Bob Hobden wrote:
Now everyone is eating their early potatoes how are they?

I pulled up a plant last week and was a bit disappointed with the crop and
the number of unswelled potatolets, so put it back in after taking the
bigger ones off. It's looking sad but alive atm.

What do you think of the varieties you grew for growth and taste?

My brain has gone blank and I can't remember my varities!

We grew Inova and Printaline this year and must say we are rather impressed,
probably the best early pototoes we have ever grown for yield, tuber
quality/shape and flavour and that says a lot as we try different varieties
every year. When the potatoes were still small we were getting over 3lb from
each plant and the last Inova we dug up we got over 5lbs although they are
beginning to get large, still taste nice though. The Printalines seem to
have stayed smaller, more like new potato size.

I'll make a note and look for them next year!

So please let us know how your varieties have done?

I think my problem was lack of water, so hopefully they'll be swelling up a
bit now. Still have half a bag of last year's that can be used for mashing,
so maybe dig some more up next weekend.

Oh. Buggeration! Looks like I may have accidentally pulled up a 2nd early
not a first early, that could explain things!!

1st Earlies: Riviera (huge bake/boil); hzd99-1437 (trial variety, like
Charlottes)

I had assumed I had 3, not 2. The hzd99-1437 are not very impressive top
growth so far, so I'm loath to pull up. I pulled up one from the 3rd row,
which is one of:

2nd Earlies: Maya Twilight (white with red splodges); Kestrel (white with
purple eyes, we like these - very showy); Yukon Gold (I think these are the
waxy yellow ones I liked last year - our records got a bit muddled); Toluca
(organic); Bonnie (new variety, like Estima)

I have a /suspicion/ but would have to check, that it was Toluca.
Definitely white, don't think they were yellow. Not sure what Bonnie was
like.

Anyhow. Tasted ok, but very low yield so far, but not surprising if they're
not meant to be up yet!!