|
|
|
|
Adam
Chooses Pick of Potatoes
|
|
It is March
the month of daffodils and catkins and gardeners are beginning to
twitch. Spring at last? But March has always been a treacherous
month in the garden a few misleading sunny days followed by frost,
gales and even more snow, so caution is the word. A too early start
with gardening in March can end in disaster for young plants.
If you planted shrubs, roses and perennials in the autumn, an
essential little job is to check that they have not been loosened
with the recent hard frosts, and tighten down the soil around them
if necessary.
If you are new to vegetable growing and have decided to grow some
early potatoes, but are not sure which variety to grow, perhaps a
few details of some of the popular varieties will help you to choose
the one that you will enjoy.
First early potatoes should be planted from mid March to mid April,
weather and soil condition permitting, and will be ready to use in
10/12 weeks time, given reasonable growing weather.
Swift is one of the very earliest varieties with small white skinned
waxy tubes. Rocket is a widely grown first early, but should be
eaten as soon as possible when ready to lift, as it loses condition
very quickly. Not my choice.
Lady Chrisi is a real aristocrat of the potato world. She gives high
yields of smooth skinned waxy tubes with a first rate flavour and
has a good resistance to diseases.
Arran Pilot has been a favourite 1st early for 30 years; it is a
good all rounder with creamy white flesh medium size potatoes and
with good resistance to drought is good for sandy soil.
Maris Bard one of the most reliable earlies with a heavy crop of
smooth white good flavoured smooth tubers.
Foremost is a firm favourite, a heavy cropper with wonderful
flavoured smooth white fleshed tubers, not quite as early as the 5
previous varieties, but worth a place garden or allotment.
Pentland Javelin is a little bit later than most early varieties,
but is one of the most disease resistant potatoes, giving a very
good crop of slightly floury white tubes.
If you like red skinned potatoes, try Red Duke of York: a fine all
round variety with delicious moist yellow flesh, especially good as
an early salad potato.
To prolong the season of new potatoes, plant second early varieties
in late April/ early May to harvest about early August. Charlotte
2nd early is a very popular salad potato has waxy yellow flesh, and
an excellent flavour, with the advantage of a resistance to potato
scab and blight. Maxine is a later 2nd early variety, red skinned
with a waxy white flesh and a good flavour whichever way they are
cooked.
If you haven’t room in your garden to grow potatoes it is worthwhile
to grow early varieties in pots.
Plant one seed potato in an 8 inch pot, 3 in a 12 inch pot and 4 or
5 in a plastic sack. You can buy potato growing bags, but a black
sack (bin bag or used compost bag) are just as good. Put about 6
inch multi-purpose compost plus some general fertilizer in the
bottom, set in seed potatoes and cover with 4 inches of compost and
water. You can grow them on a patio or in a cold green house; earth
up the tops as you go along until the pot is full. Keep them moist
but not soaking wet, and be sure to protect tops from frost.
Finally don’t go mad with the digging on the first good day
outdoors. Stop and have a stretch and a break. If possible dig
facing the wind, so that your back muscles don’t get chilled. It
really does make sense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
