Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: calendula on July 03, 2010, 18:05:49
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thought it might be a nice idea to have your thoughts on the potato varieties you have grown this year and if there is a consensus this could be useful information to have in the archives - I know flavour is subjective but it becomes more objective if a few think the same
anyway: texture, yield, flavour
so far we have sampled our first, first early, Annabelle
fantastic waxy texture; yield average; flavour lovely, quite creamy - 7/10
now we are onto our second, first early Homeguard
again great waxy texture; yield very good (larger potato size than Annabelle); flavour excellent, - 8/10
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why did Home Guard go out of fashion? Looks like a nice potato
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shame hardly anyone wanted to contribute to this :( but never mind I will finish what I started ;D
picked our third first earlies Accord
texture supposed to be waxy but proved to be quite floury (weather?); yield average; flavour nice though 5/10 (would put this in the multi purpose bracket but when you want a salad variety you expect that, so low points)
next we go on to our second earlies :)
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I've just started on my first earlies (Lady Chrystal), moderate yeild but I roasted them today and they roasted perfectly. My second earlies are Kestrel (haven't dug any yet), my Mains are Lady Balfour, the haulms are getting very large now (I haven't grown these before).
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We've just finished Kestrel- not an huge yield from each plant, but very good texture and flavour. next we'll try the Nadine.
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Had a few Foremost and Swift first earlies both of which I thought were rather bland!
Also had some Charlotte second earlies which is the salad potato par excellence.
Yields for all of them have been no better than average, which is not really surprising this year.
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I''ve only havested first earlies so far (and still ahve some to go...)
Lady Christl.... gorgeous flavour. Took some potato into work and shared with a mate there 9he trained as a chef) and hois first comment was "Mm.... variety?... Recipe?"...
Rocket.... l;ived up to reputatioon for earliness and I got a better crop than the LC's (they're all in pots) but it's not such a good spud tastewise... not bad, texture is good, but the LC's massacre it for flavour.....Makes a decent Roastie BTW...
Will grow both next year... a few Rocket's for early early eariels starting off in GH etc and LC for my most of summer potato salad....
Noticed on the plot today that the Anya foliage is dying down, will have to harvest soon....
chrisc
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We've just finished Kestrel- not an huge yield from each plant, but very good texture and flavour.
Quite surprising to read about your Kestrel. I always get huge harvests from Kestrel and a lot of them are massive spuds too. My number one choice for a muti-use second early. (Can almost be classed as an extra early main crop too). It usually has little if any disease and stores very well.
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I always find that you will choose your variety dependant on the area you living. My father always grew Pentland Dell back in Somerset, where as I prefer Charlotte over where I am in the East Midlands. But I am trying out a bag of Exquisa from Tesco which are not on sale to the private grower as yet. I know they will not keep, but the flavour was good from the bag we had for a meal one time and I thought it would not do any harm in trying to grow them for fun.
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I've thrown a bag of exquisa in the bin. I might root them out to grow for Christmas. Thanks Landi.
We grew Ulster Sceptre last year, the traditional "Cheshire'' potato but it was not a patch on Swift, melt in the mouth. So much so SOMEONE planted 86 of them ::) this year. I did like Vivaldi, the slimmers friend ;).
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why did Home Guard go out of fashion? Looks like a nice potato
I don't think it has much disease resistance in a "bad" year.... They had a string of good years when it was introduced, so it was grown a lot as it has good flavour, is very versatile and a big cropweight..... In some ways the Rooster of its day (though Rooster is a bit more disease resistant).....
Hopefully ifwe're fairly blight-free this summer (fingers crossed) then the success of the Sarpo strains with the supermarkets will back off, they're a ghastly thing when baked if nothing else......
chrisc
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First Earlies were: Sharpes Express(not one showed - all rotted!); Accord - OK but nowt special; and Bonnie Dundee - Gorgeous 9/10 easily.
