[MattieG]

Hi All, entering my 3rd year of homegrowing and loving it. Had to get married this year so didnt do too much but now thats out of the way its full steam ahead for choosing what spuds to grow next year.

Currently I am thinking:
Casablanca, Rocket, Swift, Winston, Charlotte, Nadine and Maris Piper (Main Crop)

I love mash, salad and baking but would like to ask the experts here if I am going over the trop with varieties or anything else I should consider. Mayan gold were a great success the first year but only seem to make good roasties.

Any advice would be appreciated very much

Thanks
Mattie

[mumofstig]

You might like to look at the potato popularity polls here  

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?board=51.0

[arugula]

As mumofstig says, the information collated in those polls is still very useful to read.

I'd always recommend Lady Christl as an extrememly tasty and for us summer long lasting early variety and Ambo as a productive and good flavoured maincrop. Its probably the gist of what I said then!

[DD.]

That's a coincidence.

They're both top of my list as well!

[arugula]

And no gratuitous pictures yet either!

[BabbyAnn]

Currently I am thinking:
Casablanca, Rocket, Swift, Winston, Charlotte, Nadine and Maris Piper (Main Crop)
 

Casablanca, Rocket, Swift and Winston are all 1st earlies which do not store as well as maincrop if you are going for the 2 - 2.5kg pack sizes.  However, if you are only buying a few seed potatoes of each, then it would be handy to compare yields and taste.

I'd always recommend Lady Christl as an extrememly tasty and for us summer long lasting early variety

I'm trying these for the 1st time next year so looking forward to growing them.

Charlotte & Nadine are fine for 2nd earlies.  I like Kestrel too.

Maris Piper - well, it's not high on my list of maincrop varieties as it seemed to be slug food as did King Edwards.  Maybe a general purpose all rounder such as Desiree would be a better choice?

[MattieG]

I will certainly investigate.

Im still trying to find a few varieties I like to so I am trying a small selection of different ones.
I think Lady chyristl is going on the list

[Chrysalis]

We found rocket rather disappointing this year.  But tried sarpo mira main crop on John's recommendation.  fab!  Mainly blight resistant and a good crop in all the wet!  Only sorry we didn't plant more as we ate them all rather fast!! :blink:

[Ice]

When blight ravaged my other potatoes the Cara remained relatively unaffected, so I will be growing them again along with Kestrel as I think they are my favourite for flavour.

[Jamrock]

Pink Fir Apple, the taste is 2nd to none in my opinion

[shoozie]

Im still trying to find a few varieties I like to so I am trying a small selection of different ones.
I think Lady chyristl is going on the list

I think you'll be pleased with LC - tried for first time this year and very nice and good crop (in bags - no beasties). After reading recommendations here last year I finally got an order for Ambo (couldn't get them last year ) .... so the proof will be in the pudding  :blink:

In terms of others we've tried and, for taste, would recommend -  Arran pilot, wilja (just a nice potato - whole or later mashed) , kestral(all round and good bakers), charlotte (tasty - good cropper), vales emerald (tasty - small trial - nice).   Desiree was our main crop this year - just ate them for Christmas dinner  . 
Trying orla this year.

Haven't bought tatties since July, everything has stored well, including earlies ..... pleased with the crop despite the weather, late frost and late blight  .  Ps - most tatties are grown in bags here  .

[New shoot]

Kestral is a great spud for beginners as it seems to always perform, no matter what your soil is like and as Ice says, is good tasting.

Charlotte are my favourite for that slightly waxy type spud for salads and I grew Anya last year, which are a Pink Fir Apple cross, are earlier so miss the worst of the blight and taste wonderful 

[mumofstig]

I agree Kestrel and Ambo are good reliable spuds, having grown them in the past, but they're a tad floury for me - so I prefer the waxier Desiree, which always does well around here 

[BabbyAnn]

Arran Pilots used to always be top of my list of first earlies but last year (2011) did not do so well in the dry conditions so I decided to try Swift - with such a cold wet late spring/summer they were not ready in the advertised 8-10 weeks but when I finally did dig them up they were amazing.

Haven't bought tatties since July, everything has stored well, including earlies .....

I've been pleasantly surprised at just how well the earlies have stored this year - maybe the rain over summer bulked them up with a higher water content allowing better storage?

[Tom Hill]

1st - Rocket then Winston
2nd - Mayan Gold
Lates - Picasso & Golden Wonder