What potato to grow for an early crop

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fabindia
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What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by fabindia »

I notice that now all the Christmas stuff is being put away in the shops, they are bringing out the seeds and some even have seed potatoes for sale?

I am thinking of planting a few early cropping potatoes. Mrs Fab and I aren't really big mashed spud eaters but eat more salad type potatoes. So, any ideas for a good early cropper?
Michael
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lancashire lass
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by lancashire lass »

Sometimes it comes down to personal taste and also your soil - loads of people rave about International Kidney (the protected name is Jersey Royal) but grown in my soil they taste so bland.

For a first early I do like Arran Pilot and have been happy with Swift in the past (a dwarf plant in comparison), but on a rating list, Red Duke of York, Lady Christl and even Rocket seem to be favourites. Be warned that despite its name, Rocket actually takes as long as second earlies/early maincrop to develop.

For flavour, I actually prefer to grow second earlies - yes, they are in the ground about 2-4 weeks longer depending on the weather but make for some lovely tasty salad potatoes - the old favourite Charlottes is still on my list of preferables if I have to make a quick decision. And of course my all time top of the list fave is Vivaldi - not so much a boiled/salad spud, but still nice chopped up and in a stew (I much prefer it mashed with loads of butter) From experience, Juliette, Novella and BF15 were nice boiled, also Anya is a high yielding and tasty potato (developed from Pink Fir Apple but is smaller and easier to peel) which I can highly recommend.
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Mo
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by Mo »

Yes Arran Pilot is a good taste and quick growing.
Sharpe's Express is sometimes sold as an Early but is a second early. Lovely taste. One of those that the EEC tried to ban because, like King Edward, it is subject to blight, but we weren't having that. The snag if you let it grow big is that you have to steam not boil it or it turns into mush, the outer layer separates. I think it is a 'floury' rather than 'waxy' variety. They do seem to taste better (to me)
I tried Rocket one year when Arran Pilot had sold out. They grow big and fast but completely tasteless.
lancashire lass wrote:Sometimes it comes down to personal taste and also your soil
- maybe that was it.
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Freeranger
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by Freeranger »

Our gardening club organises a potato day - Anya & Pink Fir Apple are also both popular.
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Mo
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by Mo »

Oh drat. When I was picking out my seed spuds i thought I would get 5 Arran Pilot & 10 Sharps express, so I would know which bad was which.
When I came to set them out to sprout there seem to be 6 in each.
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lancashire lass
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by lancashire lass »

Freeranger wrote:Our gardening club organises a potato day - Anya & Pink Fir Apple are also both popular.


I know loads of people who rave about Pink Fir Apple as the best flavoured potato - it is a late main crop (dig up in mid-late September or about 26 weeks after planting) and that is one of its problems .... too long in the ground and therefore more prone to blight. The other thing is its shape - too knobbly for easy peeling (I like an easy life in the kitchen) and personally, I didn't find it an outstanding flavour to warrant growing it again.

Anya is the hybrid cross with PFA but is a much smaller potato but at least not as knobbly, and I can recommend it as tasty. It's more a second early than main crop potato.
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by Freeranger »

Apologies - I thought they were both 1st earlies. I'll stick to asking questions!
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lancashire lass
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by lancashire lass »

Freeranger wrote:Apologies - I thought they were both 1st earlies. I'll stick to asking questions!


Anya is still an early cropper - personally I prefer second earlies to first earlies for flavour. And it is a salad type spud too.
fabindia
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by fabindia »

Can you actually buy Anya? I thought was exclusive to Sainsbury's.
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by lancashire lass »

fabindia wrote:Can you actually buy Anya? I thought was exclusive to Sainsbury's.


do you mean from the supermarket or seed potato? I can't help with the supermarket because I grow my own so I don't look, but most online seed suppliers sell seed potatoess - for example, DT Brown
fabindia
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Re: What potato to grow for an early crop

Post by fabindia »

I thought both. They were developed and exclusively grown for Sainsburys. I thought they were a bit like some plants you buy at the garden centre that actually say it is prohibited to take cuttings from or grow from seed. Obviously, I was wrong.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anya_potato
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