Kestrel are looking like they'll not be ready for lifting until early August.
Main crops are: Sante, King Edwards, and Setanta.
Sarpo types look the biz but I'll never bother with them again as they are at best tasteless.
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Dug up my 3rd plant of Arron Pilot for yesterday lunch, more than enough for a family of 4, plus holds together well when boiled. Would always recommend them as a first early.
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I just grew Maris Bard and a couple of rows of saved potatoes (forgot what variety as usual). The M Bard are very tasty and plenty on each plant so far.
I watered them a few times in the dry weather, soaking them well.
We had rain this morning, just when I need to dig up some more...
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We've just finished Kestrel- not an huge yield from each plant, but very good texture and flavour.
Quite surprising to read about your Kestrel. I always get huge harvests from Kestrel and a lot of them are massive spuds too. My number one choice for a muti-use second early. (Can almost be classed as an extra early main crop too). It usually has little if any disease and stores very well.
As a complete novice, I suppose I have no idea really of how many is a good number from each potato! That's one thing the packet never tells you! I planted one kestrel as my A4A challenge in a black sack, and got about 12 potatoes of varying sizes. I planted another 4 at the lottie (it was a small bag from Wilkos), had on average about 7 from each, 2 or 3 big ones, a couple the size of small eggs and the rest like marbles. I had left them for 13 weeks. Did I dig them up too early?
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First Earlies were: Sharpes Express(not one showed - all rotted!); Accord - OK but nowt special; and Bonnie Dundee - Gorgeous 9/10 easily.
delboy - are the Bonnie Dundee a waxy salad type or ? agree with the Accord
reckon I'm ging to have to try lady christl next year though going by comments so far
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Gwynnethmary Kestrels are a second early that generally wouldn't be lifted until August. However if they'd already flowered and the foliage died back then no problem, and I'd certainly be happy with what you harvested from them. Had you left them in the ground a few more weeks then the smaller ones may well have been a bit bigger. They store well and taste good so deserve their reputation as a really good potato. :)
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They didn't flower at all Flighty, and still were looking green and healthy, so maybe I should have just left them a bit longer in the ground! I have some Charlottes, Nicola and Nadine, also Pink Fir Apple and Rooster, and they're all in flower- can't wait to have a firkle!
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Not sure we have the same varieties as in the UK?
I had an early called Agata:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/potpom/var/agata/agatae.shtml
Excellent yield and big sized spuds, with a nice flavour and thin non-bitter skins. Definitely have those again.
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Gwynnethmary you should have let them flower and/or let the foliage die back! Do that next year and you should see more, bigger potatoes.
Dig the Charlottes up as you want them, and not all at once, as they taste so much better straight out the ground. Mine have been delicious!
Happy firkling! :)
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They didn't flower at all Flighty, and still were looking green and healthy, so maybe I should have just left them a bit longer in the ground! I have some Charlottes, Nicola and Nadine, also Pink Fir Apple and Rooster, and they're all in flower- can't wait to have a firkle!
Leave the PFS's till last..... they're an old fashioned main crop an dneed a long time in the ground.... Not as bad as as some of the Victorian varieties by all accounts.... which is the reason my Congo are in pots.....
chrisc
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Calendula
Bonnie Dundee isn't waxy - almost a creamy texture.
Got them from the potato day in Hampshire.
Not cheap as heritage seed, but luvverly..
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picked the 4th variety of spuds, a second early Altesse
fantastic yield; large potatoes (virtually no tiddlers); waxy and gorgeous 9/10 ;D
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We've had Swift planted really early under cloches - OK taste :-\
Just finished eating Ballydoon tonight - new to us, firm waxy and quite buttery tasting ;D
Starting on old favourites Arran Pilot and Red Dukes soon ;D
Then salads Charlotte, Moulin Rouge, Adams Blue - 2nds Kestrel and Sunrise - mains Ambo, Verity, Rooster, Setanta and Sarpo Axona 8)
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I have finally found a potato apart from Desiree that I like. Linzer Delikatess great flavour and good crop as well. Will have more next year.
