Thought I'd try these this year.
Only about half of them were any good, the rest were full of holes, apparently made my black slugs (aka keel slugs), that live underground, you never see them.
Further research reveals that Maris Bard were the worst possible potatoes I could have bought as regards slug resistance.
They also go very 'floury' when you boil them, so not much good to eat either. (Funny, neither of these things mentioned in the seed catalogue which, strangely enough, doesn't include Maris Bard in its 2012 catalogue!)
Next year I'm going for KESTREL and CHARLOOTE earlies, ROMANO main crop, all with good resistance to slugs!
;)
(oops that's CHRLOTTE not CHARLOOTE)
All my maincrop spuds were odd this year - If it wasn't slugs in the Desiree it was scab on the roosters and ALL of them fall apart if you boil them for more than a couple of minutes. The Maris Pipers didn't do any better..
my spuds fell apart when boiled for only minuets as well, glad to hear I'm not the only one to have had this problem, does any one know why this happens??? They were pink fur.
Thanks Steve
It was suggested yo me that the dry weather reduced the water content of the potatoes so when cooked they were more floury than usual ie more dry matter so fell apart more easily.
It sort of makes sense as floury potatoes do fall apart.
Quote from: steve76 on October 09, 2011, 12:43:41
my spuds fell apart when boiled for only minuets as well, glad to hear I'm not the only one to have had this problem, does any one know why this happens??? They were pink fur.
Thanks Steve
That's really wierd PFA are classically salad potatoes.... you boil them and let them cooll down....Mine seem fine so far...... admittedly I tend to bake the big ones and roast/fry the small ones....
My daughter-in -law helped me a lot today on my allotment, and asked for a few potatoes to make a curry with. I led her confidently to my last area of Desiree plantings as all my other potatoes are lifted and at home.
Plant after plant turned over with empty, slug-eaten nasty damaged potatoes! I was so ashamed.....she has helped me a great deal and I could not even supply a few potatoes.....almost enough for her curry (she is from Thailand).
I have often felt that as this plot is very close to an overgrown hazel/bramble/blackthorn hedge about 18 foot or more tall, creatures of all sorts come in and eat what they like...... Does anyone else grow next to a very tall hedge with problems like this?
I lift the last of my potatoes quite early on in September if not the end of August rather than leave them in the ground to develop loads of little holes. Slug damage is usually minimal.
Growing near long grass or uncultivated ground would increase slug damage in my opinion.
Our Charlottes have proved a favourite at home. Grown as salad spuds, many left for longer and some huge potatoes. Flesh is yellowy and remains whole no matter how long they are cooked. More of those for me next year.
I did not grow Maris bard.
I grew:
Main Crop:
Desire (Main crop – red skinned)
Sante
Picasso
Earlies:
Charlotte (1st Early)
Rocket
Arran Pilot
Just finished lifting my Skerry Blues. Hardly any slug damage. Main downside of this potato is the number of "eyes" it has.
This year I grew our old favorites Charlotte, a great boiled spud, Marris piper usual bit of slug and scab damage but they make the best roasties, also new for us this year Epicure very impressed, Wilja not yet sampled and harlequin a pink fir and Charlotte cross they fell to bits when boiled and not a lot of taste.
Last year it was Rooster that suffered from slug damage, and so we decided to give them a miss this year. We had great success with Kestrel, Charlotte, Nicola and Nadine, the latter two being just recently dug up although they are second earlies. We had lots of nice big potatoes which were great boiled, mashed and roasted-lovely!
Instead of Desiree - try Amorosa. Excellent spuds, with really good slug and eelworm resistance. Barely one with holes in again this year. And fantastic as roasts, and don't collapse when they see hot water. ::)
We grew pentlin javlin got a bumper crop WE HATE THEM,not any good to boil very dry ,they roast not bad but,we hate the tast of them ??? anyone else grow them,what did you think of them? :-\
All my potatoes this year fall apart even my King Edward and Maris piper. I only use them to roast or bake. Making chips has not been very successful as about 1 centimetre of the outside of the potato seems to absorb the fat and they are not really very nice. I use about double the usual amount to mash as so much is poured away with the water. They are very floury.
Slug damage has been almost nil as early spring before planting I sprinkle slug pellets and cover with black weed suppressor. The slugs come up to the surface as the soil warms up and when I remove the black covering there are lots and lots of dead slugs. I than plant my potatoes. They must overwinter in the soil or the eggs hatch, I really do not know the life cycle of slugs but my system never fails. Interesting subject matter. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SLUG.
Quote from: queenbee on October 09, 2011, 22:54:04
All my potatoes this year fall apart even my King Edward and Maris piper. I only use them to roast or bake. Making chips has not been very successful as about 1 centimetre of the outside of the potato seems to absorb the fat and they are not really very nice. I use about double the usual amount to mash as so much is poured away with the water. They are very floury.
Have you tried cutting chips thick and blanching for 3 mins in boiling water, drain well before chucking in chip pan? Works for me. Also have you tried blanching potatoes for mash and then finish off steaming them.
Quote from: lottie lou on October 10, 2011, 00:13:04
Quote from: queenbee on October 09, 2011, 22:54:04
All my potatoes this year fall apart even my King Edward and Maris piper. I only use them to roast or bake. Making chips has not been very successful as about 1 centimetre of the outside of the potato seems to absorb the fat and they are not really very nice. I use about double the usual amount to mash as so much is poured away with the water. They are very floury.
