Topic: Maris Bard potatoes - WARNING!

[Easywriter]

Thought I'd try these this year.

Only about half of them were any good, the rest were full of holes, apparently made my black slugs (aka keel slugs), that live underground, you never see them.

Further research reveals that Maris Bard were the worst possible potatoes I could have bought as regards slug resistance.

They also go very 'floury' when you boil them, so not much good to eat either. (Funny, neither of these things mentioned in the seed catalogue which, strangely enough, doesn't include Maris Bard in its 2012 catalogue!)

Next year I'm going for KESTREL and CHARLOOTE earlies, ROMANO main crop, all with good resistance to slugs!

 ;)

[Easywriter]

(oops that's CHRLOTTE not CHARLOOTE)

[BarriedaleNick]

All my maincrop spuds were odd this year - If it wasn't slugs in the Desiree it was scab on the roosters and ALL of them fall apart if you boil them for more than a couple of minutes.   The Maris Pipers didn't do any better..

[steve76]

my spuds fell apart when boiled for only minuets as well, glad to hear I'm not the only one to have had this problem, does any one know why this happens??? They were pink fur.

Thanks Steve

[pumkinlover]

It was suggested yo me that the dry weather reduced the water content of the potatoes so when cooked they were more floury than usual ie more dry matter so fell apart more easily.
It sort of makes sense as floury potatoes do fall apart.

[chriscross1966]

my spuds fell apart when boiled for only minuets as well, glad to hear I'm not the only one to have had this problem, does any one know why this happens??? They were pink fur.

Thanks Steve

That's really wierd PFA are classically salad potatoes.... you boil them  and let them cooll down....Mine seem fine so far...... admittedly I tend to bake the big ones and roast/fry the small ones....

[artichoke]

My daughter-in -law helped me a lot today on my allotment, and asked for a few potatoes to make a curry with. I led her confidently to my last area of Desiree plantings as all my other potatoes are lifted and at home.

Plant after plant turned over with empty, slug-eaten nasty damaged potatoes! I was so ashamed.....she has helped me a great deal and I could not even supply a few potatoes.....almost enough for her curry (she is from Thailand).

I have often felt that as this plot is very close to an overgrown hazel/bramble/blackthorn hedge about 18 foot or more tall, creatures of all sorts come in and eat what they like...... Does anyone else grow next to a very tall hedge with problems like this?

[Aden Roller]

I lift the last of my potatoes quite early on in September if not the end of August rather than leave them in the ground to develop loads of little holes. Slug damage is usually minimal.

Growing near long grass or uncultivated ground would increase slug damage in my opinion.

Our Charlottes have proved a favourite at home. Grown as salad spuds, many left for longer and some huge potatoes. Flesh is yellowy and remains whole no matter how long they are cooked. More of those for me next year.

I did not grow Maris bard.

I grew:

Main Crop:
Desire (Main crop – red skinned)
Sante
Picasso

Earlies:
Charlotte (1st Early)
Rocket
Arran Pilot

[lottie lou]

Just finished lifting my Skerry Blues.  Hardly any slug damage.  Main downside of this potato is the number of "eyes" it has.

[Lottiman]

This year I grew our old favorites Charlotte, a great boiled spud, Marris piper usual bit of slug and scab damage but they make the best roasties, also new for us this year Epicure very impressed, Wilja not yet sampled and harlequin a pink fir and Charlotte cross they fell to bits when boiled and not a lot of taste.

[gwynnethmary]

Last year it was Rooster that suffered from slug damage, and so we decided to give them a miss this year.  We had great success with Kestrel, Charlotte, Nicola and Nadine, the latter two being just recently dug up although they are second earlies.  We had lots of nice big potatoes which were great boiled, mashed and roasted-lovely!

[aj]

Instead of Desiree - try Amorosa. Excellent spuds, with really good slug and eelworm resistance. Barely one with holes in again this year. And fantastic as roasts, and don't collapse when they see hot water.  ::)

[claybasket]

We grew pentlin javlin got a bumper crop WE HATE THEM,not any good to boil very dry ,they roast not bad but,we hate the tast of them  ??? anyone else grow them,what did you think of them? :-\

[queenbee]

All my potatoes this year fall apart even my King Edward and Maris piper. I only use them to roast or bake. Making chips has not been very successful as about 1 centimetre of the outside of the potato seems to absorb the fat and they are not really very nice. I use about double the usual amount to mash as so much is poured away with the water. They are very floury.
Slug damage has been almost nil as early spring before planting I sprinkle slug pellets and cover with black weed suppressor. The slugs come up to the surface as the soil warms up and when I remove the black covering there are lots and lots of dead slugs. I than plant my potatoes. They must overwinter in the soil or the eggs hatch, I really do not know the life cycle of slugs but my system never fails. Interesting subject matter. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SLUG.

[lottie lou]

All my potatoes this year fall apart even my King Edward and Maris piper. I only use them to roast or bake. Making chips has not been very successful as about 1 centimetre of the outside of the potato seems to absorb the fat and they are not really very nice. I use about double the usual amount to mash as so much is poured away with the water. They are very floury.

Have you tried cutting chips thick and blanching for 3 mins in boiling water, drain well before chucking in chip pan?  Works for me.  Also have you tried blanching potatoes for mash and then finish off steaming them.

[Aden Roller]

All my potatoes this year fall apart even my King Edward and Maris piper. I only use them to roast or bake. Making chips has not been very successful as about 1 centimetre of the outside of the potato seems to absorb the fat and they are not really very nice. I use about double the usual amount to mash as so much is poured away with the water. They are very floury.

Have you tried cutting chips thick and blanching for 3 mins in boiling water, drain well before chucking in chip pan?  Works for me.  Also have you tried blanching potatoes for mash and then finish off steaming them.

My 96 year old dad who is not fussy (honnest   ;)) prefers his potatoes cooked in a frying pan. I part boil them first in the microwave for a few minutes, drain the water and then slice them into chunks and plonk them into shallow oil in the frying pan.

The results are: one happy father and some crispy outside soft inside pan "roast" fried potatoes - this way he will eat a good sized meal with no face pulling  ::).

The things we do for love.  ;D

[manicscousers]

. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SLUG.

too long  ::) ;D

[Aden Roller]

. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SLUG.

too long  ::) ;D

Just as long as it takes me to go and get the spade!

[gordonsveg]

Grew some pink fir apple this year and they were very good and had some really big potatoes,tasted fine as well.Is it true they are maincrop??

[djbrenton]

Maybe it's an old wives tale or I'm just lucky but I never get slug damage. When planting the tubers, I line the bottom of each trench with manure, wrap each potato on a comfrey leaf and then sprinkle loads of grass cliipngs in before refilling the trench. I also don't get scab and there's better water retention too.