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Garden Manager:
Some of you may recall my telling you about my experiences with late/autumn potatoes, planted following on from the maincrop. Unfortunately variety unknown.

Here is an update

The autumn potato crop has not been a sucess.  Not through lack of quantity, more down to eatablity.  I was hoping they would be as good as our early and maincrop potatoes (Foremost and Sante respectively), and we would be lucky to have some left by Christmas (this was the aim to have our own pots for Christmas lunch).  

Unfortunately they have proved to be very firm and only any good for boiled, not any good as mash or roasted.  

As a result supplies have lasted longer than expected.  as we have had to buy in extea potatoes for mash and roast.

As of yesterday I have only lifted barely half the crop, and then only because I thought it ought to come in to be stored before it is frosted or rots.   The other half remains in the ground.

At this rate there will still be some left by the time I come to plant next years crop!!! (Whether any of them will be any good to eat by then is another matter).

As i said before I dont think I will be growing them again!!

philcooper:
The varieties offered for autumn crops are usually second earlies such as Charlotte.

They are meant to provide "new" (waxy) potatoes around Christmas time for boiling - so you have succeeded.

Mash and roast should be from more mealy potatoes grown as second earlies or, from now on maincrop

Phil

Garden Manager:
Thanks phil, Thats interesting (and encouraging.)

As I said, cant remember the variety used for autumn crop, but it could well be Charlotte by your description.
Got the seed pots from Marshalls, if that sheds any light on the subject.

Trouble is with 'autumn' croppers, the fact that the seed is specially treated to crop at that time of year, means that the range of varieties is more restricted than for 'normal' cropping.  This particular variety (be it Charlotte or not) as i remember it was the only variety offered in this form.

I must remember to look around at the right time to see if any other varieties are available for autumn cropping,  because at least it means home grown potatoes for a longerperiod than normal.  If I could get a 'better' variety it would be worth trying again.

PS it has just occured to me. Charlotte can be sold as a salad potato can it not? We grew a few so called salad potatoes in a pot last year, i have a feeling they might have been 'Charlotte'.

Any further advice would be appreciated

tim:
- sorry to repeat myself, but there are plenty of second croppers to choose from.

We last used Franceline (red), Carlingford and Maris Peer.
Or you could have Nicola, Monet or - as you say - Charlotte. = Tim

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