Chicken bald back

[mullethunter]

Last year was my first attempt at growing maincrop potatoes from seed potatoes. I grew Maris Piper because they're what I always use, the yield was ok but they were all tiny (probably because I started them too late so the tops died off before they could get bigger).

 

I want a variety that is good for mashing and baking (hence Maris Pipers) with a good yield of decent sized spuds.

 

Could anyone recommend anything?

 

If anyone wants a recommendation for a good second early new potato I grew 'Jazzy' last year and they were excellent.

[Beantree]

We grew King Edwards one year Mullethunter. They were a good size but had little blight resistance so all had to be peeled. Important you get them in early and to avoid them being hit by frost as they break through you will need 'fleece' over the top of the rows. It's always a gamble because if you plant too early the fleece will not be big enough and if you plant too late the crop will be poor.

 

Do you chit the seed potatoes and rub off all but three well spaced before planting? Have you got the spacing right because main crops need a lot of room and if they are too close together you won't get the size? Of course soil condition is very important as well. Vitax Q sprinkled over beginning of Winter helps a lot with trace elements.

[sjp]

Jazzy was OK but I didn't find it mashed that good

forget maris piper it's not worth growing in a garden and it's best suited for the chip shop industry

King Edward through a very good spud you just can't get a good size or crop of it nowadays Red King Edward is a good alternative if you can find it

the best for mash are Arran Victory and Rooster but if you what a very good all rounder that's a good cropper and a fairly good size plus has very good decease resistance the Cara is the best one for a garden/allotment

if you can find Carolus it's a new variety that came out last year then that has a good resistance to blight is a good cropper of uniform spuds white with red eyes

[mullethunter]

Thanks both - will try to find some Red King Edwards I think.

 

I didn't chit at all last year because I was so late and I probably did put them too close together.

 

I only used Jazzy for steaming as new potatoes and they were great.

[chickencam]

We have been growing potatoes for 16 years in a light sandy soil. We gave up with Maris Piper too, they taste good but every pest in the world also thinks it tastes good and it doesn't get large enough either. We grew a few Cara related varieties which grew huge but we're very prone to splitting in our soil. We have settled for the past couple of years on Motzart & Asterix which are both red potatoes with a high dry matter content, they make great chips and roasties and mash if you put plenty of butter and milk with it. They keep well too. We don't chit ours and haven't found any difference.

[mullethunter]

Our soil is very middling. Neither sandy nor clayey...

[sjp]

We have been growing potatoes for 16 years in a light sandy soil. We gave up with Maris Piper too, they taste good but every pest in the world also thinks it tastes good and it doesn't get large enough either. We grew a few Cara related varieties which grew huge but we're very prone to splitting in our soil. We have settled for the past couple of years on Motzart & Asterix which are both red potatoes with a high dry matter content, they make great chips and roasties and mash if you put plenty of butter and milk with it. They keep well too. We don't chit ours and haven't found any difference.

Motzart is one of the best reds it's the one I recommend instead of d word it's also easier to get nowadays for the first 5 or so years of it's 'life' it was only really available at potato days so We enlightened gardeners that have found Dundry garden centre in Cheltenham and Charlton park garden centre have been enjoying it for a long time

Asterix I never had much luck with in sandy soil I think I'm going to give it a go this year and see how it gets on in clay

Alouette is a new blight resistant red from the same breeder as Carolus both are main crop I grew it for the first time last year and it did really well in clay soil not sure it's not on the list for Dundry but as they have Carolus they might get sent Alouette both should be at Hampshire's and both of in Shropshire's potato days

I don't lose sleep over splitting in spuds to be honest some of my favourite varieties are prone to splitting a lot worst than Cara

[Beantree]

We had initial problems with splitting of Swedes. Turns out that is caused by a Boron deficiency in the soil. It was cured by a sprinkling of Vitax Q. Is that the same reason for splitting with potatoes I wonder? We have very sandy soil and the nutrients wash out very easily. The advantage is that in wet years the crops don't rot in the ground, but in dry years they do need an awful lot of water. We never suffered from potatoes splitting.

 

Cara was the potato we finally settled on, simply because of the blight resistance. I thought King Edwards tasted better though.

[Daphne]

I haven't grown them, but fully endorse Mozart for flavour, they are my favourite red main crop.

[sjp]

We had initial problems with splitting of Swedes. Turns out that is caused by a Boron deficiency in the soil. It was cured by a sprinkling of Vitax Q. Is that the same reason for splitting with potatoes I wonder? We have very sandy soil and the nutrients wash out very easily. The advantage is that in wet years the crops don't rot in the ground, but in dry years they do need an awful lot of water. We never suffered from potatoes splitting.

