|
|
Veteran
Posts: 214
| I've attached a properly formatted PDF version of this post which is MUCH easier to read and print (5 pages), scroll down to the bottom of this post to find the link to it.
2012 Potato Day Varieties
* = Organic, # = Black Isle grown, (year introduced, parent x parent)
First Earlies
Rocket (1987, F12/17 x D42/8)
Swift* (1994, Stroma x 90-83)
These are the earliest cropping potatoes available in UK, a couple of weeks sooner than others. Rocket is round and white, Swift is more oval with cream flesh. Similar yields, Rocket produces more but smaller tubers. Swift can be used for baking, mashing and roasting if left to grow on a bit. Swift has compact plants, good for growing under cloches or fleece, but slugs like its leaves. Rocket has very good eelworm resistance.
Casablanca* (2009, 85G040-080 x Picasso)
The "new Maris Bard", white with shallow eyes, good for chipping, baking, boiling. Very early.
Colleen* (1993, Manna x Mizen)
A good multipurpose potato, high yielding; waxy, yet mealy, pale yellow. Boils and fries well.
Lady Christl (1996, WS 73-3-391 x Mansour)
A very good waxy salad potato, probably has the edge over Charlotte in yield, earliness, and taste (I think). Moderate foliar blight resistance, good tuber blight resistance. Long oval shape, white skin, yellow flesh.
Maris Bard* (1972, Y15 139 x Ulster Prince)
Very early, high yielding, oval, waxy, white. Traditional earthy taste, good new potato, becomes more general purpose if left to mature.
Orla (1998, O.P. 657/3 x Spunta)
Currently the most blight resistant first early. Can be used as a decent boiling new potato or grown on as a maincrop when it becomes more general purpose. Stores well, long dormancy. Oval, white.
Pink Duke of York (c.1950, Duke of York variant)
Red Duke of York (1942, Duke of York variant)
Floury and excellent flavour, but a big disadvantage: very susceptable to blight on both leaves and tubers. Red skin / pink skin, pale yellow flesh, oval shape. Best fried, roasted, mashed or baked; boil carefully.
Pentland Javelin* (1968, Craigs Royal x 2356(11) x USDA 41956 x Austr. Seedling)
White, oval, good flavoured new potato. Tends to bulk up later than most first earlies.
Sharpe's Express* (1900)
Another tasty one that's on the floury side. Rated as poor blight resistance but some I've grown have had surprisingly good resistance. Somewhat irregular oval shape, white flesh. Does well locally.
Vales Emerald # (2005, Maris Peer x Charlotte)
Very high yielding, early bulking, short oval, pale yellow fleshed. Apparently a very tasty new potato.
Winston (1992, Kismet x DXMP70 ( Desiree x Maris Piper) )
Pretty, cream, round oval. Probably the earliest 'baker'. Good all round disease and pest resistance.
Witchhill (late 1800s)
One of the oldest european bred earlies. Oval, white flesh. Reputedly: vigorous, high yielding, good flavour.
Second Earlies
Annabelle # (1990s ?, Nicola x Monalisa)
Nice salad potato, low resistance to blight but should be early enough to miss it. Oval, white.
Anya (1996, Desiree x Pink Fir Apple) SORRY, arriving too late for Potato Day, available at March Community Markets. One of my favourite boiled potatoes, slightly nutty taste. Less knobbly than Pink Fir Apple and has similar flavour; scrub, don't peel. Unimpressive plants, avoid shading with tall varieties.
Bambino* (2005, Navan x Boxer)
Produces a large number of medium sized round / oval, cream fleshed potatoes, good for new potato use. Good flavour, yield and general pest / disease resistance.
British Queen* (1894, Patersons Victoria x Old Blue Don)
Excellent old fashioned floury, high dry matter potato but doesn't disintegrate when boiled gently. Recently awarded RHS Award of Garden Merit, good yields and flavour. Oval, white.
Catriona (1920, McGill and Smiths seedling 10.264 A 10.612)
Oval, quite floury pale yellow flesh, white with purple splashes round eyes - pretty. Good flavour and all round cooking characteristics.
