First, Second and Maincrop Potatoes
- First Early Potatoes. First early potatoes take 10 – 12 weeks to grow. Plant in March with frost protection. This can be...
- Second Early Potatoes. Second early potatoes take 14 – 16 weeks to grow, planted in March with frost protection. ...
- MainCrop Potatoes. Maincrop potatoes take 16 – 22 weeks to grow, are planted mid to late April...
What is a 2nd early potato?
· What are first and second early potatoes? First early or 'new' potatoes are so-called because they are the earliest to crop, in June. Second earlies (also called 'new' potatoes) are hot on their heels, taking a few more weeks to mature. These two types are expensive in the shops and taste better when just been harvested, so many people grow these.
What are first potatoes?
· Where to buy seed potatoes online. First early potatoes. First early or ‘new’ potatoes are so-called because they are the earliest to crop, in June. They take 10-12 weeks to mature. Second early potatoes. Maincrop potatoes. Salad potatoes. Tags. Fruit and vegetables. Potato blight. Potatoes. ...
When to harvest second early potatoes?
· These potatoes are ready to go in about 100 days, with a range between 95 and 110 days. This means they’re harvestable a bit sooner than late-season types. These strike a balance between the long storage capability of maincrop types and the tender flesh of the early varieties. They’re sometimes labeled as second earlies.
What is the difference between first Earlies and second Earlies potatoes?
· Second early potatoes to grow. ‘Charlotte’. ‘Charlotte’ is a popular variety, often on sale in supermarkets. It produces lots of long, large, smooth tubers with a waxy texture and ... ‘Vivaldi’. ‘Maris Peer’. ‘Kestrel’. ‘Ratte’.
What are 2nd early potatoes?
Second early potatoes are harvested from mid-July, a couple of weeks after first earlies. Many of them are good 'salad potatoes', as they don't disintegrate on cooking and work well in hot or cold salads. But some are good all-rounders, too, suitable for baking, mashing, frying and roasting.
What is the difference between early and maincrop potatoes?
What are maincrop potatoes? Maincrop seed potatoes take longer to grow than first early and second early potatoes. Planted between March and early May, stalwart maincrop varieties like King Edward take 16-22 weeks to mature and are ready for harvesting between the end of August and October.
Which are the best first early potatoes?
The Best First Early Potatoes (Review) 2021Tasty & Versatile. Arran Pilot. CHECK PRICE. TASTY!Easy to Grow. Lady Christl. CHECK PRICE. EASY TO GROW.All-Rounder. Rocket. CHECK PRICE. ALL-ROUNDER!
What month are first early potatoes?
Plant. Planting time varies, depending on the type of potato you're growing: First earlies – around late March. Second earlies – early to mid-April.
Which potatoes are early potatoes?
First early or 'new' potatoes are so-called because they are the earliest to crop, in June and July. Second earlies (also called 'new' potatoes) are hot on their heels, taking a few more weeks to mature. They are ready from July.
Are Yukon Gold potatoes early or late?
Yukon Gold matures in 80 to 95 days after planting, so may be harvested as an early season crop. Tubers are set early and bulk quickly.
What is the best tasting potato variety?
Top 10 Potato VarietiesMaris Piper - Maincrop. This well known variety is a chip shop favourite! ... Rooster - Late Maincrop. ... Arran Pilot - First Early. ... Cara - Maincrop. ... Pink Fir Apple - Late Maincrop. ... Sarpo Mira - Late Maincrop. ... Charlotte - Second Cropping. ... Maris Peer - Second Early.More items...
What is the fastest growing potato?
Rocket potatoes are known to be one of the fastest-growing varieties. Yukon Gold potatoes are a variety known to be more compact, meaning they can be planted closer to each other.
What is the best all round potato?
Good all-rounders Estima make great potato wedges and jacket potatoes and are good for mashing and boiling. Kerr's Pink are good for mashing, roasting. King Edward make delicious chips and jacket potatoes and are great for roasting and mashing. Marfona make great potato wedges and jacket potatoes are good for boiling.
Should I remove potato flowers?
To trim your edible potato plants, pinch off the blossoms as soon as they appear on the plant, or snip them off with shears. Blossoms are an indicator that the plant is mature and small tubers are formed. Removing the flowers removes the competition and fosters larger, healthier potatoes.
What is the best month to plant potatoes?
The best time when to plant potatoes is in early spring. Planting potatoes two to three weeks before your last frost date will produce the most satisfactory results.
Do first early potatoes flower?
Your first early potatoes should be ready to start harvesting from 10 to 12 weeks after planting. A good sign that there are tubers ready is that plants flower.
Super Early Potatoes
Potatoes can be classed as first earlies, second earlies, or maincrop. Look for varieties of ‘first early’ potatoes, which are the quickest growing of the lot. These can be ready as soon as 10 to 12 weeks after planting.
Chitting Potatoes for an Earlier Crop
In many regions potatoes are sold as ‘seed potatoes’ which first need chitting – or sprouting – to encourage a head start. Chitting can begin as soon as you can find seed potatoes in the shops, so as a first task go out and buy your potatoes…right now!
Growing Early Potatoes in Pots
The earliest ‘new’ potatoes found in the grocery store are usually grown on sun-facing slopes in mild climates. In Britain this means the (relatively!) sun-kissed fields of Cornwall and Jersey, both flanked by warming seas and blessed with rich, chocolatey soils.
