Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Plottie on September 12, 2004, 18:15:00
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I'm getting giddy with excitement ;D deciding what to order from my allotment society catalogue.....must remember I've only one allotment to fill! :-\Am tempted to order from each of the first early/ early main/ second early/ late main types of potato, so my question is...what is YOUR favourite variety and why. I'm looking for a good supply throughout the season and want salad as well as 'ordinary' boiling/baking types.
All suggestions gratefully received!!
Plottie
:) :)
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I grew Charlotte in pots this year, not a huge yeild, but tasted nice as new pots and in salads.
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I would second the vote for Charlotte - they are good for salads and boil well, not too waxy so can be mashed.
I have also found pink fir apple very good - excellent as chips - my children have even eaten them cold (the chips).
The best I have tasted for flavour is still King Edward, and so versatile.
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Definitely Nadine for 2nd earlies - good cropper and wonderful flavour - alternatives Celine (beautiful red skinned potato)
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Anya's for me, good yields and lovely flavour. (look funky too!)
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Another vote for Charlottes here.
This year was my first for growing spuds and I grew a couple of each of Charlottes, Anyas, Red Duke of York, Duke of York and Ambo.
I lost about half the plants (due to slugs, black leg and inexperience). My favourite in terms of flavour were the charlottes. The yield was also much better than any of the others.
Next year I'm growing to grow just Charlottes and Anyas (I lost both the anyas this year, but am determined to eat some next year!)
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With X000 varieties - there's something for everyone. Too much. The best one can say is that Red Duke of York failed almost everyone this year. Which is strange. If you are 'organic', go for the disease resistant ones (organic catalogue) regardless of taste or cookability.
Whatever you grow, with a little care, they will taste SO much better than bought-in ones that you'll not be too fussed about their name. If you're doing the peeling, go for the 'smoothies'.
'The Book' says 20lb of maincrop from 10' of row. So am I doing alright with this 16lb off 2 plants?? Picasso - as shown before with a 790gm example. = Tim
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Not sure what mine were called but they were yummy (I inherited them in our shared garden) but we did find an old tubers sack for Carling or Carlsburg or something equally beery beginning with C - they were yum!!
Sam
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Have been thrilled with all of ours this year. Red Duke of York, altho scrummy, didn't produce many tubers and Aaran Victory that we are digging and using currently have been absolutely ravaged by slugs and other creepy crawley beasties. Golden wonder are a very firm spud that fry like a dream. Couldn't pick a fave, all great in their own way.
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I vote for Foremost for earlies (have grown these for some years as our early crop) and Desiree, which I grew for the first time this year. Both are delicious! ;D
Dont thing much od charlote. Tried growing these in a pot a couple of years ago. Didnt really like them.
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my best tasting so far have been vanessa and got a very heavy crop of them,
sorry Tim but done very well with red duke of york and they roasted very well,
another very good preformer was rooster very heavy cropping l got 130 lbs of 20 tubers, not yet tasted them.
very good crop of kestral and boy they dont half chip good
and last but not least that good old favourite Wilja
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Can someone tell me how many tubers I would need to plant? I'd like to try a variety of spuds in my (very) new allotment. My beds are 3m x 2m. Very unsure as to how many I am able to plant!
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No tears, Richard - there were plenty of others, fortunately.
But it just goes to show why there are X000 varieties. There are that many people! = Tim
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Yes tim surprised how many arieties there is out there. To be honest l think l have only done so well with my crops this year because the allotments which l have taken on had not been dug for over ten years. Took a lot of hard work to get them in to shape but l got there and l think l am now reaping the rewards. ;)
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Carlingford, Pixie. Often a 'second cropper'. = Tim
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Was interested in hearing about your thoughts on good varieties too. We grew "homeguard" which were the lottie shop choice. Found they were great as chips, very crispy, but not such a good flavour boiled. The other ones we planted were "Majestic", again quite good. They were very big, so good for jacket pots and chips, but still looking for a better flavour. I have been recommended, "Duke of York" for next year and "Kestrel" by our lottie neighbour. As Tim says, whatever the taste or flavour, they far outweigh any shop bought ones. :) busy_lizzie
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Unfortunately, "favourite" is very personal, so any recommendation may not suit you.
The best idea is to try a small number of lots of varieties. Several garden centres stock "Trial Packs" with 10 tubers in.
