Potatos

Harvest is now in apart from some International Kidneys (Jersey Royals) that we are digging and eating as needed.

I grow the same varieties year on year for the bulk of the crop, plus a couple of trials/extras.

Normal crop yield is around 4 of the green trays full as seen in the photos below, this years bumper harvest is I think down to the addition of rockdust @1KG per sq metre. Please read this topic for my previous rock dust experiment/trial http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/rock-dust-non-scientific-trial-and-results.68771/

It must be remembered that rockdust is NOT a feed it replaces trace elements in the soil used up in previous years intensive growing. You still have to get everything else right from digging, planting, feeding and watering etc etc, even the weather has to play ball too.



Under my right arm is five trays of Kestrel (second early), I started digging these up at the end of July, the previous three weeks weather had been apalling with virtually no sun to speak of. Those three weeks are the majority of the time the plants woould be swelling the tubers, so overall the tuber size is down on what I expect from this potato, however the overall yield is well over doubled on last year. 5 trays here in the photo, 1 tray already processed and frozen.

Directly under my left arm are the King Edwards (Maincrop) (2 trays), again overall tuber size is down but yield is up, similar to the Kestrel above. I grow these to roast only.

Next to the King Edwards at the back on the right is one of this years trials called Picasso (Main crop). This has performed incredibly well, tubers are huge, yield is massive. Two trays yield from only ten seed potatos, thats approaching 100lb of potatos !! This variety is descended from Cara, Cara are the variety you will find sold as baking potatos in the supermarket. I tried Cara last year and they where rubbish on our plots.



In the front on the right are another favourite of mine (not grown every year though), Pink Fir Apples (Maincrop). These alien like potatos cannot be bought easily in the shops to eat. They look great and taste fantastic, same as the kestrel and King Edward, tuber size down but overall yield up.



The blue potato are Salad Blue (Maincrop) and was the other of this years trials, skin is blue so is the flesh inside.



Overall yield this year has almost trebled and I put that down to the rockdust, if we had had weather that we normally expect in July, then tuber size would have increased quite significantly (and thus overall yield too). But we still have more than enough to see us though until harvest 2016. I have and will continue giving some away to friends and neighbours also.

Next year I will grow our standard set again, that is.

International Kidney (Early maincrop or second early) I grow and treat as first early.
Kestrel (Second early)
King Edward (Maincrop)

Picasso will be trialed again, but in 3 different spots on the plot this time.
One other, yet to be decided.

Steve...

 

Brilliant crop Steve, well done

 

Excellent Exceptional crop. In 2011? I had about 6 or 7 sacks left to store in the shed after eating earlies and maincrops as they were dug (bit of a PITA checking them all regularly for rotten ones), but I've severely cut back on the amount of spuds I grow due to crop failures from blight and/or Springs so wet they've rotten in the ground.

What sort of weights are you getting for individual spuds?

 

Just weighed the first 6 out of the crate. Smallest 10oz, largest 1lb 1oz, there are many bigger than that.

Steve...

 

Isn't it a bit early to be lifting maincrop spuds?

 

I don't think so, planted end of March they had flowered and the plants where dieing down.

Steve...

 

now you have lifted these Steve, what do you do next?

do you wash them? leave them in the sun for a couple of days or just put them straight into potato sacks?

what are the conditions to store them in?

 

They look amazing Steve, well done. I'm doing my first ever growing this year and have maris peer and charlottes but i have to say i NEED those salad blues for next year. Have you tried them yet? And i've heard the pink fir apples mentioned on this site a lot, would i be able to grow them in a bin like i am with my maris peers and charlottes? Thanks in advance.

 

I very lightly rub of excess soil if it's there but I am not too fussy about that They are kept in the trays for a couple of weeks to help dry them off and harden the skin. Don't wash freshly dug spuds, you'll take some of the skin off. Once they are dry I will sack them adding a couple of slug pellets to the sack and store them in a cool dark dry and frost free place, this year it will be my new shed where they are stored.

That's half of the crop sorted, the other half are peeled, blanched and frozen in various ways. Some are chipped some mashed and some prepared into ready made dishes and frozen, for example Dauphinoise or Boulangere. The mash potatoes can be formed into croquettes made into a duchess mix and piped in various ways, can go on top of fish or sheperds pie or used to make Gnocch. or Lorette.

I count myself lucky that I used to be a Chef so know many ways to cook.

Yes Bumbalina they can be grown in a bin, Zigs grows his in a kind of pipe, earthing up as the plant grows he adds another bottomless bucket and earths up again and gets quite huge crops doing it. Hopefully he will be along soon and point you in that direction.

Steve...

 

That's the only processed potato product we freeze, complete with added onion, cheese, egg & breadcrumbs, etc., fork skewered/slug damaged spuds and bolting onions being first choice of ingredients.

 

I'll post this years results soon

 

Lovely, cant wait to see how it has gone.

 

Just a note, my pink fur apples planted in late April are still dark green and 4ft 6in high.
They have flowered but continue to grow.

 

Mine too Just right for the blight to take them out after the torrential rain today

Will be spraying with Bordeaux mix first thing in the morning

 

Great read, very interesting about the picasso there, question is but, are they tasty? Not sure about England but my area love dry potatoes like Pipers but especially Kerrs Pinks, while the east of NI eat Comber variety, which are "wet"