Charlotte (1981, Hansa x Danae)
Good flavour, high yielding, waxy, salad type. Personally I can think of a handful of varieties of this type I prefer but Charlotte is a good potato and very popular. Oval, yellow fleshed.
Dunbar Rover (1936, Herald x Arran Consul)
Oval; snowy white, dry, floury flesh. Excellent flavour, great for roast, mash and baking.
Elisabeth # (2004, VE 82-96 x Celina)
Recently introduced from Netherlands, borderline 1st / 2nd early salad. Produces lots of uniform tubers. Long oval, yellowish flesh.
Kestrel (1992, Solanum vernei x Cara)
Pretty, tasty, high yielding, general purpose but slightly on the waxy side. Good for most uses, even roasts OK, and very good baked. White with purple eyes, light yellow flesh.
Maris Peer # (1966, 120/13 x Ulster Knight)
A good salad / boiling potato - especially if eaten soon after digging; popular, waxy. Oval, cream flesh.
Piccolo Star # (2007, Ausonia x VE 74-120)
Produces a large number of tubers for salad / new potato use. Smooth oval, yellow flesh. Low-ish blight resistance but did OK for me in 2011.
Trixie (2010, Charlotte x Mayan Gold)
Tall plants with violet flowers, tapered oval tubers, white with blue-purple eyes. Cream, high dry matter, floury flesh. Apparently superb flavour and good for roast, mash and chips.
Early Maincrop
97Z55B10 #
Long oval, piebald red and white skin - quite attractive, yellowish flesh. A salad / boiling potato I think, grew some in 2011 and it performed and well.
Banba # (2001, Slaney x Estima )
High yields of largish smooth oval tubers. Moderate blight resistance. High-ish dry matter content, suitable for chips / frying; looks a good baking size; might be OK for mash and roast.
Blue Belle (2007, Sylvia x Cara)
Oval, white skin with distinctive, purple/blue eye patches. A good general purpose potato with fine flavour. Does well in bags and boxes. Pale yellow flesh.
Cabaret # (2001, Maris Piper x Morag)
An attractive Maris Piper type, high-ish dry matter, should be good for frying, may be for mash and roast. Productive, good flavour. Oval, smooth, cream flesh.
Daisy # (1998, Gipsy x Culpa)
Tall plants, red-violet flowers; french bred, multipurpose type; medium to large oval tubers, mid yellow flesh.
Ditta # (1989, Bintje x Quarta)
An austrian bred salad potato. Moderate foliar blight resistance, high tuber blight resistance. Long oval, yellow flesh, good waxy salad taste. Tends to split.
Sassy # (2004, G82TT1371 x Promesse)
Round oval, pale yellow flesh, high yielding crisp variety. Has good all round disease / pest resistance including partial double eelworm. Should be good for fry, mash, roast.
Fontane # (c.2000, Agria x AR 76-034-03)
High dry matter, chipping / crisping type. Produces high yields of uniform, oval, large, yellow fleshed tubers.
Highland Burgundy Red
This is red inside! High dry matter, floury, possibly slightly sweet. Makes tasty, fluffy pink mash, fries well, roasts OK. Yields surprisingly well. A good potato. Long oval, red skin and flesh.
Innovator # (2004-ish, Shepody x RZ-84-2580)
A russet skinned, high dry matter, floury, cream coloured flesh, long oval potato. Said to have "a remarkably good flavour". Good yields, good roaster, was in top 5 (out of 46) for blight resistance in my crops for 2011.
King Edward # (1902, Magnum Bonam x Beauty of Hebron )
The reference roasting potato but seems to be more suited to the south than here.
Lady Balfour # (2001, 8204 A4 x 15119 AC5 )
Vigorous, tall plants that do well in low fertility conditions, bred for organic growing, high yields. Good disease resistance, including partial double eelworm. Large oval white tubers with pink eye splashes.
Lady Jo # (2001, CMK 1987-203-014 x VE 74-45)
Bred for crisping and is very good for mashing and roasting. Moderate resistance to blight. Round, pale yellow flesh. Impressed me in 2011, one of the best roasting potatoes I've grown here.
