£5.99
Maris Bard is a very early potato giving good crops of oval shaped tubers with white skin and shallow eyes. Good all round cooker with some blight, scab and drought resistance. A traditional favourite for its very fine taste.
Please note: Potatoes are dispatched from January to May and always attract additional carriage at the checkout. Click here for carriage charges.
Potatoes early: Maris Bard
solanum tuberosum
Approx. 10 tubers per Kg
Our potatoes tubers are grown in Scotland and are certified, this means that they have been inspected and met the strict standards required of seed potatoes. We send them out from the beginning of January until May, stocks permitting. You can pre order. This is advisable to get the best choice of varieties. When you receive your potatoes get them chitting straight away. Standing them upright in trays or boxes, in a light, frost free place. They will grow short, dark green sprouts until you are ready to plant them. Potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops to grow. I always think harvesting your home grown potatoes is like digging for treasure.
How to grow:
Grow potatoes in their own plot within your rotation. Move them round every year to prevent the build up of disease. Use a 3 year rotation as a minimum, 4 is better. Potatoes can be planted as early as February with protection but the more traditional time for planting is Easter. The end of March, beginning of April is usual, weather permitting. Prepare a planting trench at least 30cm deep and put in home made compost or well rotted manure. Place the tubers, with the chitted sprouts uppermost, 15cm deep and 30cm apart. Mix some organic fertiliser, we use Tamar 555, with the remaining soil and backfill the trench with the remaining soil, mound the soil up along the row as you go. If you are planting more than one row make them 60cm apart. As the leaves grow protect them from late frosts by earthing up or use fleece. Earth the potatoes up at least once when the leaves are 15cm or so high. This helps to protect the top tubers and stops them going green in the light. Early potatoes should be ready in approximately 90 days after planting.
Pests and diseases:
The major problem for potatoes is blight, a fungal disease which quickly spreads through the foliage and reduces the crop. Early potatoes are usually ready before the conditions for blight are prevalent making them a good choice for the home gardener.
How to cook:
Early potatoes are best boiled or steamed. If the crop is quite clean just wash the potatoes or scrub them with a brush and cook with the skins on. Put a sprig of mint in the water or serve with some chopped mint and butter if liked.