Kitchen Garden Forum

I'm a bit late getting my earlies in this year. (My second at growing pots). Last year I tried home guard and did not chit them and they were lovely. Would like to try something different with good flavour. All advice gratefully received.

No doubt: Anya for real potato taste.

My best early potatoes: Red Duke of York and BF15.

Alan

Maris Bard are my favourite.

Barney

Red or White Duke of York for me.

Trying a few new ones this year, alomg with the D of Ys, so may change my mind.

Maris Bard beyond a shadow of doubt!
JB.

Well, it looks like Duke of York 2 Maris Bard 2 so far.

Talking of varieties, everyone round here can only think of Sharpe's Express. So much so that I used to think Sharpe's Express was Welsh for early potatoes

Alan

How about a vote for Charlotte?

It depends if by "early" you mean salad or just general purpose. I've tried Pink Fir Apple and a few others, but always go back to Charlotte for salad potatoes because:
- I like their flavour
- Their texture suits me more than Pink Fir Apple
- They seem to grow reliably

My Charlottes started poking their heads above the soil this week. Roll on the next frost


Colin

Belle De Fontenay for me

Graham

Jersey royals -
i brought seed potatoes back from a trip to jersey last year and they were great. They are traditionally grown very early in Jersey - my friend had them 1 foot high mid february in the ground of her greenhouse.
I do like charlotte as well, good firm texture for salads or just boiled -they get away well from an early march planting.

I'll vote for Jersey Royals as well. They're sold as International Kidney at our garden centre. I've always considered them to be a second early but I've got a couple showing through now, not far behind my 1sts.
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Granny

Off down the locsl garden centre tomorrow with all these names on a bit of paper and see what I can find available. Many thanks to all.

If you've grown them yourself and eat them fresh they all taste good. I grow Rocket for speed. I might have trouble this year, already touching the cloche after all the recent sunshine so might have to uncover them and watch the weather and forcasts very carefully.

I think the only two earlies I have had problems with have been International Kidney and Rocket.

International Kidney I found grew large and coarse-tasting - and that in two different soils 175 miles apart. A terrible disappointment when expecting tasty Jersey Royals.

Rocket I have never grown, having been put off by one garden writer's description of them as "super early, super tasteless". I was given many by a friend, who thought they were the best ever potato, some years ago, and I found the description accurate. To be fair I gave him Linzer Delicatess and later Pink Fir Apple and he hated them both - "too strong a taste" he said!

Just goes to show, you can take all the advice there is, but in the end it's your own experience and taste that count.

Alan

Most of the garden centres had sold out of seed potato around here. Eventually found one but none of the above were in stock. Went for Foremost in the end.