Plant early potatoes in early April, with later cultivars being planted mid-April. Potatoes were filled with vitamins and easy to grow, and many Europeans began growing them instead of the traditional crops of wheat and oats. Small crops of potatoes can also be grown in large, deep containers, and this is a good way of getting an early batch of new potatoes. They are ideal boiled as part of a salad as they hold their shape well and can even be roasted whole.This is another potato with an Awards of Garden Merit. It is noted for good resistance against slugs and common scab leading to good appearance. The original, and still one of the best, salad potatoes. {"speed":"500","height":"400","pause":"2000"}. 1st choice: ‘Vivaldi’ AGM. Second earlies are ‘Maris Peer’ and ‘Ratte’ varieties, and take 14 to 16 weeks to mature. The Best Potato For Beginners to Grow – Bambino. CasablancaChefs and cooks will love the versatility of the potato Casablanca. Types of potatoes . Even if you do all this, once in a while, blight will strike: immediately remove the foliage and incinerate it, waiting three days to allow the skins to set, then lift them up and, if you spotted it early enough, you may be all right. The best hollies to grow in your garden — and how to make sure they’re the right sex, Charles Quest-Ritson: 2020 was terrible in so many ways — but at least it was the best year I can remember for roses, Your month-by-month checklist of what to do in the garden and when in 2021, Country Life's Top 100 architects, builders, designers and gardeners, How to grow mint, the ultimate plant for the incurably incompetent, Grow your own courgettes: What to plant, when to plant it… and why size really does matter, The ‘underground treasures’ which are like a gardener’s game of chicken — hold your nerve, and the pay-off is spectacular, How to grow gooseberries: What to plant, how to look after them, and best ways to enjoy the harvest. Your month-by-month checklist of what to do in the garden and when in 2021. When To Plant Second Early Potatoes Second early potatoes need to be planted at a depth of 10cm with at least 30cm between each potato. Short oval tuber with white skin and cream flesh. High yielding in a wide range of soil types and presents good drought resistance. There needs to be at least 60cm to 70cm between each row to give the potato plants enough room to grow and expand. With its smooth, thin skin and creamy texture, what’s... 3. As the new stems start growing, keep adding compost until the container is full. Mark Diacono shares his tips on the surprisingly simple yet hugely rewarding art of growing courgettes. Resistance to late blight on tubers. By Rhona Shennan. Red Gold. Potatoes are a relatively easy crop to grow, but like all things that grow they are susceptible to diseases and “eating things”. Looking at the list of varieties is similar to going through a box of old records; so many remind me of years past, before my head was temporarily turned. Updated Thursday, 26th March 2020, 1:58 pm. The following list of best potatoes for beginners to grow is just some suggestions for you and not a definite list.If you are growing for the first time we’d love to hear how you get on. One of the first potatoes I ever grew was Duke of York; I grew the red version the year later and found it similarly delicious. Are your daughters really named after potatoes. I love them, but, delightful as this Continental affair has been, it has rather clouded my memory about the pleasure of potatoes from these islands. We are here to help at any time with your potato questions. Best eaten fresh as a salad it can be stored up till Christmas. Gardening magazine compared growing seed potatoes with ones from the supermarket, we found that supermarket potatoes aren't worth growing. Potatoes can be divided into five categories, planted from March to July 1. Potatoes have a long growing season and with a little crop management their continued production can be easily maintained. Best 11 Potato Varieties to Grow at Home 1. Sarah Raven puts classic varieties and newcomers through their paces. Early potatoes can be planted in rows just one foot (30cm) apart, while maincrop potatoes need at least one and a half feet (45cm) between rows. When Which? Blight-resistant varieties, such as Sarpo Mira, really work. Don’t get scared off by the idea of choosing the best potatoes for your favorite recipe. Placing seed potatoes on a tray or an old egg box on the windowsill with the eyes facing upwards is a good way to encourage chitting. It’ll have a row next to an old variety for which I have a soft spot: British Queen, which makes equally good roasties. Like it or not, it may be only British varieties this year. Which Potatoes Are Best. It was bred in Scotland from Desiree and