FIRST EARLY VARIETIES
ACCENT –This potato has a uniform oval or round shape, light yellow smooth skin, with a waxy flesh which holds its shape and has a bland taste. It scrapes easily and is good
for sáuteeing.
ANNABELLE – Waxy yellow flesh, fine flavour, good cropper. * New to our list for 2008*
ARRAN PILOT – An old favourite. Kidney shaped; white flesh and skin. Matures early and rapidly but produces high yields if left later. Succeeds best in light soils. Waxy texture and good flavour. Moderate resistance to disease.
BELLE DE FONTENAY – A long slightly bent shape with pale yellow skin, yellow flesh; firm and waxy with an excellent buttery flavour. It improves with storage. Good eaten with the skins on and tosses in salad dressings also suitable for boiling and mashing.
DUKE OF YORK – Long, oval – shaped potato with pale whitish-yellow skin, and light yellow flesh. Firm cooked texture, and a rich, sweet flavour. Best eaten when young. It will succeed in nearly all areas and soil types amongst the first earlies.
DUNLUCE - Shape round to oval – white skin – creamy flesh with shallow eyes. Moderately firm textured creamy fleshed potato.
EPICURE – Round, with a white skin and creamy flesh, firm texture, but with deep eyes and a distinctive flavour. An old cultivar which is often chosen by those seeking an 'old fashioned' flavour. Suitable for baking and boiling. Hardier than most on cold, exposed sites.
FOREMOST - Oval shaped; white flesh and skin. This cultivar has an excellent reputation for high yields with a good flavour and slightly waxy texture. It is ideal for boiling and mashing.
HOME GUARD – Round to oval, white skin and creamy white flesh. Quite a floury dry texture and good almost bitter flavour, best eaten early. A World War II favourite which although has lost some of its vigour, is still a good choice for heavy soils. Good for boiling, chipping and roasting.
INTERNATIONAL KIDNEY – Long oval shaped tubers, with very flaky, white/yellow skin and creamy white flesh. More commonly known as Jersey Royals. Famous for being waxy with a delicious buttery flavour. Excellent for boiling / salads.
LADY CHRYSTL – Long oval tubers with pale yellow skin and flesh. Good disease resistance. Suitable for boiling and salads.
MARIS BARD - Oval shaped; white skin, white to cream flesh, soft yet waxy with an earthy taste. One of the most widely grown earlies, producing heavy crops of well-flavoured tubers. Suitable for boiling and most other methods but can disintegrate on cooking late in the season and lose its taste. Scab resistance is slight but resistance to virus is high.
ORLA – Oval shaped; white skin and cream flesh, reliable early boiling potato with lovely flavour. Good disease resistance. *New to our list for 2008*
OSPREY – Round/oval tubers. White with red eyes. Light yellow flesh. High yields. Very resistant to scab. Good bakers with smooth skin. Good cooking qualities.
PENTLAND JAVELIN – Medium sized oval, with a white skin and white flesh. It has a soft waxy texture. A good new potato, but also bakes well later in the season. This cultivar is later than most first earlies. Produces heavy crops which are resistant to scab and some strains of eelworm.
PREMIERE - Large oval potatoes with a light yellow skin, and firm yellow flesh. It has a good flavour, not as waxy as many early potatoes. Good for baking, boiling, chipping and roasting.
RED DUKE OF YORK – Large tasty oval tubers, deep red skin with pale yellow flesh. Suitable for new, roasting, summer bakers.
ROCKET – Uniformly round; white-skinned, white flesh. It is firm, waxy and well-flavoured. One of the earliest croppers. Ideal for baking, boiling, chipping, mashing, roasting and for use in salads.
SHARPES EXPRESS – Oval – pear-shaped, with white skin and creamy flesh. Quite good all round, but this potato needs careful cooking, especially when boiling. This cultivar is later than most, but tubers store well. A good choice for heavy soil.
SWIFT - Earliest potato to crop. Oval shaped, skin is pale yellow with creamy white flesh. Produces small tops and is excellent for planting in plastic tunnels and pots. Excellent for boiling and putting into salads.
ULSTER CHIEFTAIN - Oval shaped; white skin and flesh. One of the earliest cultivars. Produces high yields. Good all round cooking qualities.
ULSTER PRINCE – Long oval – white skinned – shallow eyed. Produces very large tubers in early season. Flesh white and slightly waxy.
ULSTER SCEPTRE – Small oval-shaped potatoes with yellow-white skin and creamy waxy firm flesh. Sometimes blackening can occur after cooking. Suitable for boiling, roasting and salads.
VANESSA - Oval shaped; red skinned tubers with yellow flesh. This cultivar has a good creamy flavour and is more tolerant of dry weather than most. Ideal for boiling and baking.
