Topic: D T Brown Are offering new Sarpo Potato Varieties

[daveyboi]

New varieties has anyone tried these yet ?

Sarpo Axona (Late Maincrop)
Sister to our best-selling Sarpo Mira, it has possibly the highest blight resistance and is said to taste even better than Sarpo Mira. 

Sarpo Blue Danube (Early Maincrop)
Unusual blue colour and an excellent roaster, it’s probably the most general disease resistant variety in our range (not just blight).

Sarpo Kifli (Early Maincrop)
Different from the other Sarpo varieties, it produces delicious, waxy salad potatoes with a wonderful ‘new potato’ flavour. Good general disease resistance too.

[chriscross1966]

I'm trying Sarpo Axona this year as they didn't have any Mira at the potato day....

[BarriedaleNick]

No but I think I'll give the Axona a try.  I have been growing Mira for several years and they stand well - even late into the season.  Good cropper as well.

[astraman1]

i got some sarpo mira to try this year my local garden center only had trial size packs of 8 seed potatoes tho had to buy 3 packs

[galina]

i got some sarpo mira to try this year my local garden center only had trial size packs of 8 seed potatoes tho had to buy 3 packs

Give them plenty of space, nearer 2ft at least 1 1/2ft.  Certainly last year they grew to massive sizes.  They are in the ground for a long time.  Because they are so blight resistant, you won't need to dig them up before the frosts hit unless you are particularly unlucky.

Made a microwave baked potato with S Mira yesterday and they are very good used this way.  Not so good for boiling, because they tend to fall apart. 

Maybe you need to get an earlier potato as well as the SMs for those delightful early summer spuddies.

[squeezyjohn]

I grew Blue Danube several years ago and it seemed very vigorous and productive.  The potatoes are definitely a blue-purple colour - they keep well but be warned they're incredibly floury ... mash, roasties, jackets and chips only!

[galina]

The Sarpo potatoes have a really interesting history:
http://sarpo.co.uk/history/

 

[astraman1]

i got some sarpo mira to try this year my local garden center only had trial size packs of 8 seed potatoes tho had to buy 3 packs

Give them plenty of space, nearer 2ft at least 1 1/2ft.  Certainly last year they grew to massive sizes.  They are in the ground for a long time.  Because they are so blight resistant, you won't need to dig them up before the frosts hit unless you are particularly unlucky.

Made a microwave baked potato with S Mira yesterday and they are very good used this way.  Not so good for boiling, because they tend to fall apart. 

Maybe you need to get an earlier potato as well as the SMs for those delightful early summer spuddies.

thats only one of the verieties im growing i have some internation kidney and some alber bartlett roosters too

[squeezyjohn]

I wouldn't advise leaving them in until the frosts hit!  They certainly aren't slug resistant!

[galina]

I wouldn't advise leaving them in until the frosts hit!  They certainly aren't slug resistant!

When do you dig yours up, Squeezyjohn?  I had slug damage in other varieties not in Sarpo Mira.  With the exception of this year I usually dig mine in early October.  Last year it was mid October.   

[squeezyjohn]

When I last grew Sarpo Mira I dug them up about mid-September and they were full of slug holes.  I have only grown Desirée as a main crop the last two seasons and have planted early (same time as my first earlies) and dug them up really early about the beginning of August and had a great crop of large potatoes with no slug damage.  As this has really solved my slug problem I intend to carry on with it for the time being.  I think a lot of the problems we encounter with potatoes is due to the "received wisdom" of leaving them in the ground too far in to Autumn in the hope of a slightly bigger crop.

[TineGartenfee]

A few years ago I bought both, Sarpo Mira and Sarpo Axona from T&M, after two seasons growing them I decided that Sarpo Mira was more productive for me as the slugs didn't damage them as much as the Sarpo Axona. Since then I grow Sarpo Mira successfully every year.
Three years ago I also tried Blue Danube but it was a very dry year and the spuds were small and the crop not impressive at all. Though since then I am still digging up the offspring of those *** blue ones I left in the ground because I couldn't see them. 

[George the Pigman]

I would like slug resistant potatoes - thats our main problem on our clayey site in Brum.
We sometimes get blight of course - usually in September but I usually make sure I cut the haulms down if I spot it.
Some people mistake blight for other things - magnesium deficiency or even the natural die back of spuds when they reach the end of their growth lifespan.

[Marlborough]

I've heard that Sarpos arnt the best tasting potatoes, does anyone know any different?😊

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've been told that the others are Sarpo Mira crosses with other varieties, and that Mira is the one wiht the most genes for resistance. So that's the one to use for breeding. I want to get TPS off it if I can.

[cudsey]

I tried the  Sarpa varieties once the only problem I found with them was they went to mash very quickly when cooked so they were watery

[star]

I never grew Sarpo, I liked Kestrel, decent resistanc to slugs and I always cut the haulms down if there is a threat from blight.
A good all rounder,

[Jayb]

Sarpo Axona (Late Maincrop)
Very similar in looks and taste to Sarpo Mira, though Axona has slightly better flavour and slightly less floury, Mira is more LB bullet proof although Axona is still pretty good.

Sarpo Blue Danube (Early Maincrop)
Quite a nice very dark blue/black skinned variety and like others have said depending on your soil colour not always easy to spot in the ground. I din't find they had particularly good resistance to LB here and although the taste is good they were too floury for me. (I'm a waxy spud lover)

Sarpo Kifli (Early Maincrop)
These are my favourite of the Sarpo's I've tried, though I think to do the best they are later than an early maincrop. Some resistance to LB but not in Sarpo Mira's league. Young freshly harvested potatoes are lovely boiled, more mature tubers are good for boiling/baking/mashing. They do get a bit more floury when they are fully grown but have good flavour.