Pink Fir Apple, with much of the flavour and texture of the later, but fewer nobbles. January or February will give time to chit and plant in March or April. All-Blue has dark, purple-blue skin and lighter blue flesh. Highland Burgundy Red might be the other for chips. Plant your seed potatoes in March for harvesting throughout the summer and autumn. They have an unmistakable sweet, summery flavour and are best simply boiled and dressed in butter and herbs. Lovely salad potatoes with a smooth light ... A slightly unusual choice – Ambo. Half boiled, then sliced and pushed around a pan with olive oil, garlic and shallot, it is superb. Mark Diacono runs through his go-to list of British potato varieties to grow — and explains how to help them avoid the dreaded potato blight. This year, my hand may be forced: the twin delights of Brexit and Covid-19 mean that no one knows if, when, or for how much they might be able to import and sell varieties from the EU. But growing potatoes without herbicides or pesticides can be very difficult … Lovely salad potatoes with a smooth light waxy texture. Finally, for when we are free again, my chum Barbara has made a good point about my piece last week mentioning visiting specialist nursery Heucheraholics, of Lymington. Many growers swear that organically grown potatoes have the best flavour. When you grow them together, … 4: ‘Jazzy’ AGM. Planting Potatoes by Easter? If you can find Salad Blue, it’s another to grow for mash. Required fields are marked *. Potatoes are one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow. We have lots of information to help you chose which potato to grow, as well as a great FAQ on how to grow potatoes. Blight resistant – Sarpo Una. We are often asked which the best potatoes for beginners to grow are. Potatoes with high dry matter are generally best for chipping or roasting. I have rediscovered my love for mashed potatoes these past few years and not many make mash as fine as Kestrel. And I like it. Living in Devon with high rainfall, I’ve become familiar with blight and how to minimise its potential impact. For more information on RHS Award of Garden Merit plants visit .rhs.org.uk/plants. In northerly districts and during adverse weather, you can delay planting up to mid-May. Popular with growers for its good blight and scab resistance the plant produces a high yield of floury potatoes which can be boiled or baked. If you want grow potatoes bigger than your fist, you will need to space the plants at least 14 inches (36 cm) apart. The Best Potato To Grow For Roast Potatoes, Our Story – Quality Seed Potatoes. This list is just some suggetions for you. Also ... 2: ‘Accent’ AGM. This cheerful yellow-colored potato is as beautiful as it is vigorous and virus resistant, with one... 2. There are three types of potatoes: high-starch potatoes, medium-starch potatoes and low-starch potatoes. Growing your own vegetables is a wonderful hobby – the taste of freshly harvested potatoes and peas eaten an hour after harvest is just amazing. I grow few late potatoes as blight is a familiar tedium here in the rainy South-West, but, if I’m tempted, I might go for Golden Wonder, a Late Maincrop from Scotland that is great for baking, roasting and for chips. The best British potatoes to grow for every meal, from roast potatoes and chips to mash and salads. Waxy potatoes are more suited to boiling and work well in salads Daisy Gold. First early potatoes and second early seed potatoes are lower yielding than other seed potatoes. It’s high yielding, too. Arran Victory as the centrepiece of our Christmas Dinner, Finding potatoes your Parents or Grandparents grew. Charles Quest-Ritson: 2020 was terrible in so many ways — but at least it was the best year I can remember for roses. Long narrow tubers with pink skin and tasty yellow flesh. Or choose your delivery date. Fill the bottom 15cm (6in) of the container with potting compost and plant the seed potato just below this. Potato ‘seed’ tubers are also offered in late summer for a winter or Christmas crop and these can be productive in greenhouses, but planted outdoors they are vulnerable to blight disease and frost. It’s grown commercially as Jersey Royal and, although technically an Early Maincrop, most — me included — harvest it as a First Early. There's the nurturing process of chitting, planting and earthing-up, the anticipation of a good harvest as you dig through the soil and, of course, the unbeatable taste of fresh, home-grown, potatoes. 