[FfionD]

Hi everyone, I wonder if you can advise me in my search for the best potato to grow!

These are the considerations:
* We want medium to large potatoes to use for chips, roasties, mash. Not interested in new potatoes. I parboil, so must hold together!
* We are starting the plot new this year from a field so worried about wireworm
* Scared of blight!
* We're in North Wales, so relatively cool and damp. Worried about slugs...
* We'd like a good crop to store some.

Should we go for a maincrop? Setanta? Sarpo Mira? Cara? Or would a second early get to a good enough size for chips?

Thanks for any advice or experiences. I may be asking too much - the Goldilocks potato!

[Kev C]

I'd have a look at the DT Browns website. I've got my tatties from them for years. They offer simple advice for each variety although many are already sold out.
I've moved to the Highlands last year and had a big problem with scab on my mains but no my Anyas. They are without a doubt one of the easiest crops to grow, never had a problem with blight...but accept that it depends on the weather conditions etc.
Good luck with whatever crop you decide to go for.

[Melias farm]

Other than mash I’d look at Shetland black potatoes.
I’ve not mashed them as can’t say hand on heart what they are like.
My super fussy 11 year old won’t eat any other potatoe without making me very aware of his displeasure
They grow in Shetland so I’d say wales wouldn’t be an issue.
I’ll be growing them here in sussex this year

[Fleecewife]

Before we settled here in Southern Scotland, we moved around a lot so I have grown veggies in many parts of the UK including Anglesey.  For potatoes I have found that a variety which does well in one place may not succeed in another.  For me, I used to grow Desiree for all the reasons you cite, but when we moved here it failed miserably!  So it boils down ( ) to experimentation.  You might want to try a selection of varieties rather than growing just one kind.  In past years I have grown 3 kinds at a time, one salad potato and two different general purpose ones, trying one new variety each year. This year we are concentrating on just the maincrop GP types. As our place used to be a potato farm I can only grow Blight Resistant varieties.  The seed catalogues used to blare on about precise degrees of blight resistance but I've noticed they have gone a bit quiet about it now.
The two varieties I'm growing this year, sourced from JBA in Annan so good Scottish seed potatoes, both blight resistant, are Setanta and Carolus.  Setanta is deep red, sturdy and a tiny bit 'agricultural' in texture here but it grows well, crops heavily and makes superb roasties and wedges, chips and mash. It also stores well. Carolus is my favourite, it has skin blotched with pink, is a bit more 'elite' in flavour but just as tough in the growing. It does all the things Setanta does too. Carolus is the one we run out of first!
For roasting I prefer a potato which softens a bit after a shoogle in the pan before adding to fat for roasting as it gives a lovely crispy texture - a trick learned from one of my sons 


For slugs, when you plant the tubers, sprinkle a small amount of Organic slug pellets, which dissolve to iron which is naturally found in soils, around the tuber before covering it with soil.  This helps but actually in spite of having probably more cold and wet than Wales does, we don't get too many slugs any more here.
For Blight, keep alert and cut off any dodgy looking leaves as soon as you see them. Slide them into a plastic sack so as not to spread the spores and dispose of them either by burning or in the bin. If the whole plant gets it, carefully cut off all the foliage, same deal with the sack and no spore spreading and leave the tubers in the ground for a while so any spores get washed away before digging them up and seeing what you've got. Use those straight away. The suggested varieties are both blight 'resistant' but that doesn't mean 'proof'.


I don't like the Sarpo brand - they really are agricultural to my taste, quite coarse.

[Possum]

Fleecewife is right - a lot depends on the soil and environment. When we had an allotment (sandy soil) we grew Aran Pilot for years. Reliable and absolutely delicious. However, when we tried growing them on Somerset clay they were small and tasteless. So there may be a bit of trial and error involved.


Having said that, Maris Piper is widely grown and is great for roasties and mash.

[Anke]

Should we go for a maincrop? Setanta? Sarpo Mira? Cara? Or would a second early get to a good enough size for chips?

Sarpo Mira - will fall apart on cooking/steaming, other than that I have grown it,mainly because of its blight resistance.


We now grow almost exclusively Charlotte - yes it is a salad potato, BUT it stores very well and we have used it for all sorts. except chips. It also avoids blight as you harvest at the end of July.

[PipKelpy]

Very similar question to which sheep/cow/pig breed isn't it? We all have our favourites but would they suit you?

Spuds, love them! When I buy from shops to eat Maris Peer, Maris Piper, at a push King Edwards. All ideal for me and my purposes.

But growing I like Rudolf!

Couldn't get any for this year so have Jazzy again (tried last year instead of Charlotte, really nice and a good crop) and am trying Blue Danube i think it's called and a Sarpo something or other.

Have any of you forgotten you've bought seed spuds, forgot to chit them and then discovered a mess of sprouts??

That's me today. All now planted, but apparently, Jazzy yes, the other 2 no! I have Purple Majesty and Heidi Red! I could have sworn I ordered the 2 I originally said but never mind, something new and unusual!