Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: caroline7758 on October 10, 2008, 15:54:34
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I've decided it's not cost effective to give up lots of space to spuds when they are cheap compared to other veg and may get ruined by blight. So I'm thinking of just growing earlies next year as new pots are the most expensive. What varieties have you found the most reliable and tasty?
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go with 'rocket' you won't be disappointed ;)
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One of my favorites is 'Maris Bard' boiled in its skin and served with a bit of butter. ;D
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Epicure is still the best at recovering from a frosting... :-\
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Arron pilot are OK. But Charlotte, although a 2nd early is fabulously tasty and delicious.
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try ulser chieftain or sharpes express grown em for years...good croppers
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I'm just going to grow earlies too. Maris Bard are my favourites..same as jay.
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we grew swift this year, wasn't too impressed with the taste, mind you, they were better than shop bought ones ;D
going back to rocket next year
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So thats Two for maris bard and two for rocket.
That has certainly helped me make up my mind ;D ;D ;).
Bill
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I love Lady Christl and 2nd earlies Kestrel. For my experiments this year I'm trying International Kidney which i intend to grow as first earlies and belle de fontenay which I don't (I'll grow them as early maincrop).
this year i grew picasso as my experiment and wasn't overly impressed. I may have lifted them a bit too soon.
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I grow Rocket - are really early, the flavour isn't the very best, but the first news are always good what ever the taste! Accent is also an early with really good flavour.
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Arran Pilot!
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Thanks for the input. Looks like I may have to have two varieties! Also I was really pleased with Charlotte this year!At this rate I'll be growing as many as ever!
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By "early", do you mean the very earliest you can get? Only one contender there - Lady Chrystl. It beats all the others by at least a week and has a far better flavour & texture than most of the others.
Or a summer salad potato? If so, Charlotte is a winner; but my current favourite is Roseval, which has produced a massive crop for the last two years which has kept us in salad potatoes throughout the summer and tastes superb.
And the early I keep coming back to (first grew it in the early '70s) is Home Guard, which isn't the earliest, but has a beautiful taste & texture.
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Save some room for at least one line of Kestrel 2nds. ;D ;D ;D
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I've grown Lady Christl for the past 2 years and they have been great. Would be reluctant to change.
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Is it asking too much to ask for a variety that produces nice small salad potatoes but then also nice bigger ones if left if the ground?
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Is it asking too much to ask for a variety that produces nice small salad potatoes but then also nice bigger ones if left if the ground?
I was surprised how big some of my Charlottes grew this year when left in the ground. They are second earlies, of course. First and second earlies don't seem to suffer slug damage either, like maincrop spuds do fi left in the ground too long.
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And quite a few first earlies go floury as they bulk up - Duke of York, Sharpes Express (both fabulous taste early on, but very tricky to cook later - and not as tasty)
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You could go along to a Potato Day and ask for advice - and take one or two tubers of several varieties. Taste is very personal and growing conditions effect taste and can vary even across and allotment.
Have a look at www.potatoday.org (http://www.potatoday.org)
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ACCENT lovely waxy new potatoes Yum YUm
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Is it asking too much to ask for a variety that produces nice small salad potatoes but then also nice bigger ones if left if the ground?
I was surprised how big some of my Charlottes grew this year when left in the ground. They are second earlies, of course. First and second earlies don't seem to suffer slug damage either, like maincrop spuds do fi left in the ground too long.
International Kidney (Jersey Royal) can also be picked small and early but are actually a main crop potato so will keep developing.
Caroline, you haven't mentioned if you prefer 'waxy' or 'floury' potatoes.
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Phil where have you been, ??? we've missed your spud expertise through the spud growing season. ;D ;D ;D
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depends what you want from the first or second early spud - waxy, salad, mashing, chips etc but as the weather is warm at the time of year you'd be picking a first or second I always want a salad spud that is waxy and has a wonderful taste, so Belle de Fontenay has become my favourite for this but so many to choose from
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Just for a change, this year I'm going to try Annabelle and Nicola instead of Belle de Fontenay - hope I'm not disappointed.
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Phil where have you been, ??? we've missed your spud expertise through the spud growing season. ;D ;D ;D
Sorry, I didn't realise you cared! ;)
Life's been a wee bit hectic - haven't even had time to grow any spuds this year and had to give up the allotment - retirement due in 2 years 9 months and 4 days so I might get the time then!!