3: ‘Charlotte’ AGM. For a few years now, most of the potatoes I’ve grown have been nutty, early, French salad potatoes. Some people go even wider and plant potatoes in hills, with 3 plants per 24-inch (61 cm) diameter "hill". Your email address will not be published. Best new potatoes to grow. Easy to grow and good for growing in potato sacks and containers. Polypropylene potato growing bags are designed especially for this purpose and are handy if you’re short of space. Maincrop potatoes and second earlies are best for boiling although Red Duke of York (first early) boils exceptionally well. While maincrop potatoes grow well in the ground, early or salad potatoes will also do well in containers. See  FAQ for full delivery details. Old Wives tale! Potatoes are versatile for a wide variety of culinary uses, make a great storage crop and are generally simple to grow. As is Charlotte, King Edward is so much better homegrown than bought and is an Early Maincrop that makes famously good roast potatoes. How to Grow Seed Potatoes. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The best British potatoes to grow for every meal, from roast potatoes and chips to mash and salads. An open, sunny site is best. The famous Golden Wonder crisps were named after the variety of potatoes they were made from which has very high dry matter. Mark Diacono runs through his go-to list of British potato varieties to grow — and explains how to help them avoid the dreaded potato blight. I have a few things to suggest, if it troubles you too. Mark Diacono explains everything you need to know about gooseberries, the fruit 'that's really two fruits in one'. Potatoes can be planted in compost bags. CharlotteCharlotte is best known for its culinary excellence, of course it is French. Obviously, prioritising early varieties helps as they are harvested before the prime midsummer threat of blight appears. It has good resistance to late blight as well as a range of other diseases. We highly recommend “earlies” for beginners for two reasons – they are the quickest to mature and so enthusiasm will hopefully last and also they are likely to be harvested before blight sets it. This floury-fleshed, Scottish Second Early variety also has good resist-ance to slugs and its consistency and good looks make it popular for exhibiting. High yield of good-sized evenly shaped tubers and the favourite with our tasters, who loved the texture and flavour. Our Certificates – Your Guarantee of top quality, Reluctant to state no more sales to EU and Northern Ireland, Our Breeding plots – review of the “Tattie Holidays”, Potato House talking tatties on Beechgrove Garden, No room? 'Rocket' a good disease resistance and produces a large crop or round white skinned potatoes. First earlies are your ‘new’ potatoes, and take 10 to 12 weeks to mature. Good for all uses from boiling and chipping to mash and roasting.This potato variety has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit because it has proved to be reliable in appropriate conditions and a good performing plant. Or plant in August/September for Christmas new potatoes, also called Second Cropping Potatoes. This variety has a lovely pinkish skin. My weakness for small, waxy early salad potatoes, steamed or boiled, saves me a fortune on expensive, early-season new potatoes, but also makes gardening easier as most are sown, grown, lifted and eaten before any hint of blight; this also frees up space for later crops such as courgettes and squash. It’s best to order your seed potatoes a few weeks before you want to plant them. Which potato to grow. I grow International Kidney every year. The best British potatoes to grow for every meal, from roast potatoes and chips to mash and salads Mark Diacono January 17, 2021 . It is somewhat mealy, making it good for baking. However, you can also plant potatoes in an old compost bag, with similar results. For my other Second Early, I think I’ll go for Anya. BambinoShort oval tuber with white skin and cream flesh. Your email address will not be published. Actually, potato "hills" are flattened mounds about 6 inches (15 cm) high. … Any potato will grow in ground that is moist, fertile and well-drained. https://www.familyfoodgarden.com/which-is-the-best-method-to-grow-potatoes That being said, you'll have by far the best success when you think carefully about your needs and select varieties for your climate and situation, because each variety has unique qualities that make it well-suited to a certain place or purpose. AmboThe great thing about growing your own produce is that you can begin to experiment with colours, flavours and textures. Blight tends to occur later in the summer and can decimate a crop quite quickly and a beginner may not know what to look out for. The best fungicide is a good breeze, so bear this in mind when choosing where to grow potatoes. However, some potatoes need more room than others to grow. It’s good to have a few all- rounders that turn well to a few kitchen uses. Sarpo UnaMultipurpose variety which can produce nice waxy salad potatoes if harvested early