Potatoes - first lot

Gardening to 'grow your own food' from square foot to half an acre !!
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Gwenoakes
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Potatoes - first lot

Post by Gwenoakes »

Just had our first lot of potatoes from the bags I put in at beginning of April. Very nice they were too and lots more to come.
One problem though, if I want to repeat these potatoes I cannot remember what they are called! :oops:
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Mo
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

Post by Mo »

We can't help you there!
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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lancashire lass
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

Post by lancashire lass »

maybe we can get a rough idea ....

1. where did you buy the potatoes (were they seed potatoes, or from your kitchen?)

2. can you take a photo of the potatoes (with something next to them so we can get an idea of size)? Need to see skin colour, texture, blemishes, shape of the tuber. Describe the colour of the potato flesh - is it clean white, off white or yellowish and so on?

3. did the plants flower, and what colour (white, pale lilac, deep purple?)

4. in an earlier post about when to harvest, you mentioned about being an early variety so we may be able to whittle it down to a few known varieties

5. are they "new" potatoes, "salad" or "ordinary"? That is, would you compare to a Jersey Royal, Charlotte or just like a standard potato for cooking?
Gwenoakes
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

Post by Gwenoakes »

Hi, got the potatoes from a garden centre, spur of the moment decision.
Flesh is white, but skin doesn't come off easily, no blemishes on those we have picked.
Flowers were pale lilac and white.
I would think they are a standard cooking potato, but not sure. Never looked at depth into potatoes before. LOL
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Mo
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

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An excellent greengrocer in my nearest village (not there now {cry} ) told me there are 2 types of spud. Waxy & floury. The floury ones tend to fall to bits in the water if you boil them - but I think have the best flavour, e.g. Sharpes Express, King Edwards. Luckily someone on here recommended steaming them so I no longer have potato soup.
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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lancashire lass
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

Post by lancashire lass »

Hmmm, garden centres can stock a wide variety so might be more difficult. If on the other hand they were already bagged up from a commercial supplier (they tend to reduce the varieties down to popular names, so it might be possible to reduce the list a little) Anyway, a few guesses from me, so see if anything looks familiar .....

Lilac and white flowers - could be:

Arran Pilot - one of my favourite early potatoes
Maris Bard, Maris Piper or Maris Peer
Duke of York - very popular potato (never grown it myself)
Nadine - another tasty early potato
Wilja

but some other typical popular potatoes from garden centres (can't remember colour of flowers) tend to be:

Foremost - actually another nice potato
Pentland Javelin - I found these tasted better after storage rather than from dug up
Sharpes Express - never grown this one but seems to be another popular variety
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Spreckly
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

Post by Spreckly »

We're eating ours now Gwen, nothing like your home grown is there. Hope you find out what they are called.
Gwenoakes
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

Post by Gwenoakes »

Hi, Duke of York seems to be ringing a bell, but not sure, LL.
If I keep a few of these potatoes and let them 'chit' if that is the right word, would that work? If that is a daft question please ignore me and I will go away to a quiet corner and not raise this subject again. LOL
These boiled well and were not floury, Mo.
Yes, Spreckly I think I am converted to growing more potatoes, even if not the same ones.
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Mo
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Re: Potatoes - first lot

Post by Mo »

Sharpes express boil fine when small but as soon as they get big they seem to separate into layers and the outside goes to mush before the inside is cooked. So not Sharpes then
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