Which potatoes do you recommend?

Any

Hi guys,

I am beginner grower and I am going to grow my potatoes in a tub. I currently have one, tried already last year but I am affraid that where I placed them was too dark and so didn't have much success.
This year I put them in more sun and try 2 varieties.

For most succes, can you please recommend what variety I need? There is so many and I have no idea!

I would like some new potatoes (for boiling) and also some for mash/roasting.

Please suggest easy to grow ones, for beginners.

Thank you

Linda32

Hi,

When you go to nurseries/garden centres/Wilkinsons they will have descriptions of the potatoes and what they are good for.

For growing in tubs, I'd imagine it would be best to go for small potatoes. So Pink Fir Apple are small, although very popular, there wasn't any left at the nursery I went to at the weekend. Charlotte is another good salad potato.

If you can, I would suggest a nursery rather than a garden centre. I got 20 seed potatoes for £1.78 at a nursery. We then went onto a garden centre, the same would have cost £5.00 :eek:

It might be abit late now for £1 shops but they were selling bags of 10, although not such a big selection of course.

Sally_A

I'm doing Lady Christl this year, in the ground though, not pots. Have a google for taterbase, it should take you to Dundry Nurseries site, the first earlies and extra earlies will be listed, along with waxiness or flouriness.

Pink fir apple are great tasting, but they are a waxy maincrop rather than an early and a right faff to peel/scrape as they are so knobbly: I go on the basis that a bit of mud won't do much harm, and if I boil them any nasties will have been zapped.

Rocket are supposed to be a good early.

sirbrainy

I'd avoid the main supermarket varieties as they are so cheap and easy to get.

For me, waxy varieties win as their kitchen value is worth the cost of the seed potatoes.

GreyQueen

After lots of experimenting on open ground on the allotments, I've come down in favour of Kestrel for flavour and yield but I have never tried them in tubs. Good luck with whichever ones you choose.

valentina

Nice to have a recommendation for Kestrel, that's what we've got for the allotment this year.
Sorry I've never grown potatoes in tubs but we always grow Pink Fir Apple and Charlotte on the allotment. I'd give Charlotte a try in tubs.

alleycat`

I tend to do 3 types a year.

Pentland Javelin, Kestrel and Desiree are the ones i most commonly try / use.

I'm also doing a small batch of Sarpo Mira this year (which i might then swap out the desiree's for in future years).

If i were you i'd have a stab with Kestrel as they are reasonably all rounder in their usage (quite common to get hold of) and they don't tend to get too large.

You can also lift some a bit early if you want to use them like a "new potato".

morg_monster

I had good success with Sharpe's Express in buckets last year. however I'm not doing them again as they broke apart when cooking, no matter what I tried. Tasted delicious though. This year I have got lady Christl.

For maincrop I did Rooster in the large potato bags, 3 to a bag, however I also planted 1 in a bucket as an experiment and the weight yield per potato was the same, so this year I am doing everything in buckets (the big potato bags were just too annoying for me and hard to empty without making a huge mess). Rooster was delicious whatever way we cooked it but most got used as oven chips, delicious.

grrmich

I've already ordered mine- salad blue. Never tried them before but am a sucker for any veg that's the wrong colour, and these retain their blue flesh when steamed apparantly. I'm interested to see how everyone gets on with all the different varities!

D&DD

For those who love the taste of Pink Fir but hate the peeling I usually grow Anya which is a cross of Pink Fir and Desiree,they crop really well have the same taste but hardly any real knobbly bits

This year as well as Anya, I'm going back in time with HomeGuard (first earlies) and Arran Victory (maincrop) two varieties which were grown in wartime due to their good cropping (we'll see..)

Mayflower10cat

Yes, Anya are very nice! In the same slightly knobbly, tasty, waxy family is an old variety called Ratte - they have a slight flavour of chestnuts and are very yummy. Also, 'International Kidney' is AKA Jersey Royals. Charlotte are very reliable. Oh, before I forget - last year we grew 'Edzell Blue' (it's a maincrop I think) and they made the most delicious chunky oven chips/roast potatoes, really special.