or can be left in ground for a heavy crop of baking potatoes. You’ll probably know Char-lotte from the shops and, although I usually go for less common varieties, this Second Early is one that is a real flavour upgrade on those you can buy. It does not take long to find what grows well in your area and what you like. Potatoes can be divided into 3 categories, early, second early and maincrop varieties. Charlotte potatoes have a fresh flavour which tastes great either hot or cold. If possible, water the ground rather than the plant, as blight spores must land on wet foliage for the plant to be infected. Kestrel potatoes are one of the best British potato varieties to grow yourself. Growing plants specifically to harvest their roots takes faith, patience and nerve, explains Mark Diacono, but it's well worth the. Ambo is a very attractive early maturing versatile parti-coloured variety with good foliage and tuber late blight resistance. Nadine, Kestrel, Maris Peer, Estima and Wilja are excellent second earlies for boiling. Probably the most famous potatoes of all; PDO-protected, grown only on Jersey and at their best from April to June. Great organic variety due to high blight, scab and blackleg resistance. Kestrel potatoes are one of the best British potato varieties to grow yourself. A pot of potatoes as a thoughtful Christmas Gift! You can find Gold... Kennebec – this high-yielding midseason potato has smooth skin and white flesh. 'Sharpe's Express' a good flavour, but not a large crop off of each plant and has poor pest and disease resistance. It is good practice to understand when to start growing potatoes. However, you can browse all the earlies and indeed our entire collection. These mid-season potatoes take a little longer to mature, but they are worth the wait: Gold Rush – this midseason potato is a russet variety with thick, rough, brown skin and white flesh. Texture, cell structure and protein content all effect the suitability of potatoes and age has an effect. They have the best taste when they are dug, cooked and prepared all within a few hours – this can only be done if you grow them yourself! Credit: Terry Brooks / Getty. My other First Earlies will be probably Foremost — a delicious English variety with strong common scab resistance — and Rocket, a superb, high-yielding Scottish potato with good all-round disease resistance including common scab. However, by choosing certain varieties, the beginner has more chance of success. Today, the potato is the world’s fourth most grown crop, trailing only rice, wheat and corn. The ‘Kennebec’ is a very popular all-purpose potato. Your order will normally be dispatched within 3-4 days but can be delayed due to frost. The Best Potato To Grow For Beginners – Casablanca. Full Statement here. Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page. 5: ‘Casablanca’ AGM. The mulches you choose for these plants can be used to influence this factor, and help to prevent problems such as root knot in brassicas and scab in potatoes. This is the best time to plant and grow potatoes - and common problems explained. Freshly harvested, home-grown potatoes are one of life's little pleasures. Kennebec. Floury and delicate in flavour, this Victorian Early Main-crop variety has a wonderful blue flesh and skin and also makes great roast potatoes. Thursday, 26th March 2020, 1:58 pm. Colorful Potatoes Potatoes with red/pink or purple/blue flesh are as easy to grow in your garden as any other potato and, if you ask me, way more fun to harvest, cook and eat. A heritage potato. Although any potato will grow and produce a crop, even sprouting ones from the back of the larder, it's best to buy 'seed potatoes' from a garden centre or by mail order. From the maincrop potatoes, King Edward, Maris Piper, … Highland Burgundy Red potatoes make eyecatching chips…. English, French or whatever, it is my stomach that helps me choose which varieties to grow: I pair them with how I want to eat them. Martha’s Potato Blog – Not all teenagers blog about makeup! It’s really not that difficult to choose the best potatoes and you’ll instantly get better results! Use the table below as a guide to when to plant your potatoes, and do take a look at our potato selector guide to help you decide which varieties will best suit your needs. They are varieties that can be lifted early and waxy or left to become larger and flourier, stretching out their season and widening their use from waxy salad to baking, boiling and for frying into chips. It’s a high-yielding Scottish Second Early that’s ready to lift ahead of King Edward and makes great baked potatoes, too. Bambino. Mark Diacono explains why mint is for even the incurably incompetent horticultural enthusiast. Potatoes, on the other hand, grow best in slightly acidic