Grow Your Own Magazine

Maris Piper - trust me I'm Irish!

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http://growourown.blogspot.com/

they sell seed potat0es loose at coolings in Knockolt in kent i dont think thats too far

I thought about Golden Wonder as I had some home made chips and there were the best ones-moisture inside,crunchy outside.There's not a lot of varieties here-the most popular ones are Maris Piper,King Edward and Rooster.

Potatoes aren't supposed to be tasty as they are a staple food.........do you ever get tasty spagetti?

I think texture and colour are the deciding factor for me............and of course taste!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

am trying pentland javelin and rooster this year in containers made from stacked tyres,ask any tyre shop/garage and they will let you have for free as they have to pay for disposal, they heat up quickly in the sun and can be added to like normal earthing up.they can also be stacked and lined with double polybags to make cheap water butts,or just used to weigh down temporary plastic mulch.

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wife and dog lost in undergrowth on allotment
reward for dog!

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Desiree yet. Reliable, good yield, good sized spuds with aceptable flavour. My best this year was Juliette, good flavour, moderate yield and little slug damage. Nadine was the most disappointing, very low yield

Hi
I like to grow Golden Wonder - It used to be used for crisps, so makes good roast and chips - if boiled goes mushy so good for mashing.
Osprey - large potatoes good flavour.
Stemster - A red nice boiler -offspring of Desiree
Pink Fir Apple & Ratte - cook with skins on! (scrub well)
Eerstelling - German
Linzer Delikatess - Salad
Moulin Rouge - Red skin good flavour
Winston - 1st Early
Lady Balfour - Early Maincrop

Tuckers in Devon usually have some trial packs.
They grow their own where as some suppliers only buy them in to sell on.

Comprey leaves in the hole at planting is a good feed for the tubers.
Soot used to be used to keep slugs at bay - if you can get any!

Taking off the flowers is said to increase the potatoes yield.

Try to grow some differant varieties each year, some do better on clay than they do on sandy soil - find the ones that suit your growing medium.

Good Luck in 2009

I'll second desiree. Yield wasn't great but taste was good. Also tried Arran Pilot (ok) and charlotte (rubbish). The Charlottes produced such small potatoes and the skin was bitter. By the time you'd peeled them there was nothing left! The Arrans were really knobbly which gives the same problem.

I'm now looking for a variety that gives decent size with a smooth oval shape. Any suggestions?

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http://plot62.blogspot.com/

I must say Bridgets spot on with the British Queen. I have never tried Ulster Sceptre though and must rememdy that soon.

It is amazing how popular both varieties are over in both Northern Ireland and the Republic.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Thursday 8th January at 2130hrs

We had Ulster Sceptre this year as the 'Free' pack from T&M. They were good, decent yield, good flavour & texture. I'm going to pay for a pack this year
Apart from that, we're having Maincrop Desiree - my favourite red potato & too expensive in the supermarket; Harlequin - a high yielding, great flavoured salad type; and Sarpo Axona - for the blight resistance. Earlies Ulster Sceptre - as above; Anya - great flavour & texture but not the highest yield; Charlotte - reliable, good flavour & texture, decent yield.

Plus I'm going to choose a couple of other salad types/earlies from the garden centre as loose tubers... We like potatoes

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Sarah

http://www.hypermobility.org


“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

This is my first year and have been spending far too long trying to decide which varieties of each veg to plant. I am pleased to see that my probable potato choices Desiree & Anja both well supported by "people who know".