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Okay so our favourite.recommended first earlies are:
Annabelle
Homeguard
Lady Christl
Rocket
Exquisa
Bonnie Dundee
Arron Pilate
?Agala
?Linzer Delikatesse
Second earlies
Kestrel
its a bit previsiou for the second earlies and later varieties.
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these are my Shetland Blacks. If you like roasted potatoes, you must grow these, they're better than anything else I've tasted. The skin is great! Look like weird old pebbles.
Also got:
Lady Chrystl
Wilja
British Queen
Fortyfold
Mr Smiths Yetholm Gypsy
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stan.shepherd/downloads/tats.jpg)
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I always grew a early spud called "Concorde" the all of a sudden the seed available stopped, I don't know the reason why as Concorde produced a heavy crop of early spuds and the flavour was out of the world. In the past I`ve tried Pentland dell, Rocket, Arron pilot, and Foremost none of which came even close to Concorde. This year I`v done Lady Christl, the flavour isn't all that I would wish but that could be due to the weather, the harvest is terrible take 3 plants to get enough for dinner for two. Anyone know why Concorde was withdrawn? I`ve google but up to now haven't been able to find out.
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I went spud mad and Ryton's Potato Day and bought about 30 different verities, only 4 of each though. I already had 75 each of charlotte, kestrel and cara from Marshalls and also 10 anya on special offer from Kitchen Garden Magazine. So far we have dug up the charlottes which yield wise were good, we got around 30kg. The kestrel yield was large as well, although we didn't weigh it but we did have to throw away quite a few as they had scab but then that scab had gone mouldy as well. I know scab ordinarily doesn't matter which is why we've kept the others but I didn't fancy chowing down on mould as well!!! We dug up 2 anya plants and got I think it was 1.64kg so not too bad at all.
Julie
:)
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My 6 Rocket plants have fed me from the end of May until last weekend. Today I dug up the first of my Sharpes Express - quality and flavour superb as usual, and I can look forward to some decent chips again (Sharpes are better chippers than even Maris Piper). My Nadine and Kestrel are looking very well and should provide enough to see me through until my next season`s Rocket are ready.
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lady chrystle the best last year and this .lovely flavour and good yield thet's the one we'll grow next year :)
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kepouros, How do you store your potatoes, I managed to store mine until end January, but they shrivelled up and were not really fit to eat. On the other hand I store my onions in the same conditions and they last until May or June when they start to shoot again but still edible. I never have to buy onions.
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I keep them in sacks (proper sacking sacks - no plastic or paper) in a corner of the shed that I`ve in sulated with several layers of old carpet. Normally they keep perfectly well until May, but I`m afraid that last winter the insulation wasn`t quite sufficient and over half of my supply got badly frosted before I noticed what was happening. From now on I shall keep them in the greenhouse, which has a frost protection heater, during the worst winter months. Are you quite sure that yours weren`t frosted too?
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kepouros, they were stored in the garage in brown paper bags. I will try sacking this year and see if I can keep them a bit longer. At least we had them for Xmas dinner.
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Just lifted the first of my Red Duke of York and Anyas. Good harvest from both, possibly because we left them longer due to the dry weather and they've now had two weeks of heavy rain to swell the crop. Both healthy tubers too so really pleased. Both made great chips for tea last night. :) Lifted a Sharpe's Express a coupel of weeks ago, bit of a disapointment in the flavour stakes, normally they're my favourite. will be interesting to see if the recent rain has made any difference when the next lot come up.
Golden Wonder, Picasso and Maris Piper still to come
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Hi. Another vote here for Lady Crystl, a lovely lovely spud. One of the few things from my plot I have given to friends and they have asked if I've got any more spare.
