There are three main types of potato to grow, named according to when you plant and harvest them: first earlies, second earlies and maincrop. First early or ‘new’ potatoes are so-called because they are the earliest to crop, in June and July. Second earlies (also called ‘new’ potatoes) are hot on their heels, taking a few more weeks to mature. They are ready from July.
These two types are expensive in the shops and taste better when just harvested, so many people grow these. They also take up less room in the veg patch, and are less prone to potato blight, as they are generally harvested before the disease has taken hold. There are also some more unusual seed potato varieties that have blue, purple or red flesh – if you’re looking for something different, try the maincrop varieties ‘Heidi Red’, which has red skin and flesh, and makes a good salad potato, or ‘Blue Annelise’, which has blue flesh.
Maincrop potatoes take the longest to mature and are harvested from late August to October. They are suitable for baking, roasting and mashing, and can be stored for a few months. Floury potato varieties are good for baking and mashing, whereas waxy potato varieties make good additions to a salad. Growing potatoes is easy – plant one seed potato, and you dig up lots of potatoes a few months later.
According to Kew Gardens, there are now over 5000 varieties of potato. We’ve listed some of the most popular early and maincrop potato varieties to grow in the UK, below.
Potato varieties to grow
‘Red Duke of York’
Potato type: First early When to plant: March When to harvest: June and July
A large new potato with red skin and yellow flesh that has a floury texture. This heritage variety is a versatile all rounder that can be baked,
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There's perhaps no vegetable more humble than the potato. This starchy spud grows quietly underground but, once you've dug up your harvest, you're treated to everything from sides dishes like perfectly crisp homemade french fries to scalloped potatoes to recipes from breakfast to dinner. Potatoes are the versatile workhorse of the kitchen and, depending on the variety you plant, your harvest season could last several months.
The principal requirements of the potato plant are adequate available food, sufficient water, good drainage and the type of soil in which tubers may swell easily. An open, unshaded site is very necessary. Light soils are considered very suitable, provided they have been dressed with large quantities of moisture-retaining organic matter. A heavy soil may also be improved structurally by the addition of organic material. A reasonably light, easily worked loam is probably the ideal. Where farmyard manure is available, it may be dug in during winter digging at the rate of up to 50kg (1cwt) to 6 sq m (6 sq yd). Garden compost may be applied even more generously during winter digging or as a mulch after planting. If a compound potato fertilizer is raked into the soil before planting, use it at the rates advised by the manufacturer.
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