WINSTON – A uniform, oval-shaped potato with almost no eyes, creamy white skin and very firm texture. Very early. A new Scottish variety producing large crops of good shaped potatoes with excellent eating qualities, particularly good early season bakers. Fairly blight resistant.
SECOND EARLY VARIETIES
ANYA – Not as knobbly as Pink Fir Apple from which it was bred, therefore easier to prepare. Attractive pink skin with excellent scab resistance. Firm, waxy texture with a delicious nutty flavour.
CATRIONA – Large kidney-shaped potato, with skin that has beautiful purple splashes around the eyes; pale yellow flesh and a very good flavour. Crops well and haulm dies down early enough to miss blight attacks.
CHARLOTTE – Pear or oval-shaped; with pale yellow flesh, firm waxy texture, and a hint of chestnut flavour. A popular salad variety with good cooking qualities - excellent steamed.
ESTIMA – Uniform oval shape with shallow eyes. Light yellow skin and flesh is firm. It has a moist texture and mild flavour. A popular cultivar because of its attractively shaped tubers and heavy crops. It has an exceptionally long season. Scab can be a problem. Ideal for baking, boiling and chipping.
HARMONY – Uniform crop. Good-sized smooth white-skinned tubers. Good cooking characteristics - late sprouting. Keeps well. Eelworm resistant. Second Early/Main Crop variety.
KESTREL - Long oval shaped; white/blue skin, pale yellow flesh and purple eyes. A new Scottish variety reputed to have an excellent flavour. In recent trials this cultivar produced one of the highest yields of medium sized tubers. Ideal for baking, roasting and especially for chipping.
MARFONA - Oval shaped; yellow skin; pale yellow flesh. A high yielding variety which produces large uniform tubers and has good drought resistance. Ideal for boiling, baking, mashing and roasting. Good all round with no discolouration.
MARIS PEER – Round to oval-shaped with cream flesh and skin, eyes shallow to medium. Firm good texture ideal to use when young as new potatoes – they do not break up; later in the season they are good to bake. Good yields and some resistance to both scab and blight. It is drought sensitive and requires moist soils and ample irrigation in dry conditions.
MAXINE – Second Early/Main Crop. Smooth red skin with white waxy flesh. Remains firm on cooking, so ideal for boiling.
NICOLA – Oval to long oval-shaped tubers. Smooth yellow skin and deep yellow flesh. Shallow eyes. The texture is waxy with an excellent buttery taste. Good resistance to scab. Use at early maturity for salads / boiling.
NADINE - Oval shaped, creamy yellow skin and white flesh. Firm waxy texture, but a slightly bland taste. Produces high yields of relatively uniform tubers. Susceptible to drought, but is highly resistant to scab and some forms of eelworm. It has a firm cooked texture and is therefore ideal for boiling and roasting, larger ones are good to bake. Sometimes available as new potatoes with soft skin – easily scrubbed.
RATTE – Long oval shaped, yellow skin, very like the better known Pink Fir Apple but earlier. Great hot or cold, sliced diced or whole. A classic of French cuisine.
*New to our list for 2008*
SAXON – White skin, pale yellow flesh, a firm moist texture and excellent flavour. Heavy yields when left to mature. Versatile, good for cooking purposes – general purpose variety.
STROMA - Long oval shaped; red skin, yellow/pink flesh, floury texture and good flavour. This cultivar is high yielding particularly when lifted later. It is susceptible to slug damage but is highly resistant to scab. Very good for boiling, baking, mashing or roasting.
WILJA - Oval shaped; pale yellow flesh. It is a very popular cultivar due to its excellent flavour, cooking qualities, high yields and reliability. Ideal for boiling, baking and chipping.
MAINCROP VARIETIES
ARGOS – Early maincrop, very high yielding. Tubers oval, cream flesh, smooth white skin with medium shallow eyes. Good boiling qualities.
CARA - Round or oval shape; white skin with pink eyes, cream flesh. Mild flavour and moist waxy texture. High yielding late maincrop cultivar. Sprouted seed will ensure an earlier crop. Susceptible to slug damage. Resistant to some forms of eelworm. Ideal for all methods, especially wedging.
CELINE – High yielding, good resistance to common scab. Tubers oval to long oval, red skin, yellow flesh. Smooth skin – shallow eyes. General purpose – boiling / chipping.
CULTRA – Shape oval – skin partially - coloured - pink eye – cream flesh. Fairly dry mealy tubers with good flavour.
DÉSIREE - Oval shape with shallow eyes, smooth red skin, and pale creamy yellow flesh. A very popular cultivar due to its heavy cropping, consistent performance, and success in most soil types. It is tolerant of dry conditions and the firm textured tubers have an excellent flavour. Good all round cooking qualities – holds its shape well when cooked. Said to be the world’s most popular red potato.
