potato 'Vivaldi'
second early seed potato
£2.49
- size:
- 2kg
- available within:
- to order from winter 2012
- Position: sun-partial shadeSoil: fertile, well drainedRate of growth: fast-growingHarvesting period: JulyHardiness: protect tubers from frost
Voted 'most elegant spud of the year', by our Kitchen Garden blogger Sally Nex, 'Vivaldi' has recently been developed by a Lincolnshire company called Naturally Best. It is said to have 26% less carbohydrate and a third fewer calories than many other varieties. There has been no compromising on the flavour though as the flesh of the yellow-skinned, oval tubers is deliciously creamy. It is a great all-rounder, which shows some resistance to scab. - Garden care: As soon as the potato tubers have been delivered you should unpack them and start the chitting (sprouting) process. Place them in single layer in a seed tray without compost and leave in a light, cool area protected from frost. This can be started about six weeks before you intend to plant them. Early varieties can be planted out under frost fleece protection, but the later varieties should be planted after the worst frosts have passed in your area - this is generally mid March to mid April. Dig a trench 8 - 13cm (3 - 5in) deep adding a general purpose fertiliser to the bottom of the trench. Plant the potato tubers in the trenches about 30cm (12in) apart, being careful not to knock the shoots off the tubers, and keeping the shoots facing upwards. Then lightly cover with soil. As the plants get to around 20cm (8in) tall you need to bank up the soil around the plant, so the soil covers the bottom two thirds of the plant. Watering your plants well will help improve crop yield and discourage potato scab.
We sell potatoes by weight but you can expect to receive about 22 tubers of this variety in a 2kg bag.
- Eventual Height: 0.6m
- Eventual Spread: 0.45m