loading

potato 'Rocket'

potato - first early, Scottish basic seed potato

Product Image
'Rocket' is a very heavy cropping cultivar with pure white flesh, which is waxy and soft at first digging. Many customers have been delighted by the earliness, ease of culture and size of crop. It also has good all round disease resistance including golden eelworm.

How to care for potato Rocket:

As soon as your seed potatoes arrive, unpack them and if you've time, start chitting by placing them in a single layer in a light, cool, frost-free spot. Begin this around six weeks before planting. While not essential, chitting will help get your potatoes off to a good start, and subsequently they'll produce an earlier harvest. There’s also no need to chit autumn or Christmas potatoes, as these are planted in summer.

First early and second early seed potatoes can be planted outdoors under fleece protection, while maincrops should wait until the risk of frost has eased, usually from mid-April. Autumn and Christmas potatoes are planted straight into trenches or potato bags from late July.

Dig a trench 8-13cm (3-5in) deep and add a balanced fertiliser before planting the tubers 30cm (12in) apart with the shoots facing upwards (if present), then cover lightly with soil. If using potato bags, plant into general-purpose compost with at least 20cm (8in) beneath the tubers.

When shoots reach about 20cm (8in) tall, earth up soil or compost around the stems to cover the lower two-thirds of the plant. Keep plants well watered as this boosts yield and helps prevent scab.

Planting and harvest times depend on the type:

First earlies: Plant mid-March to April and lift 10-12 weeks later (June to early July).

Second earlies: Plant early to mid-April and lift after 13-14 weeks (mid-July to August).

Maincrop: Plant from mid-April and harvest after 15-20 weeks (late August to October).

Autumn/Christmas: Plant from late July and lift from 12 weeks, protecting plants from frost.
Eventual height:
0.6m
Eventual spread:
0.45m
Position:

Full sun

Rate of growth:

Fast-growing

Soil:

Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, or peat-free general purpose compost

Hardiness:

Frost tender

  • InformationHumans/Pets: Seed potatoes and plants - Harmful if eaten

Product options

Product options image
BU30001085
5 × seed potatoes
£3.49 £0.70 each
In stock
(shipped within 1-2 working days)
Product options image
BU30000331
2kg bag | seed potatoes
£9.99
In stock
(shipped within 1-2 working days)
Product options image
BU30004372
10 + 5 FREE seed potatoes
£6.98 £0.47 each
In stock
(shipped within 1-2 working days)
1
Delivery options (pick your preferred option at checkout)
Bulbs (only)£4.99
Named Day Delivery£10.99

Goes well with

Become an RHS Member today and save 1/3 on your first year