Grow Your Own Magazine

We planted International Kidney spuds (second earlies) in March, and we have been harvesting them since June.

Their size has varied from vlarge egg size to ginormous, the largest so far, has been the size of a mans hand, with most being somewhere in between, and their taste has been fabulous.

Don't know who said they were not as tasty as the jersey royals, but ours are far better tasting in our opinion than the ones you buy in Sainsburys, regardless of their size.

We still have a full row to harvest before we start on the maincrop.

Question.
1: Do we pull them all up and store them, if so how do you suggest we do it.
2: Do we need to harden their skins for a few hours first.
3: Can we wash off the soil, before or after hardening the skins or is this not advisable.
4: How long would they keep for in Hessian bags, under the stairs.
5: Will they go green.

We don't want them to get any bigger, and I suppose we could cut down all the haulms, which would stop the growth, but with all this wet, very wet weather I am worried they might rot in the ground.

I know these are a lot of questions, but this is the first time we have grown spubs on the lotte, we have always grown them in tubs at home.

We have been issued a flood watch warning in Northfield, the River Rea is only across the road (about 300yds) from where we live.

Middlemore Road and the local fields are the flood plain for the River Rea.

Fortunately each time it has flooded in the past, we have escaped as we live in a small avenue and we are on higher ground.

Its raining very heavily, our lawn has a layer of water on the top.

Hang about, the rain seems to be easing. No it has stopped.

Won't hold my breath though.

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Vron, Tara & Harley. (The black beastie)

"The more people I meet, the more I like my Dogs"

If you dig up and wash them make sure they completly dry before you store them under the stairs is ok provided you do not have one of the modern very warm houses else they will shoot out of container.
As for the flavour against jersey Royals they are one and the same Jersey grow lots of different potatos but are only allowed to export International Kidney spuds ie- Jersey Royals jacob

Agree with you entirely vron, as I am growing and harvesting them too!

I think they are a maincrop potato harvested young as an early. If you are wanting to store them I think you would have to let the haulms die down naturally to allow them to mature. If lifted before they are mature I don't think they will store very well?
I agree with you about the size btw and although it may seem sacraligeous I fancy making a few chips and baked potatoes with some!

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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)

Have to disagree, Snadger. It doesn't matter what stage you harvest, as long as you let the skins dry(set) they should store OK. If the spuds are already on the large side you shouldn't need to let the haulms die down. Just make sure you only let the skins dry, don't leave them in the sun (if we get any) for days or the spuds will go green.

All I would say in my defence is to try storing the Jersey Royals that you buy in the shops which are lifted while immature? You just can't do it!

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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)

Thank you for your replies, I disagree Snadger, they don't make very good baked spuds, very nice taste, but skins the do not crisp up, and the chips are very medioca.

Classed as a 2nd early/early maincrop, I really don't won't such ginornous spuds, am very worried about all the torrential rain we have been having and rot setting in.

After reading your posts, for which I am grateful, I will chuck it and chance it and lift them the first dry day we get, allow them to dry for a couple of hours then store them.

Many thanks to you both, unless I read to the contrary, will go ahead with the above plan.

Had some for dinner tonight, oh they are soooooooooo moorish, must have piled on even more weight.

BTY, had our second pickings of green beans tonight (flare) again they were so good made a pig off myself.

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Vron, Tara & Harley. (The black beastie)

"The more people I meet, the more I like my Dogs"

If you've already went down the chips and baked tatties root vron without success, I think I'll just give it a miss then!

I'm going to let some of mine grow to maturity as a trial so maybe we can compare notes later on in the year! Thats if I can find the willpower to leave them in the soil. They are so tasty on the plate just now!

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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)

Hi Snadger, I think I have misled you, the chips were tasty and ok, but not anywhere near as good as the ones made from Maris Piper spuds, which are my main crop spuds.

But this is just personal preferance. Try them yourself and see what you think, would be interested in your opinion.

Our first earlies were Maris Bard, they to were scrumptious and ohhh so moorish.

Can't you tell that we love our food

By the way when do you start to lift and store maincrop spuds.

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Vron, Tara & Harley. (The black beastie)

"The more people I meet, the more I like my Dogs"

Hi Vron
I cannot help you about the storage details as we have eaten all of ours. International Kidney is the recent potato used to grow Jersey Royals in Jersey. They changed to this variety a few years ago because it produced a larger crop. The original Jersey royal variety is called Royal Kidney. I grew both this year and enjoyed them the same.
The main difference between the Jersey Royals we grow and the ones from Jersey is that they take huge amounts of seaweed from the beach via tractor and place it on their land, this makes their potatoes more yellow in colour.
It is only my first year growing pots and I was determined to find out about my favorite potato. I grew them in bags which helps when choosing to lift them.
I wish I had some left. I am jealous you still have yummy stocks.
cheers
Lance

Hi Lance, thanks for your comments.

Yes we are lucky that we still have a full row of 18 planted tubers to harvest.

The only problem if you could call it a problem is the spuds have grown ohh sooooooo big, yes they are very delicious and are so moorish that I eat to many.

The size does not affect the taste though, just presentation on your plate, smaller ones look better, than cut up very large ones, but my hubby is great at re-shaping them as he is chief spud peeler/scraper.

"To lift or not to lift that is the question"

I am still in two minds as to lift them all and store, (not the main crop) or cut off the haulms to stop anymore growth and lift as and when required.

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Vron, Tara & Harley. (The black beastie)

"The more people I meet, the more I like my Dogs"

I also read on the forum that some people were disappointed with the flavour or yield of International Kidney.

In its defence I would say that the flavour depends a lot on the growing media - if you were disappointed, try changing something. If you grew in the soil, try a container, and vice versa. If you used only lightweight compost, try adding some loam etc. Alter the feeding, too. They are not renowned for an enormous crop, but they have been bred for the flavour not the yield.

I had one indifferent crop of International Kidney and another tasty crop in different years, so I do recommend trying more than once if you can.

The same applies to all veggies, of course.