[Headgardener22]

Other than their name, is there any real difference between early and maincrop potatoes? If you pick maincrop early do you get "new" potatoes, if you leave earlies in the ground longer, do you get "maincrop"?

There are all sorts of differences (waxy, floury, etc.). I just wondered whether we should choose the potato that we like best (personal choice) and dig them up as we need them through the season, rather than all this faffing about trying to work out when each individual variety should be picked.

[mumofstig]

Main crop wouldn't give you early potatoes, cos they do not make tubers quickly, having been bred for later heavy yield.
They would give you immature potatoes at some time during their growing cycle, I suppose - but don't know how this would effect their taste. You'd still have to do the furtling to see if there were any there of a suitable size, though.

[DD.]

Small maincrop potatoes are tougher than their early counterparts and don't make good new spuds.

[Snoop]

Small maincrop potatoes are tougher than their early counterparts and don't make good new spuds.

Eeh, DD. To the point and very useful info. No faff , indeed.

[Headgardener22]

Small maincrop potatoes are tougher than their early counterparts and don't make good new spuds.

From your statement, I take it you've tried then. I just wondered, being slightly fed up with always growing the wrong number of each sort of potato regardless of how careful I am about buying the number of tubers.

[DD.]

Maincrop store better as they are that bit tougher, so I suppose it stands to reason. Yes a small freshly harvested maincrop is nothing compared to an early.