EDZELL BLUE – Old revived variety. Purple/blue skin – white flesh – round shape.
GOLDEN WONDER – Heritage flavour, Scotland’s favourite premium potato. Long oval tubers with thick russet skin and white/cream flesh. Flowery texture, suitable for mashing.
ISLE OF JURA - Early maincrop, oval white skinned tubers with cream flesh. Excellent flavour and boils well.
KING EDWARD – Oval to kidney shaped; white skin with cream to pale yellow flesh and a floury texture. One of the best known potatoes. A moderate yielding cultivar with excellent cooking qualities, especially for mashing, roasting and baking.
MAJESTIC – Large oval shaped; white skin and soft white flesh, it has a mild flavour. An old cultivar which has maintained its reputation as fine chip-making potato. Moderate yielding. Prefers dry conditions.
MARIS PIPER - Oval shaped; cream skin and flesh, with a pleasant floury texture and taste. This cultivar produces an excellent yield and its cooking qualities are rated very highly. However its resistance to scab and slugs is low. Excellent for baking, boiling and roasting, but breaks up easily if overcooked. Popular in fish and chip shops.
NAVAN – Oval shape, white skin, flesh cream, shallow eyes. Good all round cooking quality – similar to Maris Piper – good for baking / chipping.
PENTLAND CROWN - Oval to round-shaped; with white skin and creamy white flesh. This late maincrop is claimed to produce higher yields than other popular cultivars. It is grown for its good resistance to blight, scab and virus, but its keeping qualities are only moderate. Ideal for baking, boiling or roasting.
PENTLAND DELL – Long oval shape – skin white – flesh white. Good cooking qualities – excellent chipper.
PENTLAND SQUIRE – Oval to round with white skin and creamy white flesh. The nearest rival to Pentland Crown for high yields, but differs by being an early maincrop with excellent cooking and keeping qualities. The tuber is unusually large and is therefore ideal for baking and roasting.
PICASSO – Oval-round-shaped tubers with quite deep red eyes. Pale skin with white waxy flesh. Very high yielding variety with attractive tubers. Suitable for boiling / salads.
PINK FIR APPLE – Long knobbly, misshapen potatoes with a pink blush on white skins and creamy yellow flesh. Firm and waxy with a delicious nutty flavour. This unusual cultivar is over a century old and is worth trying. They are delicious boiled as new potatoes or used cold in salads.
RECORD – Shape short, oval – skin yellow – flesh yellow. A mealy potato – good for chipping.
ROMANO – Round to oval-shaped; red skin with creamy flesh. A relatively new red skinned cultivar with a soft dry texture, with a nutty taste. A lovely colour which tends to pale during cooking to a soft rusty beige. It stores and cooks well but is susceptible to drought. Ideal for baking, boiling and roasting.
SANTE – Oval or round-shaped tubers. White skin light yellow flesh and a dry firm texture. Most successful organic potato. Resistance to potato cyst eelworm. Good natural resistance to disease. Can be used young as new potatoes, also suitable for roasting, boiling and chipping.
STEMSTER - Oval shaped; pink skin, yellow flesh. A very high yielding cultivar producing large tubers. Susceptible to slug damage but highly resistant to some forms of eelworm. Its firm cooked texture makes it ideal for baking.
VALOR – Oval shape with white skin and creamy flesh. High yielding cultivar. Resistant to Eelworm. Plant 30cm apart with 60cm between rows. High yielding maincrop potato.
ORGANIC POTATOES PRE-PACKED
New to Aylett nurseries for 2008 the following varieties are available in 1.5kg pre-packed bags
CARA
CHARLOTTE
DESIREE
MARIS PEER
RED DUKE OF YORK
PLANNING THE CROP
Potato cultivars fall into three main categories, First Early, Second Early and Maincrop. First Earlies form potatoes and bulk up very early, and are usually harvested in June, July and August, when the haulm is still green. Maincrop cultivars are lifted in the autumn when the haulm has died down. It is the Maincrop cultivars that are long keeping, and are relied upon for winter storage.
Potatoes grow best in an open position, which must not be a frost pocket. If grown in shade, the haulm, or green top, becomes lank and spindly as it reaches upwards for light.
Potatoes grow reasonably well in most soils, but the best results are obtained from land that has been well manured. Dig the ground in autumn or winter, working in compost or well-rotted manure at the rate of a bucketful to the square yard.
A fortnight before planting, dress the ground with a mixture of 2 parts superphosphate, 1 part sulphate of ammonia and 1 part sulphate of potash, using the mixture at the rate of 4oz per square yard (120g per square metre). Alternatively, apply a general fertiliser Such as Fish, Blood and Bone at 2-3 oz per square yard (60-90 g. per square metre).
