potato 'Blue Danube'
potato - early maincrop, Scottish basic seed potato
- Position: sun-partial shade
- Soil: fertile, well drained
- Rate of growth: fast-growing
- Harvesting period: July
- Hardiness: protect tubers from frost
- 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.
A couple of new potatoes have just emerged onto the market showing a remarkably good resistance to blight - and this is one of them. Developed at the Sárvári Research Trust, this early maincrop potato has medium foliage-blight resistance and good tuber-blight resistance. It also has good resistance to a number of viruses. Producing purple-black stems and dark shiny foliage, with spectacular blue-skinned, well-shaped tubers. The flesh is bright white and in the kitchen it has been described by some as 'the best roast potato ever'. Commercial growers experimenting with this variety are very impressed and it is almost developed cult-status.
- Humans/Pets: Seed potatoes and plants - Harmful if eaten