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reckon I'm ging to have to try lady christl next year though going by comments so far
Well I tried them this year, based on the reviews on here, and I was a bit disappointed with them. Not as tasty somehow / as expected. Not sure if I will bother again. The yields were poor but that was because we really didn't get enough rain.
Also based on recommendations on here I grew Red Duke of York, and they were fabulous, a lovely 1st early, and will definitely be trying them again next year
Waiting to start in on the Mayans ;D
1066 :)
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Just emptied first big pot of La Ratte - good harvest - lovely potatoes but a bit small, so am leaving the other 3 pots for another couple of weeks. Got 4 barrels of Vivaldi - although they haven't flowered yet - maybe they aren't going to. Will have a firkle middle of next month to see how they are doing.
Meg
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Only got 5 potatoes from the first of the Nadines, but they were of a decent size, and were delicious! The skins rubbed off very easily too.
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Think I'll go for Ayrshire Epicure next year. They're my favourite first early and I've missed them this year.
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Think I'll go for Ayrshire Epicure next year. They're my favourite first early and I've missed them this year.
Do you live near the coast Sawfish? It's just that on another forum (not a gardening one) we have been reminiscing fondly on the taste of Ayrshires - and how that flavour has deteriorated over the last couple of decades. We concluded that the taste changed when the Ayrshire farmers stopped spreading seaweed for fertiliser.
I grew epicures last year and the year before, but was disappointed with the taste. Decided to try again next year, but put seaweed on the soil over the winter before I plant again. Any thoughts?
Meg
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yesterday decided to harvest some our 2nd variety of second earlies as the haulms were looking very sad - this variety was Linzer Delikatess - stood the test of the drought exceptionally well, yield about average and some were quite small, lovely waxy texture, taste average but because they are surviving the drought I give them a quite high score - 8/10
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Growing potatoes depends on the area and soil condition. My Rocket where superb, Flavour, Size and bulk better than I normally expect, these where grown on new ground. Arraon pilot good, kestrel so so but marfona so far have been the best of all.
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Just started to dig up my Kestrels. They are huge - not many per plant but reeally big
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Think I'll go for Ayrshire Epicure next year. They're my favourite first early and I've missed them this year.
Do you live near the coast Sawfish? It's just that on another forum (not a gardening one) we have been reminiscing fondly on the taste of Ayrshires - and how that flavour has deteriorated over the last couple of decades. We concluded that the taste changed when the Ayrshire farmers stopped spreading seaweed for fertiliser.
I grew epicures last year and the year before, but was disappointed with the taste. Decided to try again next year, but put seaweed on the soil over the winter before I plant again. Any thoughts?
Meg
I think maybe you're right, the flavour seemed better a long time ago. Good trial for next year, I'll grow a row with seaweed!
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Vales Emerald (maris peer/charlotte cross)- superb clean yield, excellent cooking quality and taste. Now my future No.1 choice for first earlies.
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are vales emerald a waxy/salad type or ???
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Firm & moderately waxy, boil or steam. Nice hot or cold.
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I think maybe you're right, the flavour seemed better a long time ago. Good trial for next year, I'll grow a row with seaweed!
I dont know if it was any specific kind of seaweed (wish I had taken more notice now) - but I am just going to wait for a low tide at the back end, then lift a few handfulls per large tub and leave over the winter - please keep us updated on how you get on.
Meg
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now tasting our final potato variety for this year - Merlin which is an early main crop
I selected it because it is multi-purpose and if we were fed up with salad spuds by now then mashing might be nice
Lovely to look at, white with pink eyes, great yield, fantastic flavour and texture, it does exactly what it said on the tin, so 8/10 ;D
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Just realised my spuds were on the Beechgrove garden when I was on holiday.
Fast forward to 26min and 30secs http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tlcv3
They were all grown in the polypot system and the NVS Sherine produced over 5kgs from one potato. The potato was a minituber aswell. The Pentland Lustre produced over 3kg and the Swift was very poor at 1.7kg.