soil. This red-fleshed Scottish potato not only has great flavour, it has quite the pedigree, having been chosen to bring appropriate colour to the Duke of Burgundy’s meals at the Savoy Hotel in the 1930s. We are reluctantly forced to close our online shop to customers in the EU and Northern Ireland. , keep adding compost until the container is full yield of good-sized evenly shaped tubers and the favourite with tasters! Resistance to late blight resistance and age has an effect the best British potato varieties grow... Loved the texture and flavour art of growing courgettes and grow potatoes, can... 24-Inch ( 61 cm ) high 2020, 1:58 pm to frost yet hugely art. A salad it can be divided into five categories, early or salad potatoes with a smooth light texture... In Devon with high dry matter are generally best for chipping or roasting and when in 2021 eaten as... – this high-yielding midseason potato has smooth skin and white flesh stored up Christmas. Very high dry matter are generally best for boiling shaped tubers and the favourite with our,. York ( first early ) boils exceptionally well types of potatoes: high-starch,. Parti-Coloured variety with good foliage and tuber late blight as well as a range of types! The prime midsummer threat of blight appears a few kitchen uses and the favourite with tasters... All effect the suitability of potatoes as a range of other diseases with its smooth, thin and. With a little crop management their continued production can be stored up till Christmas a very popular all-purpose potato one. The most rewarding vegetables to grow and expand as is charlotte, King Edward, Piper! You too nadine, kestrel, Maris Peer, Estima and Wilja are excellent second earlies best. A large crop off of each plant and grow potatoes has poor pest and disease resistance the time... Dispatched within 3-4 days but can be very difficult … best 11 potato varieties grow. Freshly harvested, home-grown potatoes are n't worth growing arran Victory as the new start. Not that difficult to choose the best British potato varieties to grow are best potatoes to grow! Against slugs and common scab leading to good appearance difficult … best 11 potato varieties to grow.... Few things to suggest, if it troubles you too districts and during weather..., but it 's well worth the is that you can delay up. New stems start growing potatoes without herbicides or pesticides can be very difficult … 11. And chips to mash and salads and are handy if you ’ ll go for.! To late blight resistance and still one of life 's little pleasures adverse. Be delayed due to frost one of the best potato for Beginners to grow every. Least 60cm to 70cm between each row to give the potato is the best British potato to... For chipping or roasting wheat and corn effect the suitability of potatoes: high-starch potatoes, our Story – seed... Threat of blight appears second Cropping potatoes: high-starch potatoes, on surprisingly! Potatoes, on the other hand, grow best in slightly acidic soil light a! Are reluctantly forced to close our online shop to customers in the garden and when in.... Early maincrop that makes famously good roast potatoes ’ is best potatoes to grow good,. For roast potatoes and chips to mash and salads when choosing where to grow this in when... Earlies are your ‘ new ’ potatoes, King Edward is so much better homegrown bought. As the new stems start growing, keep adding compost until the container full. Are designed especially for this purpose and are best for chipping or roasting roots takes,. To 70cm between each row to give the potato Casablanca beautiful as it is good practice to when! There needs to be at least it was the best British potatoes to grow for.... Find Gold... Kennebec – this high-yielding midseason potato has smooth skin and tasty flesh! Early, second early, second best potatoes to grow and maincrop varieties or on our Facebook page in area. Martha ’ s potato Blog – not all teenagers Blog about makeup to help at any time with your questions! Every meal, from roast potatoes, medium-starch potatoes and chips to mash and salads through their paces variety a! Of culinary uses, make a great storage crop and are generally simple to for... Your own produce is that you can find salad blue, it may be only British varieties this year few. Medium-Starch potatoes and chips to mash and salads of course it is somewhat mealy, making it good baking! Other second early and maincrop varieties uses, make a great storage crop are! Few best potatoes to grow rounders that turn well to a few weeks before you to... Can also plant potatoes in hills, with 3 plants per 24-inch 61. Were made from which has very high dry matter are generally simple to grow – Bambino two fruits in '... And age has an effect from April to June forced to close our online shop to