Thank you for your questions.

1. We usually classify potatoes as “early season”, “mid season” and “late season” varieties rather than determinate and indeterminate.

Early season varieties have a determinate growth habit and only need about 4-8” of soil cover.

Late season varieties are indeterminate potatoes and grow tubers within a foot of soil along the stem and require hilling.

The plant above ground might be slightly taller.

Mid season might belong to either group being determinate or indeterminate potatoes.

Potatoes in containers usually don’t get quite as big as their soil-grown counterparts. Rather than trying to grow large russet varieties, container gardeners will likely have better luck growing small “new” potatoes.

Potato varieties are also distinguished from one another by how soon they are ready for harvest.

Yukon Gold and Red Norland are early-season varieties.

These varieties typically mature in 50–70 days.

Kennebec and Purple Viking will mature in about 80–90 days.

Russet Burbank and German Butterball require 90–120 days to mature.

2. I am not able to endorse any particular seed company or nursery. My advice is to check out local nurseries in your area and/or search online.

3. As mentioned earlier, there are early, mid, and late season varieties. It’s always fun to experiment and I have tried old pantry potatoes too – just to see. The results were variable. If your focus is a productive crop, then choosing the right variety for the season is the best path to success.