Hi homesteaders Ola steemians.
A simple guide when selecting potatoes.
POTATOES 2017
I have decided on two types of potato this year, my first choice was Red Duke of York Potatoes for my first earlies. Red Duke of York seed potatoes are a heritage potato variety dating back to 1942 and produce a red skin with yellow flesh. The first Red Duke was said to be found in amongst a crop of White Dukes in Holland. They were also a Winner of the RHS award of garden merit.
My second choice was Harmony Potatoes, these will be my main crop. Harmony potatoes are a very popular export variety as they produce large crops of clean white skin. Harmony are great baking potatoes and you are most likely to find these potatoes on the showbench with their smooth skin, Harmony are a lovely looking spud!
Here are my "Handy to know" tips for getting the best out of your potatoes.
1- Pick the right spud. There are lots of varieties for you to pick. It could be your earlies, second earlies or your main crop but whatever you pick, get them from a garden center, NEVER just use potatoes from the supermarket.
2- Now you have your seed potatoes you need to chit them. This is done by placing them in egg boxes, rose end up to encourage the eyes to sprout, then put in a cool dry place. A good idea is on a windowsill or on top of your kitchen units.
3- You should chit your seed potatoes for four to six weeks before planting, by doing this it will encourage a strong and larger harvest.
4- Before you plant you can manipulate the size and quality of your harvest. If you want big spuds you should ensure that each seed potato has only 3 sprouts. You can do this by rubbing off any shoots with your thumb. You don't need to do this but you might find you end up with a lot of small potatoes.
5- From March to April you should be thinking about planting your seed potatoes. Do this by digging a trench about 15cm deep plant them with the shoots pointing up and cover with soil. As the shoots begin to appear, cover with soil so they are buried. Keep repeating this throughout the season until you have a protective mound of soil. The shoots will then start to flower.
I hope this has been some help for you.
I would love to hear what varieties you choose and how you get on growing them.