We've ordered some new earlies for the next Potato Day (24-25 Jan) from the European Potato Show in France
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Another vote here for Lady Christl. Great as an early new potato but as I was digging them up as I need them, by the time I got to the 2nd row they were pretty big. They kept well too and I've only just used up the last of them.
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Charlottes were a winner last year, very tasty, nice texture and they seem to keep longer than others. Will do them again next year.
Belle the Fonteney were disappointing, despite one of the parents being Pink Fir, I find the flavor bland.
Harlequins are really nice, (Charlotte X Pink Fir) and big yields. Sadly not availabe in Holland but I get them through a friend in England. Expensive but worth it.
My favorite is Ratte d'Ardeche (Belgian, local name is Bugenummer Muuskes). Lovely waxy and an old fashioned potato flavor.
Going to try Royal Kidney this year after reading good reports.
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Arron Pilot or International Kidney in our area
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I didn't do very well with my spuds last year, although most of my first earlies were ok. Foremost, Maris Bard and Home Guard were all pretty good. I'm growing my spuds on previously uncultivated ground next time around so i'm hoping for better things. The yeilds seem to have dropped off over the last couple of years.
One of the best first earlies i've ever grown has been Concorde (waxy, yellow potato that seems to keep on growing if you leave it in the soil). If i manage to get hold of some of these they will be first on my list. I will probably grow some Sharpe's Express again too (very dry, but almost guaranteed to be slug free). I'll probably try Red Duke Of York again too. They've let me down for the last year or two but i'm hoping that ,on the new ground, they will do the business. I think they're worth a try for their brilliant colour, and they dont taste bad too.
The only other spud that is an automatic choice for me is Kestrel second early. This one seems to give me a decent crop even when the rest of my secon early/ main crop are a disaster. I had a great crop with British Queen a couple of years back so i might try a few of them again too. I'm not going to bother with many other second early or main crops because the slugs seem to ruin most of them on my clay soil.
For me, buying a few new varieties and getting all my potatos chitting, and getting the ground ready for them is the thing that gets me going for the new season ahead. :)
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Sorry. When I put Royal Kidney, but I meant "Jersey Royal". Aren't they the same as "International Kidney"?
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Sorry. When I put Royal Kidney, but I meant "Jersey Royal". Aren't they the same as "International Kidney"?
Yes... correct...apparently you can only call them Jersey Royals if grown ON the island ::) ::) ::)
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Yes... correct...apparently you can only call them Jersey Royals if grown ON the island ::) ::) ::)
Actually you can only sell them as Jersey Royals if they have been grown on Jersey - so if you grow your own International Kidney you can eat "Jersey Royals" - thus saving even moere money compared with buying them in the shops.
One storey about the delicious JR flavour is that it is due to the use of seaweed as a fertiliser on the fields - this is less than it used to be but you could try seaweed or seaweed meal as a fertiliser - enjoyed by all potatoes (and most other veg!!)
PS Royal Kidney is a different variety and I support the votes for Lady Chrystl
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they can only be called jersey royals if grown there! the hint is in the name. I grow "gorleston royals" myself ;)
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Rocket good crop reasonable flavour and never any trouble (touch wood)
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:) Nicola and Maris Bard for me /shades x
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For the last four seasons I have tried foremost, accent, arran pilot, pentant javelin and vales emerald, (freebies) this year I'm going for rocket and lady christl. ;D ;D ;D
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this year I'm going for rocket and lady christl. ;D ;D ;D
Good choice and Phil the Spud endorses the lady as well 8) Good enough for me. Hello Phil and so lovely to see you posting!
Ina, when I grew Belle de Fonteney I was disappointed also with the bland taste, but then I was told that one needs to keep them awhile for the flavour to develop? Don't know if this is so, and the info came a little too late - I'd only planted a few, the yield wasn't great - and I'd eaten them ::)
Lishka
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Im going to try Lady Christl this year having read the recommendations here. I will be growing the usual Kestrel too, they have always done very well for us and taste lurverly. :D
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We will be growing old faithful pentland javelin as usual and am gonna suggest that we try Lady Christl
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I did not notice improvement of the flavor in Belle de Fonteney after leaving them a while Lish. I tended to use some of the other types first and finally felt I needed to use up the Belles too.
Not a bad potato but not my first choice nor my second.