Lady Rosetta # (1989, Cardinal x SVP(VTN)2 62-33-3)
A popular crisping variety that those who grow it like to eat. Floury, high dry matter, very good for roasting and frying. Round, red skin, pale yellow flesh. Good all-round disease resistance.
Lady Valora # (2008, Lady Claire x Charisma)
Recent introduction for the crisping industry, very high dry matter. Does better than most on relatively low nitrogen fertiliser levels. Uniform, round tubers, pale yellow flesh. Good roast, mashed, fried.
Maris Piper # (1963, (Sol Andigena x Ulster Knight) x (Arran Cairn x Herald) )
The chippies favourite but slugs like it, too. Good yields and flavour, excellent for frying. Oval, cream flesh, large tubers. Has many competitors.
Melody # (2000, VE7445 x W72.22.496)
Very high yielding, general purpose type especially as a waxy baker. It stores well. Oval, mid yellow flesh.
Opera # (2007, Victoria x RZ 85-238)
A recent floury general purpose, good for baking, roasting, mashing, frying, chipping. Just about lived up to reputation in 2011: a good roaster, reasonable blight resistance. Round oval, yellow flesh. Vigorous plants.
Orchestra # (2007, Maradonna x Cupido)
Recent introduction for general purpose / baking. Round oval, yellow flesh.
Pentland Dell # (1960 Roslin Chania x Roslin Sasumua)
Was blight immune until blight discovered sex, no longer so. Good yields of big tubers for general purpose, bakers, chips and up market crisps. Some slug resistance. Cream flesh.
Rodeo # (1999, Mondial x Bimonda)
High yielding general purpose / salad type. Long oval, red skin, light yellow flesh. I've just eaten some from store - good!
Rooster (1991, OP 2532 64 x Pentland Ivory)
Started as a specialist crisping / frying variety but rapidly got noticed as a high yielding, floury, tasty potato. Excellent for frying and roasting, very good for mashing. OK for boiling. Oval, red skinned, yellowish flesh.
Saphire # (2004, Bydand x Caesar)
High yields of uniform, good baking size / type potatoes. Similar to Saxon. Round oval, somewhat flattened shape, cream flesh. Lower nitrogen fertiliser requirement than most. Decent general purpose potato.
Salad Blue (old, parents unknown)
This one is blue inside, too! and has beautiful flowers. Not a salad potato - floury, good for mashing and frying, decent for roasting. Good cropper if blight doesn't get it. Roundish, blue skin and flesh.
Setanta* (2004, Rooster x Brodick)
If you want a good, floury, general purpose / roaster then this is close to perfection. Very good blight and disease resistance, inherited its cooking qualities from Rooster, high yielding and pretty. Oval, red skin, light yellow flesh.
Shetland Black (late 1800s? )
Dark blue skinned, small to medium sized tubers with a purple-black ring under the skin. Decent yields, lots of tubers, floury and tasty, good for baking, chipping, roasting. Probably my favourite fried potato.
Toluca (2006, Monalisa x AR 91-1292)
A recent blight resistor which seems to be ahead of the plague so far. Oval, cream fleshed, floury end of general purpose, I bought and roasted some and they were good.
Victoria # (1997, Agria x Rop J 861)
Another Maris Piper alike, good for chips and frying. High yields and heavily promoted. Oval, yellow flesh.
Vivaldi # (1998, TS 77-148 x Monalisa)
Promoted as a less fattening potato (it has lower carbohydrates than others). Despite that it tastes OK. Fairly general purpose but doesn't excel in any particular direction. Oval, light yellow skin and flesh.
Yetholm Gypsy (oldish, unknown)
Red, white and blue skins; flesh is white and floury; oval. Possibly related to King Edwards, I must try.
Late Maincrop
Fortyfold (1836? perhaps even earlier)
Tall, high yielding plants. Mauve-ish skin, white flesh, round. Apparently has a distinctive nutty flavour, I've never tried so I'm doomed to grow it this year.
