Forum home Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Best potato to grow

I just want to grow one variety of each type ie,first, second and maincrop. Can you advise best for taste

Posts

  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    I only grow small salad potatoes, largly because I don’t think large maincrop varieties  justify the growing space in my raised beds and I prefer the flavour of the little ‘uns. I have tried lots of different ones over they years, but don’t think you can beat Charlotte (latish first early) for taste, texture and reliability. I love Pink Fir Apple for its pink knobbly tubers and nutty flavour - these are later than Charlotte, variously classed as a second early, mature salad or a maincrop.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    For maincrop I love "Isle of Jura" really nice smooth oval tubers which make the best chips ever, and then "Carolus" which is a new dutch variety and is late blight resistant. And it really is it manages a month more than the Isle of Jura, so if you are prone to blight it's a great choice.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    When I grew potatoes I grew Charlotte, a 2nd early, but dug early it's like a new potato and left in the ground it's like an old potato. I didn't have a slug problem, I left them until I was ready to dig them up and they stayed there until autumn, well after the foliage died down. Good multi purpose.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    it depends a bit on how you want to cook them. Floury potatoes roast, mash and bake better and waxy ones make better boiled/salad potatoes

    I like Red Duke of York first earlies. 

    This site has links to one supplier with good descriptions of a very wide selection of varieties http://www.potato-days.net/ (not an advert - I have no connection to them).

    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • jude1jude1 Posts: 6
    Thank you. I have bought some Charlotte and Red Duke of York.  I am also going to put some in our Village Show this year and have gone for Bonnie which seem to be good for show. Looking forward to tasting them all
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    good luck  :)
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • BLTBLT Posts: 525
    I gave up with Earlies last year, instead I made succesive plantings of Kimg Edwards.. It was far more successful. I used containers and planted up a new one every 3 weeks..  I too would not waste time and space in my raised bed..
Sign In or Register to comment.