Protecting Potatoes from Late Frosts
If you can guarantee a frost-free environment, there’s no reason you can’t grow your earliest potatoes at least one month ahead of those growing outside. In my garden that means planting them at the beginning of March.
First Earlies
In my opinion, the best type of potato to grow is one that fits into the ‘First Early’ category. These include the Red Duke of York, Lady Christl, Arran Pilot, and scores more. This year I’ve grown Pentland Javelin which is a type that matures slightly later than other First Earlies.
Look for potato flowers
The way you tend to know that first earlies are ready is by their flowers. Early potatoes generally produce flower buds that sometimes bloom and sometimes don’t. It’s time to dig up your tender, homegrown potatoes when the buds drop or the flowers that do bloom begin to fade.
Second Earlies
Potatoes that fall into the ‘Second Early’ category include Nicola, Maris Peer, Jazzy, and Kestrel. They differ only in one way from first earlies — they mature about three weeks later.
Maincrop Potatoes
Think of a massive baking potato and it’s most likely a maincrop, sometimes called storing potatoes. Varieties in the UK include Cara, King Edward, Pink Fir Apple, and Purple Majesty. In the USA, they’ll be Russet varieties.
Harvesting Maincrop Potatoes
You harvest main crops in late summer, typically in August to September and you know the time is right when much of the foliage on all your plants begin to turn yellow. It will then shrivel up and turn brown and dry, and eventually only shriveled leaves and stems will be left.
Storing Maincrops
Unlike early potatoes, you can store maincrops for months at a time. First, you should dry them completely before putting them in bags or boxes for storage. Any wet areas could introduce rot, or actually be rot. Spread them out in a garage or greenhouse, or outside in the sun, turning them over after one side is dry.
How to know when your potatoes and ready for harvest
There are 3 main harvest seasons for potatoes, and they are separately known as the “Earlies”, “Second Earlies”, and the “Maincrop”. These names are derived from the differences of when to harvest the potatoes.
Early potatoes
Potatoes that fit in the “Earlies” category include breeds like the Red Duke of York, Arran Pilot, and Lady Christl. They are typically planted around March and will be ready for harvest between 10 to 12 weeks after, which is around early summer. Potatoes in the earlies category are generally more tender to taste with a melt in your mouth finish.
Second early potatoes
Also known as the “Second Earlies”, these are the potatoes that will mature later than the “Earlies”. Second early potato breeds such as Nicola, Jazzy, Kestrel, and Maris Peer are traditionally planted on the first day of spring in the UK – approximately in late March. The potatoes will be ready for harvest about 15 weeks after planting.
Maincrop potatoes
In comparison with the “Earlies” and “Second Earlies”, maincrop potatoes are much larger in size and take longer to grow – approximately 20 weeks for the crop to mature. In the UK, maincrop potato breeds include the Purple Majesty, King Edward, Pink Fir Apple, and Cara. They are regularly planted at the same time as the second early potatoes.
How to store potatoes
On top of being easy to plant and care for, potatoes are also great for storing to be used later. Unfortunately, not all potatoes are ideal for storage, with earlies and second earlies being highly unsuitable due to their tender texture.
Conclusion
As you can see, knowing when to harvest potatoes in the UK is not all too difficult once you have gotten the hang of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you try and harvest your potatoes too early, they may end up very small and you may have missed out on a larger crop. Just do a simple test dig to see if your potatoes are ready to be lifted. If they are still too small, leave them in the ground for another few weeks where they will grow very quickly.
Best First Early Potatoes
It’s safe to say that there are more than a few different varieties of potatoes out there! They will all vary in terms of disease resistance, waxy flesh and waxy texture, and of course, taste! However, when you’re starting to look into the best potato plants to seed and pull up, it’s often hard to know what’s going to go well in your garden and ground..
What are the Best Tasting Potatoes?
That’s what we’re here to find out! The following potato picks offer Sunday dinner and salad choices you’ll love planting and harvesting – but of course, it’s the taste that matters the most! They will taste all the better, too, having come from your own garden!
Best Tasty & Versatile Potato
Is there really a tuber out there quite as tasty or as versatile as the Arran Pilot? These new potatoes have fantastic disease resistance as far as scabbing is concerned, meaning you’re almost all but guaranteed to benefit from lovely yellow flesh that’s going to taste great in a salad.
Easiest to Grow
The Lady Christl potato variety is another lovely tuber which is very easy to grow and delicious when cooked well.
Best 'All-Rounder'
These bulky and delicious salad potatoes work well in all kinds of meals and dishes, and tend to be a good container or planter grower. They are fairly similar to Swift potatoes in this respect, though you may find that a Rocket potato is going to show a bit more in the way of resistance and flavour retention.
Fast Growing
Swift by name, swift by nature! This is a wonderful potato variety which will grow really quickly in the right conditions. If you are looking for a huge crop of roast potatoes or new potato flavour sooner rather than later, the Swift is likely to be a great choice for you.
Great Pick 'n' Mix
This great gardening bundle offers you a mix of flavours and potato varieties to really help you get your garden up and running at the start of the year. These are great value and will be easy for even novice gardeners to get into.