Golden Wonder (1906, seedling of Early Rose)
Has never cropped well for me at Netherton. That's sad because it's a dense, excellent fryer (probably hence the crisp's name) that absorbs little fat. Floury, good flavour, roasts well. Oval, russet skin, white flesh.
Kerr's Pink # (1917, Fortyfold x Smiths Early)
Ties with Rooster for the best roaster in my opinion. Floury, great for mashing and good for frying, too. Yields can be very good, big plant. Roundish, sometimes deep eyes, pink flashes on white skin, white flesh.
Pink Fir Apple (1850)
A legendary salad potato for winter use from store. Knobbly, irregular tubers that should be cooked whole in their skins. Yellowish flesh.
Sarpo Mira* (2003, 76 PO 12 14 268 x D187)
The most blight resistant variety known at the moment. Floury-ish general purpose, tubers can get big. Stores exceptionally well, drought tolerant. Oval-ish, red skin, cream flesh. Flavour OK - you can't have everything in one variety!
Suggested Varieties
Blight Resistant
Evolution of blight fungi in the last 40 years can quickly make a mockery of these ratings which are a combination of the latest info I can find plus personal experience. Blight usually arrives here sometime in July to early August so early varieties often miss it.
Highly: Sarpo Mira, Setanta, Innovator, Orla, Toluca (?)
Reasonably: Bambino, Lady Jo, Opera, Banba (?), Ditta, Kestrel, Lady Christl, Colleen
Eelworm (Potato Cyst Nematode) Resistant
Two types of eelworm: yellow / golden (Globodera rostochiensis) and white (Globodera pallida ); more varieties are resistant to the yellow one, a few also have partial resistance* to the white.
Rocket*, Pentland Javelin, Maris Piper, Kestrel*, Swift, Lady Christl, Casablanca, Colleen, Winston, Cabaret, Lady Balfour*, Annabelle, Bambino, Elisabeth, Banba, Cabaret, Daisy, Fontane, Lady Jo, Victoria, Sassy*
Roast
Kerrs Pink, Lady Jo, Lady Rosetta, King Edward, Innovator, Opera, Dukes of York, Dunbar Rover, Toluca, Yetholm Gypsy (?)
Mash
Kerrs Pink, Highland Burgundy Red (pink), Salad Blue (lavender), Dukes of York, Dunbar Rover, British Queen, Sharpes Express, Lady Valora
Fried / Chips
Maris Piper, Victoria, Shetland Black, Highland Burgundy Red, Fontane, Banba, Cabaret, Lady Valora, Golden Wonder
Baking
Kestrel, Melody, Lady Balfour, Winston, Orchestra, Pentland Dell, Highland Burgundy Red, Saphire
Salad / boiling
Anya, Pink Fir Apple, Lady Christl, Charlotte, Bambino, Ditta, Elisabeth, Maris Peer, Annabelle, Rodeo, Piccolo Star
Good all-rounders
Kestrel, Setanta, British Queen, Orla, Blue Belle, Rooster, Casablanca, Colleen, Sharpes Express, Catriona, Cabaret, Daisy, Trixie, Lady Balfour
Unusual / Attractive Appearance
Highland Burgundy Red, Salad Blue, Shetland Black, Yetholm Gypsy, Fortyfold, Blue Belle, Kestrel, Trixie, 97Z55B10
Old Fashioned (all before 1920)
Sharpes Express, Witchhill, Brtish Queen, Highland Burgundy Red, Salad Blue, Shetland Black, Yetholm Gypsy, Fortyfold, Kerrs Pink, Pink Fir Apple, Golden Wonder, King Edward
Modern Classics
Kestrel, Lady Christl, Orla, Anya, Rooster, Setanta, Lady Rosetta, Lady Balfour, Lady Jo, Sarpo Mira
Newcomers
Casablanca, Vales Emerald, Bambino, Piccolo Star, Trixie, Blue Belle, 97Z55B10, Lady Valora, Opera, Orchestra, Toluca
Attachments
----------------
 PotatoDay2012Full.pdf (63KB - 1368 downloads)
| |
| |
|