Every region of Canada has different potatoes, each with its own unique history. Many of these have been maintained in home gardens for decades and shared between neighbours. To conserve this genetic diversity, we need to share what we know.
In Canada, the Potato Gene Resources Repository in Fredericton, NB preserves heritage varieties, to maintain a broad genetic base for future food security. They have more than 140 varieties which are available to growers, breeders and researchers.
List of Potato Cultivars available from the Potato Gene Resources Repository
| Name | Origin |
| Abnaki | New Brunswick |
| AC Belmont | New Brunswick |
| AC Blue Pride | Newfoundland |
| AC Brador | New Brunswick |
| AC Chaleur | New Brunswick |
| AC Domino | Newfoundland |
| AC Novachip | New Brunswick |
| AC Ouelle | New Brunswick |
| AC Pocat | New Brunswick |
| AC Red Island | Newfoundland |
| AC Sunbury | New Brunswick |
| Acadia Russet | New Brunswick |
| All Red | Alberta |
| Angelina Mahoney’s Blue | Ontario |
| Anson | Newfoundland |
| Austrian Crescent | Ontario |
| Avon | New Brunswick |
| Banana | New Brunswick |
| Batoche | New Brunswick |
| Bauer Grun Rote Auge | Ontario |
| Beauty of Hebron | New Brunswick |
| Belleisle | New Brunswick |
| Black Mignion/The Cup | New Brunswick |
| Bliss Triumph | New Brunswick |
| Blue Mac | Newfoundland |
| Blue Shetland | Ontario |
| Brigus | Newfoundland |
| British Columbia Blue | Ontario |
| Cain’s Irish Rocks | Ontario |
| Calico | Ontario |
| Candy Cane | Ontario |
| Canso | New Brunswick |
| Canus | New Brunswick |
| Caribe | New Brunswick |
| Cariboo | New Brunswick |
| Carlton | New Brunswick |
| Cherokee | Alberta |
| Chinook | New Brunswick |
| Columbia Russet | New Brunswick |
| Conestoga | New Brunswick |
| Congo | Ontario |
| Corne de Mouton | Ontario |
| Cow Horn | Alberta |
| Crotte d’Ours | Ontario |
| Cupids | Newfoundland |
| Donna | New Brunswick |
| Dorita | New Brunswick |
| Earlaine | New Brunswick |
| Early Rose | New Brunswick |
| Elmer’s Blue | Ontario |
| Epicure | New Brunswick |
| Eramosa | New Brunswick |
| Fingerling | Ontario |
| Fortyfold | Ontario |
| Fundy | New Brunswick |
| Garnet Chili | New Brunswick |
| German Butterball | Alberta |
| Gold Coin | New Brunswick |
| Grand Falls | New Brunswick |
| Green Mountain | New Brunswick |
| Haida | Ontario |
| Hindenberg | New Brunswick |
| Houma | New Brunswick |
| Hunter | New Brunswick |
| Huron | New Brunswick |
| Irish Cobbler | Alberta |
| Jemseg | New Brunswick |
| Jogeva Yellow Estonian | Ontario |
| Keswick | New Brunswick |
| Kifli | Ontario |
| La Veine Rose | Ontario |
| Lenape | New Brunswick |
| Libertas | New Brunswick |
| LRC 4373-5b | New Brunswick |
| LRC-373-5 | New Brunswick |
| Lumpers | Ontario |
| MacIntosh Black | Ontario |
| Manota | New Brunswick |
| Marc Warshaw’s Quebec | Ontario |
| Matsuyama | Ontario |
| McIntyre Blue | New Brunswick |
| Mirton Pearl | New Brunswick |
| Moursaka | New Brunswick |
| Mrs. Moehrle’s Yellow Fleshed | Ontario |
| Myatt’s Ashleaf | Ontario |
| Nipigon | New Brunswick |
| Niska | New Brunswick |
| Northern White | Ontario |
| Nova Scotia Blue | Ontario |
| OAC Royal Gold | New Brunswick |
| OAC Ruby Gold | New Brunswick |
| OAC Temagami | New Brunswick |
| Pink Fir Apple | Ontario |
| Pink Pearl | New Brunswick |
| Purple Chief | New Brunswick |
| Purple Viking | Alberta |
| Rambling Rose | Ontario |
| Raritan | New Brunswick |
| Red Acadian | Alberta |
| Red Dutch | Alberta |
| Red Gold | New Brunswick |
| Red Warba | New Brunswick |
| Richter’s Jubel | New Brunswick |
| Rideau | New Brunswick |
| River John Blue | New Brunswick |
| Rose Gold | New Brunswick |
| Royal Kidney | Ontario |
| Ruby Pulsiver’s Blue Noser | Ontario |
| Russet Burbank | New Brunswick |
| Sable | New Brunswick |
| Saginaw Gold | New Brunswick |
| Sharon’s Blue | Ontario |
| Shepody | New Brunswick |
| Siberian | Ontario |
| Simcoe | New Brunswick |
| Six Weeks | Saskatchewan |
| Skerry Blue | Ontario |
| Slovenian Crescent | Ontario |
| Straight Banana | Ontario |
| Tobique | New Brunswick |
| Trent | New Brunswick |
| Up-To-Date | New Brunswick |
| Urgenta | New Brunswick |
| USDA 41956 | New Brunswick |
| USDA X96-56 | New Brunswick |
| White Rose | New Brunswick |
| White Rural New Yorker | New Brunswick |
| Yam | Ontario |
| Yellow Fin | New Brunswick |
| York | New Brunswick |
| Yukon Gold | New Brunswick |
I believe that my grandparents brought a potato from Ukraine, in the late 1880s. I have had it for over 35 years. However, a disease/virus has set in after 3 years of drought, here on Vancouver Island. I think it is a Santa or Sante variety, shown on a Russian website to me by a friend from Ukraine ( http://www.ogorod.ru/ru/ogorod/potatoes/9460/Zheltye-sorta-kartofelya—chempiony-vkusa.htm ). It is a longish, yet wide, lightly yellow fleshed potato, fairly late season, long, skinny-ish stems with white flowers, and a fairly prolific producer. We like it very much, but need new stock, if we can possibly find some. My aunt tells me that they called it, “rugalke” in Ukrainian. Do you know of this potato or where we might find it for seed?
Lavonne, whatever you do, try to keep the variety going despite its infection. There are ways (meristematic tissue culture)by which the variety can be stored to its original vigour). One cannot assume that Sante or any other variety is a synonym until DNA testing is done. These are both expensive laboratory processes, but if you can at least keep your clone alive (assuming you haven’t already discarde it) one can go from there. Will Bonsall. willbonsall@gmail.com
The variety Sante, referred to in the website link provided, is not likely to be your heritage variety. It was bred in the Netherlands in 1971, according to the Canadian Seed Potato Database.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/potatoes/potato-varieties/sante/eng/1312587385881/1312587385882
So your favourite potato is still a mystery. If you have some material that you are still saving, it may be possible to get it virally cleansed. Email me directly (valerie@heritagepotato.ca) if you would like to pursue this.
You can order Sante at Abunadhseeds.com. They also have a variety called ‘Ukrainian’ which may be closer to what you are looking for.
Where would I be able to purchase the Pink Pearl potatoes. I live east of Calgary AB
Thank you
Sincerely Leonard Le Cerf