Growing Potatoes

The potato or Solanum Tuberosum is a hugely common and popular vegetable that has become one of the most widely used vegetables in the UK and has become part of our staple diet. After all no traditional roast dinner would be complete without roast or mash potatoes and we would be lost without fish and chips!

It is thought that the first potatoes were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers in the Sixteenth century from South America. However, it was not widely used or accepted as a stable and suitable vegetable for a number of years but after the Eighteenth century it emerged as a reliable and nutritious staple food source.

Over the years many different potato varieties have emerged each with their own flavour and growth habits. Typically these varieties are categorised into three different areas according to when they are harvested. These categories include First Early, Second Early and Maincrop varieties.

Types of Potatoes

One of the major decisions you will need to make when growing potatoes is which type of potato you want to grow. Potatoes are available in a range of shapes and sizes, each with their own distinct flavour and character.

A good garden centre will be able to advise you on which varieties are best suited to certain uses, for example the Charlotte and Aaron Pilot make excellent salad potatoes where as the King Edward and Desiree make brilliant mash! Whatever your reasons for choosing to grow a particular variety you need to ensure you recognise which of the following categories your variety belongs too as this will affect when and how it should be grown.

First Early Varieties - Early varieites provide new potatoes during the summer months.

• Aaron Pilot - An old favourite with long, white flesh that grows well in light soil.
• Duke of York - Will grow in most areas with a very fine flavour. Is oval shaped with yellow flesh.
• Rocket - Has grown in popularity with good yield of round, white flesh potatoes.
• Pentland Javelin - A modern variety with white flesh and an oval shape. Reasonably resistant to scab and eelworm and is later than other first early varieties.
• Maris Bard - Very early variety that produces waxy and well flavoured tubers.

Second Early Varieties - Slightly later varieties of first earlies but still earlier than most maincrop varieties.

• Wilja - One of the most popular second early varieties. Oval shaped with pale yellow flesh known for its reliability, high yields and cooking qualities.
• Maris Peer - Has some resistance to scab and blight but does not do well in dry soil that is not irrigated. Has an oval shape with white flesh.
• Nadine - New variety that has round shape and white flesh. Very good flavours and rumoured to be resistant to eelworm.
• Estima - Oval, pale yellow fleshed potato that produces very heavy crops but that can be susceptible to Scab.

Maincrop Varieties - Maincrop varieties provide high yields of tubers for storage throughout the winter months.

• Maris Piper - Very high quality cooking potato that has become hugely popular thanks to its high yields and creamy flesh. Can fall victim to scap and slug problems if not monitored.
• Desiree - Oval shaped with pale yellow flesh and ability to grow in most soil types. Had good drought resistance and excellent flavour and is recognisable for its pinky coloured skin.
• King Edward - A classic example and very well-known variety recognised for its quality. Oval with creamy flesh.
• Pink Fir Apple - Unusual variety with long yellow flesh not know for high yields by with a new potato flavour.

Where to Get Your Potatoes

It is vital that you only buy potatoes from a reputable supplier who can provide you with certified virus-free seeds as these will provide you with a high quality yield that are disease free. Any reputable garden centre or nursery will be able to provide high quality seed potatoes alongside any garden equipment you might need to help grow your potatoes.

Chitting

Before planting your potatoes it is necessary to 'chit' them. Chitting is a relatively simple process that will help to accelerate the maturity of your tubers and shorten their growing time. If you do intend to chit your potatoes then it may be necessary to plan ahead and buy your potato seeds around 6 weeks prior to when you intend to plant them.

Take your seed potatoes (which should be around the size of a hen's egg) and place them into an old egg box or shallow tray with around an inch of dry peat. Your potatoes should be placed in the box with their rose end up (the end that would typically have the most 'eyes' or the widest end).

The boxes or trays should then be placed in a room that is frost-free, out of direct sunlight and has a moderate temperature. It will take approximately 6 weeks for the potatoes to complete the 'chitting' process after which you should not remove any of the sprouts.

Other Information

You might also find our articles on How to Grow Potatoes in the Garden, How to Grow Potatoes in Containers and Potato Pests and Diseases helpful.