Are Sarpos the only blight resistant variety?

[Bramble_killer]

So I got sent a catalogue through and got excited about potatoes but before I order too many, are Sarpo potatoes the only blight resistant variety?

We didn't get a full crop last year as it was bone dry them completely wet (so they didn't grow well and then caught blight). We also have scab and eelworm.

Last year we tried Pink Fir Apple (about 5 knobbly tubers from the 5 seeds potatoes ), Kestrel (yum!), Charlotte (yum!), and Maris Piper (the eelworms started the damage and the slugs finished them off!)

So I'm looking for that supreme magical potato. Recommendations anyone?

[Daz]

Hi
They are not the only ones but maybe the most resistant(no expert)
I was looking at this info earlier and it may help
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs...o%20change.pdf

[SarzWix]

I did Sarpo Axona, Sarpo Mira and Setanta last year, all claiming blight resistance. Alongside them, Peach Bloom (not resistant) succumbed to blight, and out of the others, only Sarpo Mira had no tuber blight. Both Setanta and Axona seemed to reistant blight on the foliage, but where it dripped off the canopy of the blighted Peach Bloom foliage, it did cause black mushy tubers on Setanta & Axona varieties. Sapo Mira was slightly further away, which I assume is why it escaped.

I guess the moral is, don't plant your blight resistant varieties anywhere near your non-resistant varieties...

Other than that, Setanta were a pretty good spud - less knobbly than the Sarpo varieties, but similar cooking properties. JBA stock Setanta, Thompson & Morgan for the Sarpos.

[northepaul]

Thanks for the information. I was looking at these ones too

[Geordie]

If you have an eel worm problem sticking cubes of shop bought peeled spuds on the end of a stick in the gound can act as sacraficial offering, hoping less damage is done to your crop.

You will find some good info and lots of varieties, including any resistant quantites at:

Potatoes

I tend not to grow anything after 2 early because of slugs.....anybody tried nematodes?

[Nicos]

I tried one of those varieties about 4 yrs ago ( can't remember which one) and found they were tasteless and gloupy spuds , maybe some of those you mention are newer varieties having more flavour???
(Personally I'd never grow hem again because of the glue-like qualities).

Like Geordie I tend to only grow salad and earlies and start spraying with Bordeaux mixture in June.
I am almost 100% organic- but I have reverted to spraying after losing so many spuds to blight in the past

(Geordie- I found nematoedes wonderful against slugs..but costly initially)

[Bramble_killer]

We used nematodes last year but couldn't afford the entire season so went for the beginning of the season. It makes a big difference but at £10 a pop for 6 weeks.....

Thanks for the help Sarz, and the information Geordie.

T&M are doing a mixed pack of sarpo (60 tubers for £10) so might try that for this year. I'm going to grow less so I won't be so disappointed when every single one I pull our has caves in there from the slugs.

[SarzWix]

Setanta and the Sarpos produce quite a hard spud, they take a bit of getting used to make a decent mash ( cut them into smaller chunks or the middles stay hard while the edges disintegrate!) and they soak up quite a lot of milk/butter. But, they all make brilliant roasties
All 3 had some degree of slug damage too, but I didn't use nematodes and was a bit late digging them up too.

[gojiberry]

Because the Sarpo's are blight resistant they keep growing till the first frost.However I have found that after a certain time the flavour of the Sarpo deteriorates and although you will have huge spuds the flavour will be c**p and the will probably have hollow centres.

Ian

[FionaH]

I grew Setanta for the first time this year over at my Dads. Big slug problem over there and I did find that the last ones I pulled had quite a bit of damage. But no blight and as Sarz says the make fab roasties

[vicky]

I found Blue Danube to have some blight resistance last year

[SarzWix]

Because the Sarpo's are blight resistant they keep growing till the first frost.However I have found that after a certain time the flavour of the Sarpo deteriorates and although you will have huge spuds the flavour will be c**p and the will probably have hollow centres.

Ian

Good point

I had that the first year I grew them. This last year, I planted them and then counted forward 22 weeks and marked it on the calendar. Then at 22 weeks, I just chopped the tops off them all, and ended up with very few hollow ones, maybe 5 or 6 spuds out of 2 full rows.