Potatoes - Earlies or maincrop?

[philcooper]

Jimbo,

According to HZPC, the Dutch company that raised Adora, it is a first early.

More info at http://www.hzpc.com/rdb.asp?a=search&Usage=0&Earliness=1&SkinColor=0&FleshColor=0&Shape=0

Phil

[philcooper]

[Jimbo]

Thanks, Phil!

I guess I'd better start chitting then!

Lord Jimbo of Splott

[CityChick]

Re Adora:

The Alan Romans Website

and

Charlton Park Garden Centre

and

The European Cultivated Potato Database

all list it as an early - so personally I'd go with that.

(Sorry, I know you're right Phil - but I couldn't read the other link - was all in "foreign" :-[)

'Tis funny (and frustrating!) though how some varieties occasionally change categories between suppliers!  Anyone know why that is?

[dandelion]

Jimbo,

According to HZPC, the Dutch company that raised Adora, it is a first early.

More info at http://www.hzpc.com/rdb.asp?a=search&Usage=0&Earliness=1&SkinColor=0&FleshColor=0&Shape=0

Phil

Adora 'zeer vroeg' that's Dutch for very early.

[Merry Tiller]

The definitive answer.

If that's all the space you can spare for spuds you should grow earlies only.

If you can only grow earlies you should grow Red Dukes, if you have tastebuds anyway  ;)

[grawrc]

My answer would be to go for earlies too, but if you won't use them and you would use maincrop then maybe you should do that.

[Svea]

sorry OT, but lord splott - you dont happen to garden in cardiff do you?

[philcooper]

Adora 'zeer vroeg' that's Dutch for very early.

You click on the Union Jack to have zeer vroeg translated into very early

(Charlton Park gets information from me!)

The difference between 1st and second early is just one of degree and the view of the man/woman writing the description. Maincrop are different in that they require a change in day length to produce tubers but again, early, mid, late and very late maincrop are down to personal views

Phil

Phil

[CityChick]

Thanks for the explanation Phil.  Sorry to digress, but are you running the Potato Day at Whitchurch then?  (Newbie here - can you all tell :-[) I normally go along to Charlton Park garden centre sometime afterwards, but the events at the potato weekend do sound tempting ::) 

Anyone else going and/or meeting up?

And finally, sorry if I'm being a bit dim here but where is the Union Jack you mentioned for the translation? I did look, but couldn't see one...

[redimp]

For what it is worth - I grow first and second earlies and maincrops.  If I was short of space, I would grown first and second earlies as many second earlies have good keeping qualities and in my opinion are more versatile than first earlies.  You need first earlies though for speed and that new potato taste in July  :)

[Wicker]

that new potato taste in July 

RC that's it ina nutshell =- or should that be potato skin! Mmmmmm......

[Garden Manager]

I have been looking at Marshals veg catalogue. In there they have a good guide to the different types of spuds there are. I noted that there are some types refered to as 'extra early'  which apparently produce their crop quicker than many 'ordinary' earlies. A planting in early march (weather permitting) would give you a crop by the end of may/ begining of june.

I am attracted by this since it means I have a good chance of getting a crop of something else into the same patch of ground afterwards.  The varieties 'Swift' and 'Rocket' were given as being 'extra' early. Are these any good?

[redimp]

The way I understand it from reading the catalogues is that they are fast first earlies (I grew Rocket last year) when planted at the normal time and crop in July.  You can make them extra earlies by planting them in February with protection - i.e. lots of fleece etc to protect against the inevitable frosts that you are hoping to avoid the worst of by planting over Easter.

[Trixiebelle]

I stick my earlies in the greenhouse beds and in pots. That way they'll be harvested and eaten before I put anything else in there.

[Garden Manager]

After reading your replies and getting completely confused i have gone for both first and mains again this year. Been down the nursery and got 15 tubers each of Rocket and Maris Piper (for a change from desiree). Nice sized healthy tubers, and bought by the kilo rather than the bag, so good value too.

Another thing has persuaded me to grow both again and that is a recent 'paper' reorganisation of the veg plot, leaving me with (in theory) a spare bed. I am tempted to give both sorts of spud their space and have 2 beds of potatoes rather than just one. If i can get the 'Rocket' going nice and early i should be able to get another crop of something in the 'early' bed once the potatoes have been dug up.

[john_miller]

If you are pushed for space, Richard, then leaving fleece on for the entire crop, not just for frost protection, could result in a substantial increase in yield. Early trials with fleece found that potatoes were the most responsive crop to the beneficial effects of being constantly covered, with an almost doubling of kg. m^-2, over a control crop.

[grawrc]

I think I might try some fleece over mine ... if they ever get here... :'( ::)

[Garden Manager]

John:
That sounds like a good idea. Might try it. Thanks.

[Jimbo]

Svea,

Although one is Lord of Splott, to satisfy one's allotment needs, one has to repair to Cyncoed (also in Cardiff), as one does not want to let the neighbours know that one dirties one's hands from time to time!

Jimbo (Lord) of Splott

[philcooper]

...... are you running the Potato Day at Whitchurch then?  ...... I normally go along to Charlton Park garden centre sometime afterwards.......

CC,

Yes I run the Whitchurch event (with a bit of help from local gardening groups and school PTAs)

The advantage of the day over buying from Charlton Park is that all the varieties are available by the tuber, Richard only has space to put around 40 out as individula tubers in the Garden Centre, plus there are the talks and cookery demos and the chance to talk to our potato expert (he grows over 380 varieties and has won an RHS Gold medal for them - with only a small amount of help from me!) and lots of other growers.

A few on the board have threatened to attend

Phil

PS Sorry, my mistake, the Union Jack is on the other Dutch website www.potato.nl for details of a variety, just type the name into the search window.