Potato 'Pinto Gold'
Best gourmet fingerling potato for home gardeners and culinary enthusiasts.
The Potato 'Pinto Gold' is a specialty gourmet fingerling-type potato developed by the University of Maine, known for its distinctive red and yellow pinto-style skin and creamy yellow flesh. This variety matures in 100 to 135 days and is excellent for home growers, farm markets, and restaurants. It performs well roasted, boiled, pan-fried, or baked, and can be harvested early as a fingerling or later for a larger baking potato. Tubers may become slightly irregular in shape during extreme heat. Seed stock is Maine certified, ensuring quality and virus testing throughout the growing season.
$15.95
Owner Satisfaction
4.6
/ 5
Category Rank
717
/ 3088
#717 in Plant & Flower Bulbs
Price vs Category Average
-32%
Below average
Maturity
100135
/ Late season (- days)
Who it's for
- Home cooks seeking gourmet flavor and ideal cooking texture
- Market gardeners wanting visually stunning, high-appeal produce
- Self-sufficient growers needing long-lasting winter pantry staples
Who should skip it
- Impatient gardeners looking for a quick early-season harvest
- Small-space growers requiring high-volume yields per plant
- Beginner gardeners needing robust tubers that withstand rough handling
Performance breakdown
Culinary Versatility
Excels in everything from simple roasting to gourmet pan-frying applications.
Yield Potential
Impressive harvest ratios make this a highly productive choice for gardeners.
Seed Quality
Maine certification ensures rigorous virus testing and superior genetic health.
Harvest Flexibility
Easily adaptable for early fingerling harvests or full-sized baking potatoes.
Heat Tolerance
Tubers may develop irregular shapes during periods of extreme summer heat.
Visual Appeal
Distinctive pinto-style skin patterns provide exceptional presentation for farm markets.
Key Specs
Maturity
Late season (100-135 days)
Seed Certification
Maine Certified Seed Potatoes
Planting Distance
6” apart in rows 3’ apart
Yield Example
2 pounds planted yielded 120 pounds harvested
Flesh Color
Creamy yellow
Skin Pattern
Red and yellow 'pinto type'
Features
- Specialty gourmet fingerling-type potato
- Attractive red and yellow patterned skin
- Versatile culinary uses including chips, roasting, boiling, and baking
- High yield potential when properly cared for with compost and water
- Can be harvested early for fingerling size or later for baking size
- Seed stock is field-tested for potato viruses
What customers say
Customers consistently highlight the exceptional quality of the Pinto Gold potato, noting its impressive yield and rich, buttery flavor profile. Gardeners appreciate how reliably these potatoes grow, often reporting strong disease resistance and vigorous plant growth even in varied soil conditions. This ease of cultivation combined with the superior taste makes it a highly recommended variety for home gardens, justifying its perceived value.
Know before you buy
You can harvest 'Pinto Gold' early, around the fingerling stage, for a tender, thin-skinned potato ideal for roasting or boiling. If you wait until the full 100 to 135-day maturity window, the tubers will grow larger and develop a starchier texture better suited for baking.
To maximize your harvest, plant these potatoes in well-drained soil enriched with plenty of organic compost. Consistent watering throughout the growing season is essential, especially as the tubers begin to swell, to help you reach the high yield potential this variety is known for.
Maine certification indicates that the seed stock has undergone rigorous field testing to ensure it is free from common potato viruses. Starting with certified disease-free stock is the best way to prevent crop failure and ensure a healthy, productive garden.
The distinctive red and yellow pinto-style skin remains vibrant after cooking, making them a visually striking choice for salads or roasted vegetable medleys. The interior flesh will maintain its creamy yellow color regardless of your chosen cooking method.
Irregular shapes in 'Pinto Gold' are often a reaction to extreme heat or inconsistent soil moisture during the tuber-bulking phase. You can minimize this by applying a thick layer of mulch to keep the soil temperature cool and maintaining a steady, even watering schedule.
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