Topic: What potatoes are you growing this year?

[goodlife]

My window sills are bulging of spuds that are nicely chitting..now we just need this weather change for bit warmer.. ::)
At the moment I've got Charlotte, Peach Bloom, Blue Belle, Doon Pearl, Saxon and Dark Red Norland. I've got Mirabel and Marilyn bought from supermarket..just odd few tuber to try. One unknown commercial variety that I grew from sprouted tops..the resulting baby potatoes were so good looking and clean from any imperfections so I just just had to save them and grow them on.. ::) ;D
I've got few landrace potatoes from Lapland that are sold in Finland with FDO granted for the name..Lapin Puikula (type of almond potato).
And then the TPS..10 varieties of them.. ;D
And we don't really eat that many potatoes in our household..must change our eating habits.
I do hope its going to bloody rain this summer..it will be utter nightmare having to keep water all that lot..

[Ellen K]

Mine are pretty boring compared to your lot.

Got charlotte and Lady C's chitting.

Have Kifli and Harlequin on order from T&M.

But I'm very tempted to grow Pink Fir Apple as I'm eating them now and they are tasty, hold together in stews and keep well.  The perfect potato! If only they weren't such a pain to peel.

[elvis2003]

I don't peel em (PFA)
We are growing charlottes,maris bard,kestrel ,arron pilot,dessiree,wiljja and blue salad
R x

[Jayb]

Have Kifli and Harlequin on order from T&M.

I ordered Harlequin from Pennard Plants, unfortunately without being asked they sent me Linzer Delikatess as a substitute!

[caroline7758]

Haven't got mine yet- hoping to get to Wilko's this weekend, so it'll be a case of whatever they've got.

[shirlton]

We are only growing nadine this year. We like it better than any other potato. Its a second early so can really be used as an early and a late. It stores well. at least it did until this year.

[peanuts]

Ellen
As Elvis said, don't peel PFA potatoes.  I've never ever peeled them.  I just  use a stiff long-handled little brush to clean them under water, and they are fine like that.
They are what we have as our main crop throughout the winter as they keep so well, and produce a good crop as well. I've still got about half the crop storing, just beginning to shoot.  I've set aside 20 to grow this year, not something I normally do, but I'll risk it for one year, then buy net year. 

[jimtheworzel]

SWIFT AND PENTLAND JAVELIN AND NADINE

[Flighty]

First earlies Vales Emerald, second earlies Charlotte and Kestrel and main crop Desiree all of which I grew last year.

[cornykev]

Sorry but I'm still laughing at Ellen peeling PFA's  ;)
I bought 3 kilo of Kestrel today 38 seeds for £3.30    :D

[shirlton]

What are kesterl like Kev. Are they waxy or floury?. Do PFA,s keep and are they a maincrop.

[pumkinlover]

Kestrel are waxy and wonderful! If had to only grow one spud it would be Kestrel
PFA's keep well, but are late to produce.

[shirlton]

I might just try kestrel and a few PFA's cos Kev is always going on about them when our spuds are all gone

[Flighty]

Shirl Kestrel are an excellent all rounder and I always grow them as they're one of my favourite potatoes. They grow nice and big, store well and I've still got enough left to see me into March!

[caroline7758]

Just back from Wilko with Maris Piper and Rocket. Don't want too many this year now there's only 2 of us most of the time.

[sheddie]

For me, I've gone for Pentland Javelin (a usual one that I get good crops from), kestrel and Cara - both are new for me, so fingers crossed!

sheddie

[chriscross1966]

Mine are pretty boring compared to your lot.

Got charlotte and Lady C's chitting.

Have Kifli and Harlequin on order from T&M.

But I'm very tempted to grow Pink Fir Apple as I'm eating them now and they are tasty, hold together in stews and keep well.  The perfect potato! If only they weren't such a pain to peel.

Don't peel them, dig the eyes out with the tip of a knife, cut out any blemishes and leave the rest of the skin on.... I do even when I make chips from them....

[chriscross1966]

I might just try kestrel and a few PFA's cos Kev is always going on about them when our spuds are all gone

PFA's are exceptionally knobbly, you frequently get branched tubers (they look quite a lot like a Jerusalem Artichoke)... THey can be a pest to prepare if you want "normal" potatoes as the long knobbly tubers are famously hard to peel... but they taste wonderful and store pretty well too, I've still got loads and they're only just breaking dormancy now (I blame that really warm autumn and earlier part of the winter that we had for that), normally they hold till late March and I frequently find that after a couple of months on the windowsill they still haven't really chitted. THey're very late to crop too, mid-October should be though of as an early start on lifting them. THey don't seem to be particularly prone to slugs. THe plants can be pretty big, the old-fashioned nature isn't just saved for the shape of the tubers and the taste, the growth habit too betrays a lack of 150 years of breeding that's gone into modern potatoes, big untidy top-growth and a habit of forming tubers well away from the central stems.....

But it tastes great...just don't walk into growing them with your eyes shut... they need about 1.5 times the space of a modern variety and it's not a bad idea to put some flowers of sulphur in there when you plant, they don't like limey soil at all...

[shirlton]

I have been coverted to both Kesterl and SFA.  oops sorry PFA ;D

[gavinjconway]

Ive got a pack of each earlies chitting in my garage...
Pentland Javelin, Wilja, Maris Peer, Nicola, Charlotte, Saxon, Nadine, Sante, Red King Edward

... and the main crop are in 2 layers of sacking just waiting..  Desiree, King Edward, Cara, Pink Fir Apple

I cant get any decent info from my plot neighbours about what to grow so i'm just doing a load of types to do some my own test!!