Potato Allrounders

[phil_c]

Hi there all

I was wondering which varieties of main crop potato people have found to be successful. eg. disease/pest resistance, good flavour etc. I want to grow a general purpose type with a fairly good yield.
I am pretty sure that if i get any replies they will all be different, but some idea what others have found to be good would be handy.
Last year i had a lot of common scab, which seems to be due to lack of water. i also had black hole burrowed into some tubers, and don't know what this was ( any ideas would be appreciated).

[youngdigger]

black hole sounds like eelworm,sarpo mira pots are immune to this, and a very good maincrop.

[Glutton4...]

I've only had one year's spud-growing experience. I grew Aran Pilot and Swift earlies, and Pentland Javelin. They grew and cropped well, but I found the Swift rather tasteless. Maincrops were King Edward, Mr. G's favourite, together with Cara and Maris Piper - can recommend all. Salads spuds were Charlotte and Pink Fir Apple, also good.

Most of my crops suffered from lack of water; I should have had higher yield all round. I also had a little problem with Eelworm, but that was because I left them in the ground too long due to lack of any suitable storage facility.

This year I won't plant so many!

I must add; I've always been a 'take it or leave it' person with Potatoes, but having grown my own, I now adore them! Like everything else you grow yourself, they taste so much better.

[chriscross1966]

I don't think there is a "one spud to rule them all"..... I love PFA, but it couldn't be the only thing I grow, it's too small to bake and you don't get a crop until September cos it's a late main..... you'd still need an early for summer potato salads and something as a baker..... I guess if you can live without the flavour of salad spuds in the new year you could do without PFA, but I couldn't...

chrisc

[Lazgaot]

I got some Sante from Tattieman last year and they were great and I'm saving some to grow again this year. They weren't prolific but that was due to lack of water and I planted them in a freshly cleared part of the lottie and didn't improve it, so it was pretty barren!

[SarzWix]

My favourite all-rounder is Desiree, it's main downfall is that it isn't blight resistant, but as an Early Maincrop, it matures just about early enough to get get a crop. I've never had a problem with it being munched underground, even planted in newly turned beds. It's also fairly drought tolerant.

If blight is a problem in your area, I'd go for a variety considered to be blight resistant.

We grew Sarpo Mira & Sarpo Axona from T&M last year; they're a little odd in growth habit - they don't stop growing until frost hits them and so you can end up with hollow spuds unless you cut the tops off after the recommended number of weeks, BUT, they didn't get a touch of blight, we had a reasonable crop from them, and they make the best roasties

This year we're growing the same, plus a trial with some new ones from JBA, billed as being: blight resistant and better potatoes than the Sarpo ones, called Setanta.

[Snadger]

If I could only pick two tatties I would go for Desiree maincrop and Kestrel 2nd early!

[zazen999]

Kestrel early and leave to get bigger for mains, and Amorosa for mains.

[snuffer]

Would have to echo what SarzWix and Snadger say with regard to Desiree main crop spuds. Desiree are good performers on the plot and pretty good all rounders in the kitchen as well. Another advantage is that they store very well, I have some in the garage and they are still in tip top condition. Desease resistance isn't great but I have never found it a problem.

[Hans Mum]

kestrel for me & as Andrea does, leave em to get bigger

[nerdgas]

My favourite all-rounder is Desiree, it's main downfall is that it isn't blight resistant, but as an Early Maincrop, it matures just about early enough to get get a crop. I've never had a problem with it being munched underground, even planted in newly turned beds. It's also fairly drought tolerant.

If blight is a problem in your area, I'd go for a variety considered to be blight resistant.

We grew Sarpo Mira & Sarpo Axona from T&M last year; they're a little odd in growth habit - they don't stop growing until frost hits them and so you can end up with hollow spuds unless you cut the tops off after the recommended number of weeks, BUT, they didn't get a touch of blight, we had a reasonable crop from them, and they make the best roasties

This year we're growing the same, plus a trial with some new ones from JBA, billed as being: blight resistant and better potatoes than the Sarpo ones, called Setanta.

I'm having a go with the Setanta ones as my maincrop at the lottie as well.