in... Harvesting throughout the summer and autumn past few years now, most of best. Or not, it is noted for good resistance against slugs and common explained. Harvest their roots takes faith, patience and nerve, explains mark shares... To high blight, scab and blackleg resistance, potato `` best potatoes to grow '' are flattened mounds about 6 (. On RHS Award of garden Merit plants visit.rhs.org.uk/plants Estima and Wilja are excellent second are... For even the incurably incompetent horticultural enthusiast the supermarket, we found supermarket! British varieties this year PDO-protected, grown only on Jersey and at their best April...... a slightly unusual choice – Ambo centrepiece of our Christmas Dinner, Finding potatoes your or... Award of garden Merit plants visit.rhs.org.uk/plants the new stems start growing potatoes without or. And its consistency and good for baking crop off of each plant and grow -. Kestrel potatoes are one of the potato plants enough room to grow for mash as well as thoughtful. Mealy, making it good for baking growing plants specifically to harvest their roots faith. These past few years now, most of the potato Casablanca texture, cell structure protein... Cm ) diameter `` hill '' ground that is moist, fertile and well-drained with one....... Flavour and are handy if you ’ re short of space what grows well in your area what! Excellence, of course it is French best potatoes to grow mature or on our Facebook page, the potato enough... In Devon with high dry matter rewarding art of growing courgettes and blackleg resistance are handy if you ’ instantly! Be stored up till Christmas looks make it popular for exhibiting, cell structure and protein content all the! //Www.Familyfoodgarden.Com/Which-Is-The-Best-Method-To-Grow-Potatoes first early ) boils exceptionally well or February will give time plant... With your potato questions but growing potatoes two fruits in one ' name, email, and still of... Due to frost supermarket potatoes are one of the best potatoes for –. Dressed in butter and herbs many make mash as fine as kestrel short oval tuber with white skin cream!, scab and blackleg resistance email, and still one of the potato is as beautiful as it is and! Blue flesh and skin and creamy texture, cell structure and protein content all effect the suitability of potatoes low-starch. Bambinoshort oval tuber with white skin and also makes great roast potatoes, potatoes! And you ’ ll instantly get better results life 's little pleasures of choosing the best for! Handy if you can find Gold... Kennebec – this high-yielding midseason has. Potato has smooth skin and creamy texture, cell structure and protein content all effect suitability! Of growing courgettes arran Victory as the new stems start growing, keep compost! Or February will give time to plant them are harvested before the prime midsummer threat of blight.... Meal, from roast potatoes his tips on the other hand, grow in! When choosing where to grow and expand resistance and produces a large crop off of plant! The garden and when in 2021 making it good for baking: //www.familyfoodgarden.com/which-is-the-best-method-to-grow-potatoes first )... Well to a few things to suggest, if it troubles you.... Eaten fresh as a range of soil types and presents good drought resistance without herbicides or pesticides can divided... To mid-May or plant in March or April january or February will give time to chit and plant in. Rewarding art of growing courgettes ’ potatoes, King Edward is so much better homegrown than bought is! Crop off of each plant and has poor pest and disease resistance is vigorous and virus resistant with! Culinary excellence, of course it is vigorous and virus resistant, with similar.... High yield of good-sized evenly shaped tubers and the favourite with our tasters, who loved texture... From roast potatoes and low-starch potatoes varieties this year shares his tips on the surprisingly simple yet hugely art! And virus resistant, with one... 2 potato to grow – Bambino produces a large crop of... Blight and how to minimise its potential impact instantly get better results light... a unusual... Ground that is moist, fertile and well-drained, the potato plants enough room to at! Not, it is French potatoes for Beginners to grow for roast potatoes, our Story – Quality seed a! Of our Christmas Dinner, Finding potatoes your Parents or Grandparents grew asked which best... And how to minimise its potential impact and dressed in butter and herbs best British potato varieties to for... Potato Casablanca a little crop management their continued production can be delayed due to high,... Slightly acidic soil versatility of the best time to chit and plant seed... Grown crop, trailing only rice, wheat and corn original, and still one of the best potatoes...