Seed Potatoes / Seed Potato Variety Guide

Our guide to help you select the perfect seed potatoes, and seed potato variety for your requirements and where to buy for best quality seed potatoes and prices.

Each variety of seed potatoes has it`s own characteristics. Some make great salad potatoes, whilst others are best boiled, mashed, baked, roasted or others make lovely chips…yum…chips….errr… where was I

Oh yes, and there are different classes of potatoes too,

First early potatoes

Second early potatoes

Maincrop potatoes.

So what are the differences between first earlies, second earlies and maincrop potatoes and what does it all mean.?

Well simply put the difference is in the length of time they take to reach maturity and harvesting.

For instance, if you plant your selected seed potatoes in mid march:

A First Earlies Potatoes, seed poatato variety, would be ready to harvest in 10-12 weeks from sowing.

A Second Earlies Potatoes, seed potato variety, would be ready to harvest in 12-14 weeks from sowing.

A Maincrop Potatoes, seed potato variety, would be ready to harvest in 15-20 weeks from sowing.

Simple., but what do you like to do with your potatoes? Do you mash chip, bake… well some varieties are better than others for different culinary uses.

Check out these seed potato variety guides and their recommended culinary uses.

First Earlies Seed Potatoes / Seed Potato Variety

These seed potatoes varieties are ready for harvesting 10-12 weeks from planting.

Arran Pilot - Good potato for boiling, baking and chipping.

Maris Bard - Great for boiling, baking and salads.

Casablanca - Fantastic all round potato for, boiling, baking, chipping, mashing and roasting!

Rocket – Perfect potato for salads and boiling.

Winston – Boiling, chipping and baking potato.

Pentland Javelin – Potato for boiling, chipping and salads.

First Earlies Seed Potatoes / Seed Potato Variety

These seed potatoes varieties are ready for harvesting 12-14 weeks from planting.

Smile - Good all round culinary potato for boiling, mashing, baking, roasting, and chipping.

Charlotte - Best for boiling, mashing and with salads.

Maris Peer – Popular potato for boiling, baking, mashing and salads.

Nadine - Try this potato variety for Boiling, baking, mashing and roasting.

Kestrel - Good all round potato for boiling, baking, mashing, roasting,and chipping.

Carlingford – Try this one mashed, boiled or with salads.

Maincrop Seed Potatoes / Seed Potato Variety

These seed potatoes varieties are ready for harvesting 15-20 weeks from planting.

Maris Piper – One of my favourite potatoes , good for boiling, chipping, baking and roasting.

Desiree – Useful potato for boiling, baking, mashing and chipping.

King Edward – Popular potato, good for boiling, baking, mashing, chipping and salads.

Cara – Potato variety for Boiling, baking, chipping, and roasting.

Blue Belle – Best for boiling, baking and mashing.

Pentland Squire - Great all round potato, boiling, baking, mashing, roasting and chipping.

Where To Buy Seed Potatoes

Personally I like to order mine in from a reputable source. Over the years I have settled on one particular source, that has always provided great value, diversity and quality, not only of seed potatoes and other vegetables but also plants and bedding.

Try clicking link below for free delivery and no minimum order quantity:

 TOP QUALITY SEED POTATOES

To learn How To Grow Potatoes visit our How To Grow Potatoes Guide.

Vegetable Gardening Jobs For February

 

February, for me, is the start of the vegetable gardening year and there are a few jobs you can be doing in the vegetable garden this February.

This February, in the vegetable garden so far  has been quite mild and the ground is slowly beginning to warm up, and the sun (when it shines) is also feeling warmer. Of course it`s still way to early to get to carried away, snow and ice could be just around the corner yet, but here are a few jobs you can do in the garden if the conditions are right in your neck of the woods.

Put out cloches, if you haven`t already, to help warm the soil, the sooner your soil warms up the sooner you can sow some seed. If you have had cloches set up then you may be able to start setting seed for parsnips, hardy peas, carrots and broad beans, and any hardy early vegetables.

If you have a heated greenhouse, conservatory or room you can do the same indoors with some vegetables to get them started, such as tomatoes and cucumbers.

Find a frost free bright window to start chitting potatoes.

If you were planning to plant  bare rooted fruit trees then now is your last chance as they will soon become active and start growing in the next few weeks.

Prune fruit trees while they are still dormant.

Cover your rhubarb with pots to exclude the daylight this will encourage earlier pickings of long tender stalks.

Gooseberry bushes can be pruned now too. Be sure to open up the centre of the bush to allow air to circulate and light to penetrate.

Check pots, rasied beds, fencing, supports, canes, trellis and tools etc for damage, repair or replace as necessary.

Prepare greenhouse for action.

Buy in seeds if not already done so.

Thank you for reading this blog post about Vegetable Gardening Jobs For February, please check out all our other vegetable gardening guides and articles too!