On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 07:18:32 GMT, Gary wrote:

~On 1/24/05 7:54 AM, in article ,
~"jane" wrote:
~
~ On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 00:14:00 GMT, Janet Baraclough
~ wrote:
~
~ ~The message
~ ~from jakalad contains these words:
~ ~
~ ~ I was interested in Janes comments on the question of International Royal
~ ~ kidneys and in particular the advise that the new potatoe must be picked at
~ ~ an early stage. I grew Arran pilots last year and suffered from very
~ ~ floury potatoes. Their boiling properties appeared to improve slightly
~ ~ with peeeling but in general they were a flop as a new potatoe particularly
~ ~ if left with the skin on. I put the problem down to a bad choice of seed
~ ~ but I am now wondering if I simply lifted them too late. Jak
~ ~
~ ~ I grew Arran Pilot the year before last, just because we'd moved to
~ ~Arran where they were bred, and found them very disappointing at every
~ ~stage. Now I've reverted to my all-time favourite Estima which I can
~ ~recommend as a delicious baby new potato and also as a whopping old
~ ~potato (we're still eating last years crop).
~
~ I'm growing half a dozen varieties again I hope - which is the
~ advantage of getting spuds by the tuber rather than buying huge bags!
~ Last year I tried
~
~ Accent (ok but only got 3/5 plants, can't remember them being amazing)
~ Mimi (red salad, cherry tom size, nearly all hollowed out by slugs)
~ Red Duke of York (the most stunning colour and delicious)
~ Ratte (waxy salad - and I found some volunteers in December - which
~ were perfect, hardly any slug damage for months underground!)
~ Pink Fir Apple (very waxy salad - not much slug damage)
~ Estima (weren't brilliant but then again they were planted very late
~ so I'll try again)
~ International Kidney (third year now, seem to like my lottie and
~ seaweed meal and extract!)
~ Sarpo Mira/Axona/Tominia (dug up start of November and ate for
~ Christmas - very nice and they definitely didn't get blight, but then
~ again neither did anything else...)
~
~ So this year I'll drop the Accent and Mimi and try Kestrel. Rest the
~ same.
~
~ Chitting starts this weekend...
~
~Chitting?????? Vell vot dos this mean? Dis verd chitting?
~

I get ze feeling somevon is taking ze Michael.

:-)

(seriously, don't you let spuds grow shoots before you plant them out?
Or are techniques rather different in the freezing wastes of .ca?)


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!