Home grown potatoes tasteless

[Flummery]

My Arran Pilot are absolutely beautiful. They taste buttery BEFORE you put the butter on! Yours may well have been an immature maincrop as someone's suggested. Lady Crystl is an absolute corker for flavour too, as is Pink Fir Apple - but this isn't an early. Leave it till September.

[Snadger]

I always grow Duke of York (early) and Kestrel (2nd early) not because of there taste though, just because they do well in my soil.

I've stopped taking added sugar or salt with my meals many moons ago but I think the damage must have been done and my taste buds must be kaput as they all taste much of a muchness to me.

Before anyone says "Try these or these" I must say that over the years I think I've been through the whole spectrum of tattie varieties.

Maybe I should ammend my earlier comment to say that MAINCROP varieties are the 'pasta' of Britain and as such are usually relatively bland in taste? This seems to be quite an emotive subject to some?

[alan639]

I'm growing Pentland Javelin Earlies and Desiree main crop. Did the same last year and had enought to last until after Christmas. Funnny thing though both were set same time mid April and again this year I've noticed the main crop are flowering now and will set small "tomatoes" which I know are poisionous. The earlies dont flower but I had a good crop. Has anyone else noticed this ?

[Florence Fennel]

It must be so disappointing to have no flavour to something home grown. It was because my container grown potatoes were so flavoursome I decided to grow some in the ground as well so I could have more of them. I'm only trying earlies this year, but if it's successful I intend to turn some more ground over next year to get a later crop as well. I'm trying International Kidney, so I hope I get some taste!

[arpoet]

I'm trying International Kidney, so I hope I get some taste!

I grew these in the cold greenhouse last year, Flo, and although the yeild was low the taste was out of this world. Grew swift inside this year and they too were low yeald but tasty.
Roger

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks Roger, glad I've got some in the ground as well as the bags if the yield is low.

[nannyphizz]

our's did the same, was wondering whether to dig some of the main crop see what they're like.

[fiskies]

I did Charlotte's last year and Jersey Roylas this year as earlies, both have been delicious, I'm slighlty concerned now as I did two bags of King Edwards which will be ready for me soon.

Is there any thruth in cutting the haulms a few days or weeks before harvest to harden the skin or is it best to leave them a few days after harvest? Seems timing is everything with tatties.

[Two_Sheds]

Dig your spuds on a dry day, and leave them in the sun for a few hours to harden the skins up for storing. June spuds won't have much of a skin on them anyway... best to leave the maincrop harvest until Aug/Sept

[Potstubsdustbins]

With main crop I leave the haulms to die right back, having been told that this spare energy goes back into the tubers (don't know if thats true either). Then having no ground to leave them on I space them out on my potting bench for a couple of days. After that its in to hessian sacks which are checked every week in case any go off.

Colin

[coreopsis]

I don't know what taste of potato depends on,weather conditions?soil?anything else?This is my 3rd year growing tatties and I must say Desiree is a must for me.Yes,might be caught by a blight early,but still 3 rows will last me till Christmas.Always tastes nice and no scab.
Pink Fir Apple is nice but only when freshly dug(not good for a storage) and it's a late maincrop which is a pain in the a**e for my climate(subartctic I'd say).I couldn't believe my eyes when I got more potatoes off couple of volunteers than a row of planted ones a year earlier.
Charlotte-my MIL has planted them,I wasn't too happy with them boiling-one minute hard,next splitting like buggers in the pot,until I discovered her garden has too much attention(read watering) and her potatoes are the same as tomatoes-splitting,too watery and tasteless.
Saying that,I have a row of Charlotte's this year that were a "volunteer" last year and were lovely.
Everytime OH and I have a look at tatties one word comes to mind "chippies"

[Flummery]

The last of my Charlottes get chipped. They are usually quite large by then and make a gorgeous chip. I baked 2 of my very big Arran Pilots yesterday. Fabulous!

[lettuceleaf]

Thanks for all tips and comments - great to hear all the success stories.

I now have a long list of varieties of tatties for next year but not the ground to grow them in - which begs further questions.

Can you plant main crop directly after pulling out the earlies, or is there a waiting period for the ground to recover?

And/or do main crop have to be planted before it's time to pull the earlies. If so, I'll have to limit the amount I plant of each.

Am a bit envious of those who have homegrown spuds enough til Christmas - must try harder...

[oldie]

Yes you main crop should already be in. I put mine in about 3/4 weeks after first earlies. You could try some more first earlies or look for some of the ones you can sow now to produce for Christmas. I would not grow them in the same place, like many people I put my leeks in when the spuds are out.

[lettuceleaf]

Thanks. That's very helpful. Look forward to more 'educated' spud-growing next year.