Potty about Potatoes
Potty about Potatoes
There are so many different potato varieties, usually described as early, second early and maincrop potatoes. These names indicate when they crop and also give you an idea of the space you'll need, how closely and when they can be planted.
First Early :
First
early potatoes are perfect if you want to grow small, new potatoes and
should be planted from the end of February to late May. They'll be ready
to harvest in about 10 weeks from the planting date. It's a good idea
to 'chit' these varieties before planting - this produces long shoots
from which the plants will grow. First early potatoes are ideal for
growing in potato patio planters or containers. If you are short on
Space and would love to Grow Potatoes The PotatoPot is ideal for you.
A few of our most popular First earlies are
Sharpes Express,: ‘Sharpe’s Express’ is a favourite early in Ireland for good reason. It is unusual amongst ‘earlies’ in that it is a floury potato . Ideal for steaming
HomeGaurd : a superior potato with excellent flavour
Pentland Javeiln: A lovely soft waxy-textured new potato with white skins and flesh that is ideal for boiling as a salad or new potato
Other varities great that are great preformers are the duke of york, red duke. and Casablanca
It's also worth remembering that earlies are less likely to encounter pest problems as they're lifted so much earlier in the year.
SECOND EARLIES
Second earlies take 16 to 17 weeks to mature after planting, so you should be able to harvest them from very late June through to the start of August.
Kestrel - An exhibition winner – with outstanding taste
Maris Peer: A favourite amongst gardeners. wonderful Flavour
British Queen : This variety is over 100 years old and still highly prized for its yield, shape, floury texture and delicious flavour.
Maincrop
Maincrops are ready 18 to 20 weeks after planting, so they can be lifted usually from July through to October. Maincrops take up the most space in the garden, but they tend to be the best varieties to grow if you want some for storage.
Sarpo Mira : Blight resistant winner: unprecedented blight resistance, good slug resistance and it grows well in a wide range of soils. Potato 'Sarpo Mira' produces huge yields of tasty, floury tubers that have a long storage potential.
Cara : An allotment Favourite: Excellent for baking and Chipping.
Kerrs pink:: the good old favourite in Ireland . This variety accounts for 25% of potatoes grown in Ireland.
How to chit : Chitting simply means encouraging the seed potatoes to sprout before planting.. Start Chitting
Now . Each seed potato has a more rounded, blunt end that has a number
of 'eyes'. Stand the tubers with the blunt end uppermost in trays or
old egg boxes, with plenty of natural light . Keep this room cool. The
potatoes are ready to be planted out when the shoots are 1.5-2.5cm
(0.5-1in) long.
How to plant
Before planting make sure you prepare your soil well. I would recommend adding Vitax organic potato fertiliser to the bed or container. this will provide your potato tubers with necessary nutrients with this carefully balanced fertiliser. It's 100% organic and has been developed to promote growth and increase the size of your potato harvests. Apply as a top dressing at the time of planting the potato tubers. It can also be used for other root vegetables.
Plant your chitted potatoes when the soil has started to warm up, usually from ST PATRICKS DAY.
Plant early potatoes about 30cm (12in) apart with 40-50cm (16-20in) between the rows, and second earlies and maincrops about 38cm (15in) apart with 75cm (30in) between the rows.
Handle your chitted tubers with care, gently setting them into the trench with the shoots pointing upwards, being careful not to break the shoots. Cover the potatoes lightly with soil.
As soon as the shoots appear, earth up each plant by covering it with a ridge of soil so that the shoots are just buried.
You need to do this at regular intervals and by the end of the season each plant will have a small mound around it
There are so many different potato varieties, usually described as early, second early and maincrop potatoes. These names indicate when they crop and also give you an idea of the space you'll need, how closely and when they can be planted.
First Early :
First
early potatoes are perfect if you want to grow small, new potatoes and
should be planted from the end of February to late May. They'll be ready
to harvest in about 10 weeks from the planting date. It's a good idea
to 'chit' these varieties before planting - this produces long shoots
from which the plants will grow. First early potatoes are ideal for
growing in potato patio planters or containers. If you are short on
Space and would love to Grow Potatoes The PotatoPot is ideal for you.A few of our most popular First earlies are
Sharpes Express,: ‘Sharpe’s Express’ is a favourite early in Ireland for good reason. It is unusual amongst ‘earlies’ in that it is a floury potato . Ideal for steaming
HomeGaurd : a superior potato with excellent flavour
Pentland Javeiln: A lovely soft waxy-textured new potato with white skins and flesh that is ideal for boiling as a salad or new potato
Other varities great that are great preformers are the duke of york, red duke. and Casablanca
It's also worth remembering that earlies are less likely to encounter pest problems as they're lifted so much earlier in the year. SECOND EARLIES
Second earlies take 16 to 17 weeks to mature after planting, so you should be able to harvest them from very late June through to the start of August.
Kestrel - An exhibition winner – with outstanding taste
Maris Peer: A favourite amongst gardeners. wonderful Flavour
British Queen : This variety is over 100 years old and still highly prized for its yield, shape, floury texture and delicious flavour.
Also great varities in second earlies are charoltee or try the unusual Shetland black. (A dark purple potato)
Maincrop
Maincrops are ready 18 to 20 weeks after planting, so they can be lifted usually from July through to October. Maincrops take up the most space in the garden, but they tend to be the best varieties to grow if you want some for storage.
Sarpo Mira : Blight resistant winner: unprecedented blight resistance, good slug resistance and it grows well in a wide range of soils. Potato 'Sarpo Mira' produces huge yields of tasty, floury tubers that have a long storage potential.
Cara : An allotment Favourite: Excellent for baking and Chipping.
Kerrs pink:: the good old favourite in Ireland . This variety accounts for 25% of potatoes grown in Ireland.
If you love steamed potaoes Arran Victory is the one for you.
How to chit : Chitting simply means encouraging the seed potatoes to sprout before planting.. Start Chitting
Now . Each seed potato has a more rounded, blunt end that has a number
of 'eyes'. Stand the tubers with the blunt end uppermost in trays or
old egg boxes, with plenty of natural light . Keep this room cool. The
potatoes are ready to be planted out when the shoots are 1.5-2.5cm
(0.5-1in) long.How to plant
Before planting make sure you prepare your soil well. I would recommend adding Vitax organic potato fertiliser to the bed or container. this will provide your potato tubers with necessary nutrients with this carefully balanced fertiliser. It's 100% organic and has been developed to promote growth and increase the size of your potato harvests. Apply as a top dressing at the time of planting the potato tubers. It can also be used for other root vegetables.
Plant your chitted potatoes when the soil has started to warm up, usually from ST PATRICKS DAY.
Plant early potatoes about 30cm (12in) apart with 40-50cm (16-20in) between the rows, and second earlies and maincrops about 38cm (15in) apart with 75cm (30in) between the rows.
Handle your chitted tubers with care, gently setting them into the trench with the shoots pointing upwards, being careful not to break the shoots. Cover the potatoes lightly with soil.
As soon as the shoots appear, earth up each plant by covering it with a ridge of soil so that the shoots are just buried.
You need to do this at regular intervals and by the end of the season each plant will have a small mound around it
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