..........it works. I had them all over my compost pile.

I'm sure it's not my imagination that Yukon Gold's taste better. I'd love to raise those. Murfin's had five pound bags of them for 3 something this week and I used them to make roasted potatoes with Lipton Onion Soup Mix for the seasoning. The whole family loves potatoes fixed that way and it's very easy. I don't use as much oil as it calls for. I will start saving my peels! I usually don't peel potatoes when I'm going to roast them though.

I found some info on the Missouri Extension website but now I can't find it again. It had a map of Missouri divided up into regions and for some reason our area was labeled "north". Maybe late frosts are more common here that central Missouri. The planting time for potatoes was April 1st to April 15th but it was earlier for counties north of us.

Gld - Did you mean that you've been able to store your Yukon Golds long enough to use them for your seed potatoes the next spring? I wondered if they stored well.

They store perfectly well. I keep mine in the milk house where I keep it just above freezing and out of light (covered with newspapers) The ones I have now are from what I planted last year from seed potatoes I bought at Hummert's. Try sprouting some from Murfins....sometimes they use a sprout inhibitor on root crops and sometimes not. If not, they would work well and are probably cheaper than "seed" potatoes.

I think we are considered north because of our elevation....Ozark Mountain thing. I plant later than some because I don't like to do it twice! nor do I like to run out and cover stuff....

Golds are the best potato IMHO. I like reds next best and whites least, but raise all three because anything raised in the garden is better than storebought. The only thing I have noticed is that production is in inverse relationship to taste. The whites produce best, reds next and golds least. This has been true in my garden for several years and in several weather patterns so I guess that's just the way it is.

I don't raise enough to keep them past about midwinter--I ran out a month ago this year--so I always buy seed potatoes each year.

Last year I planted some sprouting storebought potatoes in midApril under a heavy leaf mulch and did manage to get enough to make it worthwhile. The only problem was that the mulch collapsed so much by the end of the summer that a few of the potatoes greened.

Thanks Dorothy
I think I'd still rather have a few of the Yukon Golds instead of a lot of the white.
I watched an interesting Youtube video of someone constructing a Potato Tower with chicken wire and compost although she said hardware cloth would be a better choice. Yukon Golds are early so it wouldn't work well with those. I found a couple discussions about potato "bins" which are similar in the vegetable forum.

Hi, just thought you might be interested in the potato tire garden idea. I HAVE NOT done this yet but I'm planning to this year (have my tires ready)...anyway if you google you can get info on it, but basically you plant your potatoes in a tire in straw or dirt, whatever, then when the plant reaches about 8 inches high, stack another tires and bury it in more...repeat that process up to around 4 tires high. When harvest time comes, just push over the whole stack...supposedly you get LOADS of potatoes that way and it saves lots of garden space. Like I said haven't tried it but its interesting and I plan to this year.

How funny. I was just thinking about posting about the tires.
My Aunt an Uncle used to grow potatoes this way.
I watched them when they were ready to harvest. The two of the just banged on the side of the tire first ( I guess to loosen it up a bit). Then they would lift one up an to the side. then shake it an everything would fall to the ground. They always had potatoes.
They tried using a box make from boards with the same principal, of adding to the height as needed. But I recall they said something about the tires holding heat better that the boards. She also would place the garden hose on top of the pile an let it trickle down when we had no rain.
I remember my mom asking about snakes in the tires. Aunt told her there were not any b/c they filled the tire to the top w/no space left for snakes to want to curl up in the warm tire at night.
Bonnie

Thank you Stacey! Glad you joined in. Do you know what kind of potatoes you're going to use? It sounds like a good idea to use tires. I already have some hardware cloth (Why do they call it cloth? It's wire isn't it?) so I may try that if I have a big enough piece. Bonnie since you said the heat from the tires helps, I wonder if it might be a good idea to line the hardware cloth with black landscape fabric. I already have that on hand too.

I want to try German Butterball potatoes. They're yellow fleshed like Yukon Golds but I think they're a late potato so they might work better in a tower. I don't know if I would be able to find German Butterballs without mail ordering though.

Here's a Youtube video I came across where chicken wire was used as the tower. I didn't find a part two so it might not have gone so well. lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Youtube.com potato tower using chicken wire

That would be interesting to try. Your kids could be involved. I think if you hated digging potatoes as a kid, you had lots that you dug at once. I only plant a few for new potatoes less than 2 inches around. They are so good with lots of butter. They taste different at that stage and you can not get that taste from the store. I cover mine with straw so I can steal some little potatoes without digging up the whole plant. It is almost time to start planting early things outside Hooray!

My 2 cents on using the wire/hardware cloth is.
If you are to use the wire then it might be better to use the black landscape cloth. for the reason that you might not have to worry about the sun reaching the potatoes as much. Other wise i would be afraid I personally might get some potatoes to the side an not have enough soil or straw on them.
But that is just my thought. Since I will be growing potatoes for the first time on my own this year I think I am going to try to raise mine above ground also. I have arthritis in my hand an there are too many things that need me to use them. I think if there is any way to try to grow something that will put less strain on my hand I will be trying it. So I can save my hands for the things I can't grow in a manner that will not cause pain.
From what I remembered from asking about growing potatoes earlier last fall. Everyone said they needed to stay covered well to prevent the turning green. I hope that is right.
Bonnie

Yes, Bonnie, that is right...no sun on tubers.

Thanks I thought I remembered right.
I have it written down but not right in front of me right now.
Yes, I take notes on the things I need to remember.
Bonnie