I thought I had better add that as the video runs out in 4 days.
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Calendula has Limzer Delikatesse as taste average, but mine are particularly good flavour for me jointsecond for only to desiree. Sharing the spot with Mayan Twilight.
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Dug up some spuds the other day, and had them fried. They were gorgeous, fluffy on the inside and beautifully crispy on the outside, and I didnt mess about par-boiling them either. Trouble is, can't remember what variety they are. :-[
Don't grow many potatoes nowadays, and picked up a few bags very cheap at B&Q, they were maybe 50p each, and not sprouting too badly so I thought I'd give them a go.
I know they would have been first or second earlies, not maincrop, and they have no red markings on them, and obviously they're not a salad type. Can't see anything on the internet. Wonder if anyone bought from B&Q and remembers what sorts they had?
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Calendula has Limzer Delikatesse as taste average, but mine are particularly good flavour for me jointsecond for only to desiree. Sharing the spot with Mayan Twilight.
I think you must be my earth double Digeroo :) - so many of your potato choices, and the earlies match mine. I'm going to have to try the Limzer next year.
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that's the problem with comparing I guess - as my other varieties were overall better taste than Linzer this makes an 'average' seem less than average ;D which is probably unfair - a good spud are LD
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I know I've started watching what Digeroo and EarlyPea are growing as it seems to be on a par with my soil and my tastes. Hmmmmm, clay soil yum ::)
So I now have another to add to the list :)
The Mayan Gold, also gets a monster rave from me - very yellow inside, fluffy and ooooo right tasty! The yield wasn't as good as the Twighlight, but will still try them again next year
Great thread Calendula :)
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I know I've started watching what Digeroo and EarlyPea are growing as it seems to be on a par with my soil and my tastes. Hmmmmm, clay soil yum ::)
That's weird though 1066, because my soil isn't heavy clay, rather a lot of sand in it, very free draining (really must scoop some up and analyse it). Maybe its our taste buds that are in sync or your lack of watering makes your earth taste like mine - I did water copiously at the flowering stage.
Digeroo's top pick, Desiree are also immensely good in my soil, probably the best for flavour, but I can't help thinking of Delia Smith when I eat them so I didn't grow any this year :D
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Digeroo's top pick, Desiree are also immensely good in my soil, probably the best for flavour, but I can't help thinking of Delia Smith when I eat them so I didn't grow any this year :D
LOL - that would be enough to put anyone off :D :D :D
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My rockets are tasty this year although there was a lot more slug damage than last year, I still have some in the ground and will have to get them up sharpish.
I have started to dig up my Kestrels and although they are plentiful, they are not very big, lack of rain effected both the size of the Kestrels and the slug damage on the rockets, I still have about half the Kestrels to dig up.
The Cara are still in Flower and have full foilage and are getting a good watering this week as we are having a mini heatwave here in London. 8)
;D ;D ;D
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it will be interesting if, this time next year, we can do the same comparisons and if the weather is substantially different assess how this makes the flavour, yield etc different
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I really enjoy growing potatoes, I have tried lots of varieties over the years some failures some success. Some store longer than others. Some very susceptible to disease, some to slug damage. This year for the first time I have tried Rooster. I bought a pack of five from a local supermarket, I thought I would give them a go. They are excellent, very healthy and good to eat. Storage is yet to be seen. For the first year ever I have had no slug damage , the reason is that in early spring I covered my potato plot with black polythene with plenty of slug pellets underneath. As the soil warmed up the slugs came to the surface and when I lifted the polythene their were hundreds of dead slugs. I will do the same this next spring. I also love pink fir apple they are like new potatoes in winter.
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Calendula - good idea :)
I've read before about covering the area with plastic and slug pellets so interesting that it has worked out well queenbee. Will try and remember that for next year as an experiment :)