Growing potatoes is one of the most rewarding things to do in your veg patch. They’re fairly easy to grow and digging them up is like unearthing a box of treasure! And of course, we’re a nation of potato eaters (mashed, boiled, roasted, fried, baked, layered in cheesy, creamy sauces, added to stews and soups….you name it, we’ll eat it) so they’re very useful to have in the kitchen.
It’s definitely not too late to be planting seed potatoes as most varieties can be planted anytime between now and late May/early June, so you haven’t missed the boat by any means! With this in mind, you might appreciate a little help in choosing which potatoes to grow in your own garden this year…
The first thing to consider is the texture of the spud. Different types of potatoes are best suited to different ways of cooking. Floury potatoes are good for mashing and roasting and waxy potatoes are good for boiling and using in dishes like dauphinoise. You might want to choose one or two varieties of each so that you have a good mixture in the garden.
Also, by growing your own potatoes you open up a lot of opportunities for experimenting with different and unusual varieties that you rarely find in the shops. We highly recommend having a go at growing some of these less common potatoes.
Floury Potatoes for roasting, mashing and baking:
British Queen – makes delicious roasties! An old variety of heritage potatoes first listed in 1894.
Highland Burgandy Red – This one is red skinned and red fleshed, with a clear ring of white between the two. It’ll get the wow response!
Waxy Potatoes for boiling and steaming:
Shetland Black – great coloured skin and lovely yellow flesh, these are a heritage variety that date back to 1923.
Rocket – lovely and round, good for salads.
Pink Fir Apple – an unusual, knobbly shaped salad potato that was originally imported into Britain over 160 years ago.