Confuse me, why don't ya.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I know it sounds as if we are being bamboozled but I grow Sarpo Mira and before this thread, anyone I talked to about the variety was informed that it was a very late maturing variety. So it's a late main crop. To be fair to the seed potato suppliers, they wouldn't want you to have a hungry gap between finishing your second earlies and harvesting your lates. Now, who does supply these third earlies?

[Bill HH]

I know it sounds as if we are being bamboozled but I grow Sarpo Mira and before this thread, anyone I talked to about the variety was informed that it was a very late maturing variety. So it's a late main crop. To be fair to the seed potato suppliers, they wouldn't want you to have a hungry gap between finishing your second earlies and harvesting your lates. Now, who does supply these third earlies?

Futhermore there must come a point when the very late main crop become so late that they become next years firts earlies.Returning to sanity, my sister grows just one variety (Duke of york) and harvests them as earlies, mids and lates, it seems so simple and works for her.
What i do know is that new potatoes dont seem to taste as good as when I was a lad whatever the variety or is that just my taste buds deteriorating.

[Kristen]

Do all tatties have to flower before they're ready?
I thought there were some that don't flower

Yup, that's my understanding too.

I work on weeks-from-planting, rather than flowering. Particularly for First Early as Mrs K wants those "nice little ones just like Jersey Royals" and every year I have to explain that they grow at different speeds, so its some medium-sized, some Jersey-Royal sized, and some pin heads. We grow enough that we can start harvesting "early" and not mind about low yield off the plants harvested for the first week or two.

My really early first earlies are all volunteers

[bearded bloke]

I think the ultimate answer to the ultimate question is ... sequential planting of Vivaldi's they are after all meant to grow in all four seasons



*resists temptation to insert musical link*

[maytreefrannie]

.
What i do know is that new potatoes dont seem to taste as good as when I was a lad whatever the variety or is that just my taste buds deteriorating.

I concur; it seems like that to me too. However, I think best and still delicious are the grand old Duke of York.

[Bill HH]

Oh and if you spuds die whether early, mid, or late, they are definaletly late potatoes now.

[Greenleaves]

what's a potato?

[Penellype]

The first year I grew potatoes in bags I grew Maris Bard (2nd early) which I religiously planted 2 weeks earlier than Desiree (maincrop). I was expecting to start harvesting the potatoes once the flowers had opened. I was expecting therefore that the flowers on Maris Bard would open before Desiree. Imagine my confusion when the Desiree flowers opened a good week earlier than Maris Bard...

Now I just plant them when I have room and harvest them when I want them. They still taste nice.