SEED
When choosing potato "seed", it is important that "Certified Seed" is planted. Such seed has been inspected and grown under rigid conditions, so that it is certified virus-free. All seed potatoes sold at Aylett Nurseries are certified.
PREPARING SEED POTATOES FOR PLANTING
Having bought your seed potatoes take them from their bags and put in a cool, well-ventilated room. Set them in seed trays with their 'eyes' uppermost. It is from here that the sprouts will grow, this is known as "chitting". Chitting is vital for earlies and is useful for maincrop up until early March.
Place the trays in a cool room or greenhouse. In four or five weeks the sprouts should be sturdy and ideally, ½ -1” (12-25mm) long. Sprouted in this way, the potatoes have a longer growing season and produce a heavier crop.
GROWING POTATOES
Plant First Early potatoes between mid-March and early April. Plant Second Earlies in early April and Maincrop cultivars towards the end of the month. Use a draw hoe to make drills 4” deep and set the potatoes at the bottom of the drills so that the sprouts are upper most. Plant First Earlies 12” apart and 2ft between the rows. Main crops will need more room to develop – 15” between the tubers, and 36” between the rows. If some of the tubers are on the large side, they can be cut in half providing there are two or three healthy shoots on each half. The ideal size of a seed potato is about the size of a hen's egg.
When the first shoots appear draw soil over them with a hoe, increasing the height of the ridge, as protection from late frosts. Earth up the plants again when they are about 9” (230mm) high, and again a fortnight or so after that. Continue earthing at intervals until the foliage meets between the rows.
Early Potatoes may be grown in containers, large pots or tubs that are at least 40cm deep are ideal. Rest two chitted tubers on 10-13cm of compost in your chosen container, and then cover with 10cm of compost. Water them in and stand in a light sheltered spot. When the stems are 15cm tall add a further 10cm of compost, repeat until the plants have grown to 5cm over the top of the container.
PEST AND DISEASES
Many diseases, pests and disorders can attack potatoes and reduce yields, but only 4 are likely to be a serious threat: potato cyst eelworm, slugs, wireworm and blight.
An attack of potato cyst eelworm will make the plants appear weak and stunted. Lower leaves wither away; upper leaves are pale green and wilt during the day. Haulm dies down prematurely. Marble-sized tubers are produced.
Prevention: Practice crop rotation, especially in light soils. Do not grow potatoes or tomatoes on infected land for at least 6 years.
Slug attacks occur in damp conditions - slugs can ruin maincrop potatoes grown in heavy soil. Prevention: Avoid over-manuring. Apply a slug control in July. Lift the crop as soon as the tubers are mature.
Blight is the most serious potato disease, capable of destroying all the foliage during August in a wet season. The first signs are brown patches on the leaves. Look on the underside of the leaflets - each blight spot has a white mould fringe in damp weather.
Prevention: Plant healthy seed tubers. Spray with Dithane in July and repeat at fortnightly intervals if the weather is damp. If blight spots are already present, spraying will slow down the spread of the disease to other plants.
HARVESTING AND STORING
Potato-lifting time varies considerably from one part of the country to another, depending on prevailing climatic conditions. As a rough guide, you should be able to gather a few new potatoes when about 12-14 weeks have elapsed since planting.
To gather a few early potatoes before the crop as a whole is ready for digging, brush away a little soil from the sides of a ridge and remove any potatoes that have grown to the size of a hen's egg. Replace the soil over the smaller tubers and leave them to grow. They should at least double in size during the next two or three weeks, after which the crop can be lifted as required.
When lifting potatoes, insert the fork at least 6” (150mm) away from the stems to avoid impaling the tubers. Push it well into the side of the ridge so that the plant can be lifted and thrown between the rows in a single action.
Maincrop potatoes take at least 20 weeks to come to full maturity - that is, to be ready for storing. Some may be dug a few weeks earlier, but they will have to be used immediately since the skins will not yet have set.
Before lifting the entire crop, test one or two potatoes by rubbing the skin with your thumb. If the skin of the tuber does not rub off, the crop is ready for storing. Store potatoes in a dry, cool, but frost-free place. Place them in lightproof but ventilated containers such as boxes or hessian sacks, or pile them on a dry floor and cover with straw.
Even though the potato was being grown in England at the time of the Armada it was not until the Irish and Scottish famines of the 18th century when the potatoes true value was realised.
Since then it had become the 2nd most important food crop in Britain.
Homegrown potatoes have unequalled flavour, not to mention the satisfaction of eating your own produce!
Today there are numerous varieties from which to choose, to match variables such as soil type, required harvesting time, pest and disease infestations and your preference of flavour, texture and cooking uses.
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