Saturday, February 20, 2010

potato order placed

I meant to order these a few weeks ago, but didn't actually do it. Now the order is placed - the day after the discounts ended :( I'm excited about the varieties I found though. Three of the four show resistance to late blight!! I should have had these last year. I got only 4 orders - last year I got 5 and this was a bit too much.

Here are the Moose Tubers' catalog descriptions:

Irish Cobbler Early. Buff skin, white flesh. Slightly larger than a golf ball, great for roasting or mashing, with a smooth creamy texture. Legend has it that an Irish shoemaker in the northeastern United States selected this variety from plants he grew from an Early Rose seed ball. First cataloged in 1876. Even dug early, Cobblers will store throughout the season. Resistant to mild mosaic and immune to wart. Medium-sized plant has white-tipped lilac flowers.

All Blue Mid-season. Dark purple skin, purple flesh. Russian Blue is another name for this brilliantly loud specialty spud. Keeps its color when cooked, yields aplenty, and stores decently. Mildly resistant to late blight, hollow heart, second growth and shatter bruise. Susceptible to common scab, bacterial ring rot, and golden nematode. Vigorous plants with blue blossoms. LBR.

Butte Late. Medium russet skin, white flesh. For all you fungal watchdogs out there, here is another variety field-resistant to late blight. A fine russeted pattern details the bronzed skin of the mealy white-fleshed Butte. Versatile in the kitchen, try it baked, fried, smashed, hashed, or whatever. All winter long! Released in 1977 from Idaho. Also resistant to common scab, hollow heart, and net necrosis. Produces best with wide spacing (16–18''), fertile soil, and regular watering. LBR.

Green Mountain. Late. Buff skin, white flesh Largely displaced from commercial potato seed circulation, this variety is the number-one pick for blight resistance. An outstanding heirloom that’s also just right for baking; so dig them once and keep the oven on all winter long. Its nice appearance and great flavor don’t fade in storage. Somewhat liable to succumb to pest damage and viral diseases, but show resistance to fusarium storage rot, black leg, and verticillium wilt. LBR.

(LBR means late blight resistance.)

All are new varieties for me except Green Mountain, which I grew last year and loved. It has fantastic crisp pure white flesh and keeps great. Last year I grew a different Russet (Rio Grande) which was great, but picked Butte this year for the LBR. I've heard Irish Cobbler recommended for its flavor. And I really looking forward to the blue potatoes to perk things up!

9 comments:

Jessica said...

I love Green Mountain Potatoes, I grew them last year as well. I learned that they are probably not the ideal potato for Southern MD growers. I had tons of pest damage. Have you ever tried fingerling potatoes? Red Thumb is my absolute favorite- they grow really quick, high yields, and amazing flavor especially for roasting/grilling. It's the only potato I am growing this year. I bought them from the MainePotatoLady.
Love your site!

kathy said...

Sounds good.

I've decided for this year not to grow red potatoes or small potatoes. Just a way to fit my choices into my space. My focus is big white keepers (and the blues and cobblers for a little variety).

Lynn said...

How do you manage potato beetle infestations? I haven't grown potatoes for several years because it seemed like I kept losing the battle against those suckers. I'm going to try again this year.

Lynn

kathy said...

Lynn,

I don't have a lot of experience with potato beetles. When I see them, I grab my camera and take their picture. They're quite handsome. I think its a bigger problem further south than my garden.

My understanding is you want to cover your crop with floating row cover. Most mail order seed companies sell light weight row cover. Spread it out over the row and tuck it into the soil at the edges. The rain will go through it. It is light enough that the plants will push it up as they grow if you leave enough extra loose material. Or you can use hoops.

Make sure you apply the cover before the beetles or their larvae appear. ASAP, I suppose. Potables don't need pollination and like extra warmth, so you could put it on at sprouting time it seems. Take it off for hilling and then recover would be my suggestion.

Some websites suggest flaming. Cool! My teenage son would come do this for you I bet. No seriously, you'd have to figure this one out.

Unknown said...

I grew all of these last year except the Irish Cobbler. And a few more (it was 2 sampler packs from Moose Tubers). The All Blue was the most resistant of the bunch I planted. All varieties I grew sooner or later got blight, but this one did the best and lasted longest. Also started setting tubers latest, so it was a good thing it lasted longest.

I made mashed potatoes the other night with the last of these and they were sooo lavender they should have tasted like grapes! I don't find them as tasty as the other varieties, but they certainly are fun!

Teresa/safira said...

How early do you plant your potatoes? I'm in SE Massachusetts. I was hoping to buy my seed potatoes on a spring visit to my mom in upstate New York (much less expensive!)but since they have to plant much later there, what with frosts until Memorial Day, I'm not sure the timing will be right.

(BTW, I'm safirasilv on livejournal but am home sick and too lazy to log in!)

kathy said...

Teresa,

Last year I planted my potatoes on April 24. Potatoes should go in 2 weeks before your last frost. In this area, I think you need to plant early in case its a hot summer. (Potatoes don't do well over 90*F - not a problem last year !) The seed potatoes I order usually arrive in early April.

I would imagine they'd have the seed potatoes available for sale early enough for you in NY. You could call and ask the store I suppose ...

Lori said...

I was thinking about trying Kennebec Potatoes. They are supposed to be good keepers and late blight resistant.

kathy said...

Sounds good. I've never tried them. Seems like there are quite a few Late Blight resistant potatoes.