The Ultimate guide to growing potatoes. How to grow potatoes. Growing potatoes the easy way.
In this video ill show you how to select your potatoes, The varieties to choose from, whether its first earlies second earlies or maincrop and even potatoes grown from actual potato seeds!
So, lets start off with first early new potatoes:
Early potatoes, also known as "first earlies," are a group of potato varieties that grow quickly and are harvested earlier than maincrop varieties. These potatoes are prized for their tender texture and fresh, sweet flavour, making them ideal for boiling, salads, and light dishes.
First early potatoes are the earliest type of potatoes to be harvested, typically ready in about 10-12 weeks after planting.
• Size: Smaller and more tender than maincrop potatoes.
• Harvest Time: Typically, ready for harvest in early summer.
Some varieties:
• • Rocket: A very early variety, known for its high yield and round, white-fleshed tubers.
• • Swift: One of the fastest-growing varieties, with smooth-skinned, creamy white potatoes.
• • Foremost: A traditional variety with firm texture and excellent flavour, ideal for boiling.
• • Pentland Javelin: Another classic, producing uniform-sized tubers with white flesh and good resistance to disease.
• • Lady Christl: A modern variety with golden skin, offering exceptional taste and texture.
Second Earlies:
Second early potatoes are a type of potato that matures slightly later than first early potatoes but earlier than maincrop varieties. They are prized for their versatile uses in cooking, including boiling, roasting, and steaming. Here’s a detailed overview:
Characteristics of Second Early Potatoes
• Maturing Time: About 13–16 weeks after planting.
• Best Use: Good for salads, boiling, and light roasting.
Popular Varieties
1. 'Charlotte': A waxy, golden-skinned potato, ideal for salads and steaming.
2. 'Maris Peer': Creamy and smooth; perfect for boiling and keeping its shape.
3. 'Kestrel': Known for its disease resistance and attractive purple eyes.
4. 'Nicola': A waxy, yellow-fleshed variety with a buttery flavour.
5. 'Wilja': A versatile variety with excellent flavour.
Maincrop:
Maincrop potatoes are a type of potato typically harvested later in the season, around 18–20 weeks after planting. They are grown for their higher yield and larger tubers compared to early varieties. These potatoes are ideal for storing and are commonly used for roasting, baking, frying, and mashing.
Popular Varieties of Maincrop Potatoes
1. Maris Piper: Known for its fluffy texture, it's a versatile variety ideal for chips, roasting, and mashing.
2. King Edward: A classic variety with a creamy texture, perfect for roasting and baking.
3. Desiree: Red-skinned with a waxy texture, good for boiling, mashing, and salads.
4. Cara: Disease-resistant with a creamy flesh, great for baking and boiling.
5. Pink Fir Apple: A salad-type maincrop with a nutty flavour and knobbly shape.
I’m also growing Potatoes from actual seed. The variety I’m growing is:
Clancy. The are a creamy and tasty potato with a red skin. The have won awards for their taste and texture.
The seeds were donated by Robin . Go give robin a subscribe!!
Clancy potatoes are a unique and exciting type of potato that are grown from seed, rather than from seed tubers, as is common with most potatoes. Here’s what you need to know about them:
1. Type and Characteristics
• Variety: Clancy is the first All-America Selections (AAS) winning potato grown from seed.
• Plant Type: They produce robust, bushy plants with lovely green foliage and delicate pink to white flowers, making them attractive in the garden.
• Potatoes: The tubers are round to oval, with smooth red skin and creamy yellow flesh. They are medium-sized and suitable for a range of culinary uses, from roasting to boiling and mashing.
• Tubers are ready to harvest about 100-120 days after transplanting. You can dig up potatoes when the foliage begins to die back, or you can harvest early for "new potatoes."
I also take a visit to three garden centres searching out the best varieties for me and also to purchase my onion sets for spring planting. I also purchased a multitude of seeds ready for planting in march from lettuces, melons, cabbages, flowers, tomatoes, chillies, peppers.
The seeds were donated by Robin . Go give robin a subscribe!!
https://www.youtube.com/@RobinGardens
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I also discuss where to plant your potatoes and how to tackle tomato and potato blight.
WATERING SYSTEMS:
I also discuss 2 irrigation systems to aid with the watering.
Harvst Watering System:
https://www.harvst.co.uk/
Irrigatia Water System:
https://www.irrigatia.com/
Also discussed feeding the potatoes. What NPK for potatoes. The Nitrogen, Potassium and phosphorus ratio. Which is 5-10-10. Also the PH for the perfect soil to grow potatoes which is 5.5 – 6.5 on the ph scale.