Have you tried cutting chips thick and blanching for 3 mins in boiling water, drain well before chucking in chip pan? Works for me. Also have you tried blanching potatoes for mash and then finish off steaming them.
My 96 year old dad who is not fussy (honnest ;)) prefers his potatoes cooked in a frying pan. I part boil them first in the microwave for a few minutes, drain the water and then slice them into chunks and plonk them into shallow oil in the frying pan.
The results are: one happy father and some crispy outside soft inside pan "roast" fried potatoes - this way he will eat a good sized meal with no face pulling ::).
The things we do for love. ;D
Quote from: queenbee on October 09, 2011, 22:54:04
. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SLUG.
too long ::) ;D
Quote from: manicscousers on October 10, 2011, 10:21:54
Quote from: queenbee on October 09, 2011, 22:54:04
. WHAT IS THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SLUG.
too long ::) ;D
Just as long as it takes me to go and get the spade! (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-angry033.gif) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)
Grew some pink fir apple this year and they were very good and had some really big potatoes,tasted fine as well.Is it true they are maincrop??
Maybe it's an old wives tale or I'm just lucky but I never get slug damage. When planting the tubers, I line the bottom of each trench with manure, wrap each potato on a comfrey leaf and then sprinkle loads of grass cliipngs in before refilling the trench. I also don't get scab and there's better water retention too.
I tried Cara for the first time this year. Never again, huge potatoes but ruined by slugs. I've not seen a slug all year, it's been so dry here, my Desiree and Pink Firs were perfect....because all the little b...s were partying in the Cara....actually, maybe I could grow a couple as bait/sacrifice....
I seem to remember Bob Flowerdew recommending cutting some spuds up as thick chips and sticking them into the ground along either edge of your rows. Pull them out periodically and you'll be taking out baby slugs with them.
I rarely have trouble with slugs - keeping grass paths cut, removing weeds and hoeing between rows of veg seems to help keep them at bay.
It's only towards the end of the season & if its very wet that one or two make it in as far as the spuds. Out of six 30 foot rows I guess I have had maybe five spuds nibbled.
Wire worm is another matter. Some potatoes seem much more prone than others.
I've grown a lot of Maris Bard when I was working on a research project. It is actually a very tasty potato, however we were using it because it is very susceptible to Blackleg/soft rot for which we were looking for a biological control.
We never had any problems with slugs or wireworms during our trials but every potato I grow on my allotment gets filled with holes from both, so frustrating. Might try Queenbee's technique.
Quote from: Kea on October 16, 2011, 23:43:20
I've grown a lot of Maris Bard when I was working on a research project. It is actually a very tasty potato, however we were using it because it is very susceptible to Blackleg/soft rot for which we were looking for a biological control.
We never had any problems with slugs or wireworms during our trials but every potato I grow on my allotment gets filled with holes from both, so frustrating. Might try Queenbee's technique.
Desirée has a waxy texture and excellent flavour.... and are
less likely to be attacked by wireworm!
I've found these pretty good.
Yes round the edge of each treatment we grew Desiree as markers...I'm not a big fan I'm afraid.
Quote from: Kea on October 17, 2011, 14:06:29
Yes round the edge of each treatment we grew Desiree as markers...I'm not a big fan I'm afraid.
I agree - not my number one choice but there again the wireworm aren't keen either ;) ;D
Desiree
seem to keep well in storage so their sacks are plonked at the back to use last often in the New Year.
My Pentland Crown that I'm digging now are full of slug holes, never again. :'(
Quote from: Lottiman on October 09, 2011, 20:35:02
This year I grew our old favorites Charlotte, a great boiled spud, Marris piper usual bit of slug and scab damage but they make the best roasties, also new for us this year Epicure very impressed, Wilja not yet sampled and harlequin a pink fir and Charlotte cross they fell to bits when boiled and not a lot of taste.
I think all these potato threads just go to show how variable (frustratingly so) potatoes are in different locations.
I tried Harlequin this year for the first time. I was pleased. Huge crop, they stay firm (except some of the largest ones that have turned a bit floury) when boiled/steamed. The flavour is lovely, not quite as good as PFA (though I haven't grown it for years) and miles better than a shop potato.
Whereas on my soil I don't much rate Charlotte, I prefer the flavour of Juliet or Nadine.
Quote from: Morris on October 19, 2011, 09:25:04
Quote from: Lottiman on October 09, 2011, 20:35:02
This year I grew our old favorites Charlotte, a great boiled spud, Marris piper usual bit of slug and scab damage but they make the best roasties, also new for us this year Epicure very impressed, Wilja not yet sampled and harlequin a pink fir and Charlotte cross they fell to bits when boiled and not a lot of taste.
I think all these potato threads just go to show how variable (frustratingly so) potatoes are in different locations.
I tried Harlequin this year for the first time. I was pleased. Huge crop, they stay firm (except some of the largest ones that have turned a bit floury) when boiled/steamed. The flavour is lovely, not quite as good as PFA (though I haven't grown it for years) and miles better than a shop potato.
Whereas on my soil I don't much rate Charlotte, I prefer the flavour of Juliet or Nadine.
I need a lottery win, three acres of ground, a mini-tractor and then I can try out all the varieties mentioned on here ;D
But.... in the meantime I'll stick to those that I know do well for me and try maybe just one or two "something differents" next year.