Waterford Food Producers network

Guide to Growing Potatoes

Potato Varieties available 2009 - buy only certified seed potatoes (garden grown tubers can carry bacteria & fungal pests)

First Early Arran Pilot - Duke of York - Epicure - Home Guard - Lady Christl - Maris Bard - Red Duke of York - Sharpes Express
1. Arran Pilot - Traditional favorite New Potato, white flesh, firm waxy texture.
2. Duke of York - New Potato/General Purpose, pale yellow tubers & dry mealy texture.
3. Epicure - Floury New Potato, white skin & creamy white flesh.
4. Home Guard - New Potato, firm creamy white dry flesh.
5. Lady Christl - Baby New Potato, lots of very early firm, oval, pale yellow tubers. Good disease resistance.
6. Maris Bard - New Potato/Salad, white flesh & good drought resistance.
7. Red Duke of York - New Potato/Roast/Summer baker/General Purpose, moist yellow flesh, good flavour, best summer        baker.
8. Sharpes Express- Floury New Potato/Chips, high dry matter, good flavour.

Second Early British Queen - Charlotte - Maris Peer - Pink Fir Apple - Shetland Black
1. British Queen - Chips/Baker/Roast/General Purpose, floury texture, good flavour.
2. Charlotte - Salad variety, creamy yellow flesh, very good flavor.
3. Maris Peer - Boiling/Chips/Baking, creamy flesh (will not disintegrate during cooking).
4. Pink Fir Apple - Knobbly pink skinned tubers, yellow waxy flesh, very good flavour.
5. Shetland Black - Heirloom variety, purple ringed yellow flesh, flowery potato, very good flavour.

Early Maincrop Harlequin - Sarpo Mira
1. Harlequin (New variety) - A cross between Charlotte & Pink Fire Apple, pale yellow flesh, very good flavour.
2. Sarpo Mira (Blight Resistant) - All rounder for cooking, floury tubers, good storage & good slug resistance.

Maincrop Cara - Desiree - Golden Wonder - Kerr’s Pink - King Edward - Maris Piper - Romano - Rooster - Sarpo Axona
1. Cara - Baker/General Purpose, soft moist flesh, withstands drought, very disease resistant, including Blight.
2. Desiree - Good for all cooking, a very good Baker, pale yellow, firm waxy flesh, good drought resistance
3. Golden Wonder - Baker/Fry/Roast/Microwave, rich flavour, improves on storage, good cropper, slug resistant.

Potatoes are easy !

Just putting a seed tuber/potato into some sort of growing medium will almost certainly produce a worthwhile crop.

Chitting Potatoes   (Chits (shoots)
Set the tubers up e.g. in empty seed trays, eye (sprout) end(s) upwards in light, but not in sun, e.g. on a windowsill of a north facing room (the warmer the room the quicker the process) to establish strong green chits.
* However chitting is not essential.

Planting Situations
1. Can be grown in large pots or tubes, which must be at least 18” (45cm) deep or potato barrels.
2. Can be grown under black plastic sheeting - & no earthing-up is involved.
3. Plant early potatoes in a tunnel or greenhouse in Jan/Feb (then you could expect to eat them by May)
4. Plant outdoors Feb. (weather permitting) through to May.

Soil
Ideally, potatoes like well dug, deep soils with plenty of rotted organic matter added & prepared the previous Autumn.
Trenches are dug at spade depth in Spring and the bottom filled with manure, compost, seaweed or wilted comfrey leaves, then some soil is added before the tubers are placed and covered. Loosen the soil either side of the trench with a fork to leave it ready for earthing up as the plants emerge & grow.
There are easier ways - simply place the tubers on the soil surface & cover with compost & soil. Later on as the shoots emerge, more compost can be added & soil raked over them & the drills tidied up.      You will get a crop.
Alternatively, make flat or V shaped drills. Plant the tubers in the rows with sprout ends upwards, take care with chatted tubers not to damage the sprouts. Rake the soil back over the drills leaving a slight 3” (8cm) ridge of soil over the drills.
If soil is reasonably light it saves time & effort to make holes with a dibber & drop the tubers in, then cover over with soil - then earth up later on as required.

Planting Distances
First & Second Earlies:Plant 12” (30cm) apart between each tuber in the rows - space rows 18” (45cm) apart.
Early & Late Maincrops:Plant 15” (37.5cm) apart between each tuber in the rows - space rows 27” (67.5cm) apart.

Earthing -Up
When the foliage (haulm) has grown a few inches, earth up the drills with a rake or hoe. This gives the plants a volume of soil to grow in, improves drainage, controls weeds & improves ventilation around the base of the plants. Repeat this process as necessary as the plants grow until the foliage has grown too big to allow you to repeat the process.

Harvesting
Earlies should be harvested fresh as required (if the variety flowers, the opening of the first flower is the sign that there are edible tubers underneath). Many of the low dry matter earlies are best eaten fresh, small & with loose skin.
Tubers to be stored - when the foliage has died back the tubers need to be left in the ground for 2 weeks to allow the skin to set (set skin helps to stop the tubers drying out & going rubbery). Harvest the tubers on a dry day, pick out any damaged tubers for immediate use & store the best intact tubers.

Storage
Store in a cool, frost free, dark place ( potatoes exposed to light turn green & are bitter & poisonous ).

Note:
***If the young shoots are emerging into late frosts, draw some soil over them or cover with straw.
If frost does get onto the foliage spray the foliage with water to wash off the frost before the sun shines on the plants or it will burn the foliage.
***Water growing potatoes in dry weather - potatoes need water.
***Blight - in early July spray for blight & once every fortnight after that until September.

Seed Suppliers:-
Local Garden Centres
Local DIY Stores
Waterford Co-op, Kilmeaden
The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co. Leitrim Tel:- 071-9854338
Irish Seed Savers, Scariff, Co. Clare Tel: 061-921866 www.irish seedsavers.ie
Thompson & Morgan Seeds from Mr. Middleton, Dub. Tel:01-8731118 www.mrmiddleton.com
Brown Envelope Seeds, Skibbereen, Co. Cork Tel:-028-38184
Seed Direct, Buckinghamshire, UK. e.mail:-support@seeddirect.co.uk