When it comes to potatoes, sometimes it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of varieties you can choose from. Yes, there are a lot of potatoes to choose from, so to help you decide, here's our top 5 selection criteria.
1. Look for their time to harvest
Some potatoes can be harvested early in the season like Red Pontiac, others are late like Up To Date. Look for varieties with different harvest times to extend your season.
2. Mash, Chips, Salad or Roast?
No, not all potatoes are alike. Different potatoes have very different culinary qualities so while some are better suited to mashing like Sapphire, others are prized for their use as chips like Kennebec, or salads like Salad Rose or Carlingford. If in doubt, look for all-rounders like King Edward.
3. Storage
Some potatoes store better than others. Usually those with thin skins should be consumed quickly, while others can last up to 3 months. Choose a mixture to keep your pantry stocked at all times. Fingerling types like Pink Fir Appleare best consumed fresh from the garden, while Up To Datestores well in the cupboard if allowed to mature in the soil for several weeks after the foliage dies down.
4. Determinate & Indeterminate
Potatoes, like tomatoes, can be either determinate (growing to a set height), or indeterminate (produce more potatoes if the stem is backfilled). Determinate potatoes like Spunta grow well in bags and containers, while indeterminate varieties like Brownell grow best in garden beds and tatey towers.
5. Colour and Fun
Whilst it is wise to grow what you know you will use, it's also fun to grow something new and exciting each season. Maybe this year you should try to grow and make your own purple gnocchi from Purple Congo, or colourful mash from purple Sapphire.
