[arugula]

Partly from information I gleaned from last year's potato polls and partly from previous experience, I chose to grow Sharpe's Express - first early, Lady Christl - first early and Ambo - early maincrop, this year.

The Sharpe's Express were planted as the "proper" first earlies, but we didn't rate the flavour or floury texture so won't choose them again.

The Lady Christl we found last year stretched out quite well so these were treated as seconds. I think they really are my favourite potato for flavour, versatility....  .

The Ambo have produced an impressive crop so far, with some in the ground still. Unfortunately, I haven't been weighing these as they've been harvested, so I won't know the total yield. Good flavour, they make excellent healthy home-made oven chips and decent roasties and mash - haven't tried them as bakers yet.

What are your experiences and thoughts on the potatoes you have grown this year?

 

[DD.]

Lady Christl top of the first earlies again.

The second earlies, Charlotte and Kestrel have both performed well for different reason. The Charlottes have produce a prolific number of medium size spud, good for cooking as they are for salads and the Kestrel have produce humungeous bakers.

Not yet made it to the Ambos due to the Kestrels getting in the way!





Edit: title

[sunshineband]

First earlies: Swift -- disppointingly small yield and small tubers
                     Red Duke of York - avergae yield, good flavour

Will try something else next year!
Had blight on our site so took off all leaves and haulms, left to 3 weeks before digging.

Second early: Kestrel - as good as ever. High yield, good size spuds that carry on into main crops. Excellent roasties 18kg from 9 tubers

Will grow next year again.

Maincrops: Cara - awesome yield and enormous size spuds. Fantastic flavour and will see us through with roast dinners until March. 34 kg from 20 tubers
                   Yukon Gold - gorgeous colour but poor yield, and lots affected by bight so had to throw them away. Only 5kg from 15 tubers.
                    Pink Fir Apple -- absolutely vast yield, spuds much bigger than last year. Love these! (28kg from 15 tubers)

 Won't bother with Yukon Gold and will add something new to our two other old favourites!!

Then got 3 kg of Congo black from 'volunteers', which was a big surprise. Lots had succumbed to blight and this was what was left -- big enough to use easily in the kitchne but not that tasty. More a novelty to make purple crisps from 

[mumofstig]

Grew Pentland Javelin earlies, low yield - but a drought year
Ambo early maincrop - good yield and some huge jacket size spuds
Some Pink Fir Apple in tubs- not a huge yield, but lovely salad spuds, I think they were actually Anya  rather PFA because they weren't at all knobbly (although they were labelled PFA) unless that's also because of the weather  

[DD.]

You're tempting me to have a poke at my Ambos!

[sunshineband]

You're tempting me to have a poke at my Ambos!

Go on!!!  We want to know if they is bigguns 

[mumofstig]

You know you wanna  

[DD.]

Not now!

[sunshineband]

Not now!

OK, as it is nearly dark and you might not have batteries for your head torch ---- in the morning?

[DD.]

Maybe.

[sunshineband]

Maybe.

[Ice]

Pentland Javelin were small, tasteless and hard as bullets even after cooking.  The Kestrel are a wonderment, tasty, huge and cook very well.  A small amount of scab on them but that's the summer we've had.

[BabbyAnn]

Pentland Javelin were small, tasteless and hard as bullets even after cooking. 

I found them disappointing when I first harvested PJs and had abandoned them when I started to use the Foremost, then tried again - the flavour definitely improved on storage. 

[Yorkie]

Charlottes grew as reliably as ever, but have same problem as last year (Duke of York) with skin splitting off when cooking, whilst middles remain hard.

[Ice]

- the flavour definitely improved on storage. 

That's handy to know as I have rather a lot in storage given that I couldn't bear to throw them away.