potato identification

[adeymoo]

my darling wife took down my trays of chitting potatoes from the top of the wardrobe to give an example chitting potato to my daughter so that she could talk about how things grow to her reception class. Unfortunately the seed bags were separated from the trays so I do not know which were the Charlottes or King Edwards. The sprouts are very different - one is thick and stubby (purple) and the other is taller, and thinner (greeny purple). Does anyone know which is which? I tried to see which had a King Edward pinkish blush to the skin but non were discernable.

any assistance would be great.

[adeymoo]

[Hector]

My Charlottes have just started chitting...so can't answer now but will in a few days if no-one else jumps in first :)

[landimad]

Not to sure, but from memory I think the Charlotte are red shoots and the King Edward have longer green shoots. Don't quote me on this as the brain has a way of befuddling what is right and wrong.

[Pesky Wabbit]

Have you tried http://varieties.potato.org.uk/quick_search.php ? just enter the first four letters of the variety you want and it will tell you all you need to know ... and more.

[nilly71]

I thought King Edwards have a much darker skin

Neil

[Unwashed]

I'd suggest that Charlotte are a long potato and King Edward are more round, no?

[PurpleHeather]

Years ago when we bought spuds they were divided into King Edwards and whites.

The skin of the King Endwards would always have pinkish spots on it.

Today of course with so many varieties around I could not advise other than any one out there over the age of sixty could probably identify a King Edwards potato. I certainly can but the bit about chitting colours I am unsure about. If you have photos we will have a go.

Otherwise my lame suggestion is to do a supermarket search for either of the varieties meant for the pot and compare.

[Digindep]

Charlottes are a lighter more oval eliptical shape, whereas King Eddies are more rounded usually with a bit of a dimple, well more like the cheeks of ya' butt realy and pinkish at one end....again like a butt... ;)
Yep! I am over Sixty   ::)

[goodlife]

If you wet few taties that should show the colour of the skin..sharlotte doesn't have any...just yellow...

[Mrs Gumboot]

I've just checked my King Eddies & they've got quite thick short purple sprouts on 'em. Although so do the other three varieties, none of which is charlotte.

Moral of the story is write on the box. I'm just off back upstairs with a pen!

[Glen]

My King Edwards had short purple sprouts.

[adeymoo]

thanks for all the replies  :) - I suppose I could just plant all of them as maincrop. Do Charlottes store well?

[chriscross1966]

I'm odd enough to write the variety on each potato in marker pen.... takes a while when you get them (what else are you doing on a wet wednesday night in January anyway) but at least it means I never have to worry about mis-identifying, plus this year I'm growing so many varieties as experiments (the curse of a day at a potato event with loose tubers available by the tuber....) I'll have rows that are four or five different varieties.....

chrisc

[adeymoo]

chriscross1966

did you talk to them.  :D yes I will mark the trays next time.

[Pesky Wabbit]

I'm odd enough to write the variety on each potato in marker pen....

If only the marker pen would also transfer to the new spuds, it would make harvesting and storing so much easier.  :)