For more choice, try a Potato Day there's a list at www.hhdra.org.uk/potato.htm#days (http://www.hhdra.org.uk/potato.htm#days) . At these you can pick individual tubers from over 100 varieties and there are experts (and plenty of other growers) around to ask for advice.
But my personal favourites, for what it's worth, are:
Home Guard - 1st early, good old fashioned "early taste"
Kestrel - 2nd early, good flaour and versatile
Spey - Maincrop, good flavour and high yielding (on my bit of Hampshire chalk)
Phil
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Cannot tell what my crop tasted like as I changed plots mid-way through season and new owner of my last plot reaped the rewards of my international kidney and others...
The nicest potatoes I have ever tasted were a variety commonly known as local whites which were sold at Frome market in Somerset.
Does anyone happen to know their proper name and a supplier, as they had a fabulous taste.
Debs
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Agree "favourite" is very personal but wonder if anyone has grown International Kidney (Tim do I remember you growing them or did you tell me about them?) which should be nearest to Jersey Royals? Want to grow them next year and would like to convince Mr W a bit more as he is dedicated to his tatties/toms and onions - tho he is always willing to give something a try.
This year for some reason we got the crates mixed up after harvest and are now not sure which varieties we are eating - but it's been an excellent year anyway!
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Wicker,
International Kidney is the same as Jersey Royal.
When sold commercially only those grown in Jersey are sold as Jersey Royals.
To get them tasting at their best use plenty of muck (or seaweed as the do in Jersey)
Phil
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Well I planted two types - 1st earlies - Foremost - which produced a very heavy crop but some of the skins were rather scaley. However, they were beautifully white & varied in size but some were absolutely huge! also stayed whole when cooked but mashed lovely.
My 2nd earlies were Nadine and these also have been a good heavy crop of more uniform size.
Think I'll plant exactly the same again next year but must try to next time dig some manure into the ground (something I didn't have the time to do this year, being my first year and not always here)
Maggie
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Maggie,
You're mashing 1st earlies?
Phil
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Thanks Phil - one of our lottie neighbours from Shetland uses seaweed collected from the seashore but doubt if we could do that! Do use seaweed extract on some other plants tho. Last couple of years used "Spuds Galore" from N A Kays with really excellent results - they do describe it as "magic stuff"!! ;D
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Oh Phil - I now feel sooooo guilty, but I did yesterday.Wanted to use the last I've got dug up so far (maybe more in the ground but because I've been away from home for rather a long while) can't quite see where my potatoes are!! - so much weed has grown etc.....
Fancied a cottage pie and as the skins of most of my Foremost were scaley (not quite sure why but I didn't put any manure into the ground - there was just no time) I've had to peel them sometimes when they've been really knobbly but they mashed just lovely and were very white......however I persevered with some of the skins and did scrape. I generally eat potatoes with skins on as I like them that way but somehow, just didn't quite fancy all the knobbly bits in my mouth!
Sorry - Maggie :-[
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The only 1st early that left long enough to get large was Red Duke of York and that was great baked with lots of butter
Phil
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Just popped back - have just read my previous message and am totally puzzled as to why.....everytime I typed the work 'knobbly' it's come out as 'thingybly'..... ???
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oh....it's still doing it....
the word I'm trying to type (and am typing) is nobbly but with a 'k' in front of it!!
more & more puzzled by the minute....
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Hot potato,
I think it is the wholesome word checker try to stop you lurching into a great long and pornographic description of boys bits...
Made me laugh though!
Thanks,
Piglit
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Maggie ;D ;D ;D !!!
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O.M.G. - is that the reason - well whatever it was, it's given me a really good laugh (something I could do with right now) now I know why!! - as if I'd talk about things like that! ;) ;)
Thanks Piglet for the explanation ;D
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Not that I wish to hedge my bets but ....
Your favourite variety could well be among the 314 varieties that were on show last weekend at Malvern.
The display:
a. Won an RHS Gold Medal for its amateur grower(s) :D
b. Included contributions from Beer_Belly (whose parents personally imported the seed from the Netherlands) and myself who grew 50 of the varieties ;D (2 of which were deemed good enough to display ??? !)
(http://www.hhdra.org.uk/Malvern1s.jpg)http://www.hhdra.org.uk/Malvern1s.jpg (http://www.hhdra.org.uk/Malvern1s.jpg) there's a bigger version at http://www.hhdra.org.uk/Malvern1.jpg (http://www.hhdra.org.uk/Malvern1.jpg) but it's >330K
Phil
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What a fabulous display, Phil. Medal richly deserved. Congratulations to all.