Request for a third potato recommendation

[Ger-annie-um]

For me, it's got to be Dunluce, Winston and my absolute go to main crop spud Victoria, she never lets me down, Will do anything, boil, mash, chip, bake, stores well and is pest resistant. I grow on really heavy clay and Victoria comes up trumps (not the US kind) every time

[Bren In Pots]

Charlotte.
Absolutely brill for salads and later make slightly waxy chips. Don't break up in stews either.

Charlotte's my favourite potato its the only one I grow.

[1Bee]

I'm going for Lady C (new to me, but highly recommended on here), Charlotte and Sarpo Axona for this year.

Slugs and blight are a problem on our site (most people only grow earlies) but I've had okay crops from the Sarpos in previous years. I need to do better at managing the slugs this year, as it's so soul destroying to lose too much of the crop! I find if I steam the Axonas they mash fine, but I love a really dry, fluffy tattie for baking and these are lovely for that.

[AllotmentMummy]

I can’t advise from personal experience, but maybe this link will help? (Other seed companies are available).

https://www.thompson-morgan.com/potato-selector-guide

Some folk also like to include a blight resistant variety as a bit of an insurance policy.

This is super helpful (as always) thanks Chestnut!

[AllotmentMummy]

Anya is a salad potato, but they are 2nd early maturity according to the Potato Database
Varieties
Kestrel is also a 2nd early
Varieties

Lady Christl is a good 1st early if you fancy one of those
Varieties

and I love Desiree or Cara potatoes for mains
Varieties
Varieties

Thanks Thelma, really helpful to know when they mature - and that there is a potato database.

[AllotmentMummy]

I grow sharpes express as my earlies
charlotte as my second early
pink fir as maincrop

what kind of soil are you on and what are your priorities (yield/type of spud/disease resistance etc).

Hi Bikermike - I like the Sharpes express idea for early on in the season. Hadn't really thought about my priorities - probably yield and reasonable disease resistance.

[AllotmentMummy]

I find the main problem with potatoes is blight which can decimate a crop and leave you next to nothing for your hard work. I'm not keen on the Sarpo varieties at all in the kitchen but Carolus is a new blight resistant variety that I have been growing for 2 years now and is brilliant. really tasty as roast and oven chips, is similar to Cara but less attacked by slugs. It is susceptible to scab if the ground is too alkali. My crop this year was quite badly affected but they are still keeping well and cooking great - but need peeling.
It is main crop potato.

Thanks Mark, like the idea of something quite blight resistant as don't want to disappoint the children in their growing efforts (aside from my hard work obviously!)

[AllotmentMummy]

If you like Anya, you might like Dunluce as a first early. I really like it. Can be left to grow bigger and picked as a second early. Supposedly doesn't disintegrate on boiling, but I can't confirm that as I either steam over boiling water or in a pressure cooker.

The maincrop I really like is Picasso. Great looking plants and big crop of tasty tatties too. Good disease resistance apparently. Cara is one of the parent potatoes. Stores well too.

Looks like you've got the second earlies covered, but like Nicos, I love Charlottes. Quite similar to Anya, apparently.

Good luck, whatever you choose.

Thanks Snooppuss - might try Dunluce next year instead of Anya. Or see if I can get a few tubers at a potato fair to try this year!

[AllotmentMummy]

For me, it's got to be Dunluce, Winston and my absolute go to main crop spud Victoria, she never lets me down, Will do anything, boil, mash, chip, bake, stores well and is pest resistant. I grow on really heavy clay and Victoria comes up trumps (not the US kind) every time

Love it thanks Ger-annie-um!

[AllotmentMummy]

Thank you everyone for your fantastic suggestions. Am making a short list and am going to try and find a potato fair to go to to buy single tubers of as many of these as I can (too impatient to wait several years to work through them all!).