 

Cara was the potato we finally settled on, simply because of the blight resistance. I thought King Edwards tasted better though.

no splitting in spuds is part genetic and mostly down to irregular watering one really bad variety for splitting is Toluca but it's not offered for sale now it's a good early but it was or is for some reason quite useful for breeding though for the life of me I can't figure why

Vitax Q is or was very popular with the show growers for a long time but most of the show growers of spuds have moved onto a specific spud fertilizer which has a higher NPK ratio less N though I switched to one for spuds last year with fairly good results and I used a specific carrot fertilizer mix instead of just a general feed, which resulted it the best carrots I've ever grown

Boron is good for carrots as well but it takes a bit of finding on it's own some hydroponic centres sell it

[chickencam]

Might look for some boron, we have been experiencing some carrot splitting in recent years and a bit with the swedes. Swedes are very hit and miss on our sandy plot, very much depends on the weather conditions when they go in. We do grow great carrots though, home grown carrots are what I would miss most if we gave up our allotment.

 

I have found very little difference between Mozart and Asterix potatoes, in terms of growing them, flavour wise though I think Asterix edges it. They are both great if you like very crisp chips and potato wedges.

[mullethunter]

Has anyone ever grown russet potatoes?

[sjp]

Has anyone ever grown russet potatoes?

yes I grow at least 3 varieties most years there mainly fryers and roasters but they can make a fairly good mash but they don't boil as they tend to have higher dry matter.

the easiest ones to lay your hands on will probable be Innovator and Golden Wonder as russets aren't popular in the UK because they don't look 'nice' on supper market shelves Russets are the main potato in the states the 'original Idaho potato' is a russet called Russet Burbank oldest potato still in commercial use anywere

most of the frozen chips and French fries are made from Russets

[mullethunter]

Do they make good jackets?

[sjp]

Do they make good jackets?

possibly they are floury through but I don't much care for jacket potatoes, but when I do have them I only bake small medium sized spuds not great big ones and anything other than first earlies

[Daphne]

Food of the gods as far as I'm concerned

[Sil-El]

I was given some home grown "Estima" spuds last year and they make gorgeous baked potatoes so I am going to see if I can get my paws on some to grow myself this year.

 

I grew some "Maris Peer" as late season and although they were very nice they were all small, like pebbles. I was late planting because I only got my allotment in late July last year and it took a while to clear the weeds before I could plant.

 

Interesting to see the comments about "Maris Piper" - I was going to grow some, but I might go for another variety instead.

[sjp]

I know of two garden centres that sell Estima one in Oxfordshire and one Cheltenham way plus it should be at Hampshire's and both of Shropshire's potato days

[Old Speckled Hen]

Salad Blue make the best mashed potatoes ever.............blue though but the taste is wonderful.

I always grow Pink Fir Apple which are so prolific we are still eating them into April and King Edwards always do well. They go in the ground and

Charlotte and Lady Christl in bags in the garden for small early potatoes

[sjp]

Salad Blue make the best mashed potatoes ever.............blue though but the taste is wonderful. makes a good roast chips and crisp as well

I always grow Pink Fir Apple which are so prolific we are still eating them into April and King Edwards always do well. They go in the ground and

Charlotte and Lady Christl in bags in the garden for small early potatoes

Pink Fir has started to crop well again I think it must have finally been reselected a couple of years back

[Old Speckled Hen]

sjp

I am very fond of spuds and have over the years tried lots of varieties (that how I stumbled on Salad Blue)

Our spuds grow in clay here and get attacked by some sort of soft rot....not blight.....so I have given up multi varieties and just try to grow two in the veggie beds and lift them as quickly as I can...... and the rest in bags.

We had horrid problems for two years with slugs so now everything gets watered four times a year with nematodes........it works!!

 

You obviously know what you are talking about........any tips re potatoes?

 

PS

I have 5 tubers of Sarpo going in this year.....a new one to try.

[sjp]

I'm growing on clay I've not lost any to rot other than to blight

keel slugs can be a problem in years other than real dry ones salad Blue is one that is prone to slugs personally I just live with the problem

which sarpo are you growing? one tip Sarpos don't do well in bags and if your growing Mira or Axiona they don't behave like normal spuds they don't die off until they get frosted and can get quite big if left so what I tell folk is to start checking them about mid September and if they're at the size you want chop the tops off leave them in the ground for a couple of weeks to set the skins then lift them and store them for at least a month but after Christmas is better they're a good keeper but they take a bit longer to cook so don't cook them in with other varieties as you end up with some over cooked and the sarpos under cooked

if you have to harvest early I'd avoid main crop spuds and stick to earlies sown at 2 week intervals right up to early July in the midlands early August in the South late August in Cornwall later sowings best done in bags for new spuds at Christmas best Variety for late sowing (second cropping) is Orla the first early with some blight resistance and is ready at about 10 weeks

[chickencam]

Where do you get your nematodes from OSH? I want to try some on the potatoes but also at home where we have a massive snail problem. Are they OK to use with FR hens?

[Old Speckled Hen]

Thanks SJP

 

Where do you get your nematodes from OSH? I want to try some on the potatoes but also at home where we have a massive snail problem. Are they OK to use with FR hens?

 

OK with hens.

I use Nemaslug from these guys

http://www.greengardener.co.uk/GGsearch.asp

There may be cheaper sources.

[mullethunter]

Must get nematodes...still haven't decided on spuds