Types of potatoes
One of the easiest root crops to grow is potatoes. Plus, they’re fun to grow and a small area can provide a nice yield of this tasty vegetable. Early spring is the best time to plant them. So here are a few hints on how to grow potatoes in the garden in our upcoming posts.
One of the bonuses of growing potatoes is that you can eat them at various stages of growth. The young ‘new potatoes’ are often harvested and cooked with peas and gravy, while most are allowed to reach maturity and are eaten or stored for use throughout the winter.
VARIETIES
Choose the varieties that fit your cooking needs and taste preferences. Keep in mind some varieties have special attributes such as being particularly suited for baking; French fries; Boiling or for making hash browns. Here are just a few of the most popular ones:
WHITE ROSE probably the best known variety. This early white potato is nice for boiling; Potato salad. But is only fair for baking. It is only considered fair for storing purposes.
NETTED GEM another popular variety. Considered one of the best for baking. This late russet Burbank variety stores well.
KENNEBEC another late maturing white potato variety. An excellent one for fries;
chips; Baking or hash browns.
NORGOLD RUSSET excellent early variety for baking or boiling. Does not store too well.
YELLOW FINNISH It is a smaller sized potato with a yellow interior of excellent flavor. It is a versatile potato and stores moderately well.
RED PONTIAC is a popular red skinned variety of average quality. It stores quite well.
RED NORLAND this is a well-rounded red variety that has good qualities for baking or boiling.
Needless to say, there are many other varieties that merit use in the home garden.
Hope you have enjoyed this post. Give us a thumbs up and share it to spread green. Share your favourite variety with us in the comment.
We will be back with our next post on ‘BASICS OF GROWING POTATOES’
Till then HAPPY FARMING!