[Ice]

Not many of us can get hold of potatoes as good as home grown, I certainly can't round here.  Like a lot of things in life it is a compromise for me to grow first and second earlies so I do have at least a few months of superb potatoes and leave myself with room for other things.

[Trillium]

Once you've fine-tuned your soil for potatoes (and this does take a few years), then you'll have excellent tasters. I lack the space for maincrops so my mum grows them on her farm for us. And they are superb. We and friends who've tasted our potatoes have tried local organic potato suppliers but we've all noticed they're not quite as good as my mum's. So, case in point.

Even my kids, when they were young, always knew when we used grandmas potatoes or store-bought.

[gobs]

*Plum,I didn't mean to criticise you in any way whatsoever or say you were not into growing your own and I apologise if you thought this
 
The point I was trying to make was that if you can buy potatoes as good as home grown cheaply enough,why bother growing them?
I purely want to get my hands on potatoes that have superb taste and have never managed to get this from shop bought,I've got approx 4-500 sq yds growing area and loads of storage room.

Come a years time, you will also not just understand, but know the term 'out-of-space'. 

[Judd]

Yes Gobs,I can understand what you mean

[Carollan]

Judd,after watching the farmer near us spray his spud fields with goodness knows what,I prefer to grow my own earlies and maincrop and a few for new at Christmas too! They don`t taste any better than shop bought but at least I know how they were grown    It would be interesting to know exactly what chemicals they use on maincrop spuds,anyone know?Is it just an anti-blight spray?

[TheSpartacat]

I thought the point of growing your own potatoes was that they had better flavour than shop bought.
I've never grown anything before and was looking forward to growing and eating my own potatoes.I've found all the varieties available to buy are lacking in flavour and after reading this thread where experienced gardeners are not bothering to grow them because they are cheap enough to buy,I don't know whether I should bother
Will they taste any better?
I had some given from a fellow plot holder and they actually had flavour and were superb,so much better than any I've ever bought!

The point is almost ALL vegetables that you grow your self will taste superior!! Not just spuds.
Wait til you try home grown tomatoes... or peas straight out of the pod... or sweetcorn cooked in a billy can right on the plot!!! Or strawberries!! Or parsnips that are fragrant, unlike the scentless stumps from supermarkets...
Oh my... i'm struggling to think of anything that doesn't taste better...

Then it comes down to how many kinds of vegetables you happen to like... and how to prioritise them. It's not a knock to the humble spud.

As i said, i still grow maincrop, but thats because i have a potato addiction...

[GrannieAnnie]

then go for it! many of us don't have the space.

Keep trying til you find varieties that will knock your socks off 

My words exactly Mum!! lol

No shop potato will ever taste as wonderful as the ones you grow yourself Judd!  One of the reasons is that shop bought ones have been sprayed with who knows what!  And kept in cool storage for ages. 

The most important reason though is, that there is no comparison between walking into a shop and picking up a bag of tasteless potatoes, and wading out into the veg plot, knee deep in mud to dig up those scrummy potatoes that you put in the ground a few months previously!     

[salome2001]

I'll be growing Roosters, Maris Piper and Rudolph (if the shop bought potatoes chit). I do have a full plot so plenty of space, but also only growing 5 or so of each- allotment shop sells seed potatoes by the tuber. Will take up less space than brassicas!!!

[gobs]

So you are not one of those putting their brassica in place of new pots then.

[Judd]

A lot of replies to this
You've convinced me though, I'll be putting the pots in as soon as I can.  Thanks for the replies.

[plum crumble]

Judd- I have been out all evening, so don't think I have been ignoring you.You haven't upset me at all - it really is down to space. I have 250 m sq to fill on the lottie. I am disappointed not to grow main crop, having done so for many years - but I have come to the conclusion that I can use the space for other things.

You are absolutely right - there is nothing like the taste of yummy spuds straight out of the soil.

so do not be disappointed with my earlier thread, and understand it is about space only.
Plum x

[DigIt]

Judd,after watching the farmer near us spray his spud fields with goodness knows what,I prefer to grow my own earlies and maincrop and a few for new at Christmas too! They don`t taste any better than shop bought but at least I know how they were grown    It would be interesting to know exactly what chemicals they use on maincrop spuds,anyone know?Is it just an anti-blight spray?

A good point to me, even if the taste isn't any better, knowing a crop's provenance is a valuable thing.

[Runwell-Steve]

I would grow main crop if I had the space, even though I can buy some locally grown tasty potatoes all year round from a good farm shop.  I don't have space though in my back garden.

I will grow New Potatoes though, Arran Pilot as always as I don't think you can buy good New Potatoes in any shops.

[sion01]

I've only planted earlies and 4-5 main crop spuds up to now as my space was limited but as I have a lot more space this year I'll be planting a lot of spuds.I can't wait.I can feel my sciatica throbbing just thinking about it :blink:

[compostqueen]

I love growing spuds as I'm like you and am in pursuit of the best tasters    You don't need to grow a plot full of each one though do you?  You can buy single tubers these days so they need not take up too much room

I had homegrown Desirees today from store (in the shed).  Lovely condition still and the only decision to make was shall I chip or shall I mash. Decisions, decisions