We went up to the Hampshire Potato Day at Whitchurch and I couldn’t believe how many people were there. The place was packed full of people buying seed potatoes by the sackful. Not sure how much Rach and the girls enjoyed it but I had a good hour wandering around looking at the different types of potatoes (made it up to them with a pub lunch afterwards). Had a chat with Darren who was helping out on the NVS stall and he signed me up for a years membership and I bought some Stenna Runner Bean seeds (more seeds!). Then it was down to the business of selecting some spuds (as if I haven’t got enough already!).
After a word with one of the chaps filling the baskets with more nets of seed potatoes I went for Rubesse, a lovely coloured skinned potato that apparently easily outcrops Desiree. And from the JBA rack a packet of NVS Amour which looked great in the photo.
Chloe and Emily were given a free potato each so they’ll have their own little bags to grow them in. Their faces lit up when they received their gift but I quickly took them when Emily was just about to take a bite out of hers!
I’ll start chitting my earlies in a week which will be 6 weeks before I plan to get them out on the plot in mid-March. Can’t wait, that’s when the season really gets underway!
For a list of February jobs check out the Horticultural Society Blog here and please add anything I’ve missed as a comment.
Hope you’re all having a productive weekend!!
28 comments
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January 29, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Darren
Amour is an old potato which went out and has been Brought back by JBA
It is called NVS Amour as they sponsor it for the NVS
Some of the old gardeners swear by Amour to challenge Kestrel and say if it’s grown right will beat anything
A great looking potato with lovely pink eyes
What a great day mate
January 29, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Damo
Thanks Darren, it was a lot better than I expected and packed with both people and potatoes. I didn’t realise there was that many varieties!
January 29, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Mark Willis
Still waiting for the ones I ordered to be delivered. probably for the best though: if I had been to Whitchurch I would probably have bought far too many! Nice that they did something to attract the kids. You have to get them interested early on!
January 29, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Damo
I know what you mean Mark, there were people coming out with bags full of spuds. I’m not going to order any next year just go up to a Potato Day and fill up.
January 29, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Craig Rockfield
I made a bit of a mistake with a potato fair today, my fault for reading 2010 instead of 2011. Anyway, off to the Lancashire Potato Fair in Skelmersdale next week, my first time ever!!! So thanks for giving me a headsup anyway
haha. I’m a little more clued up on what to expect now.
January 30, 2011 at 8:15 am
Damo
Shame about that Craig, I’m sure the one next week will be good. The great thing is you can buy the seed potatoes individually so you can trial loads of varieties relatively cheaply. If you’re growing them in bags you could have a different variety in each one for example. All the top showers grow them in bags so that may be a good way to go and save space in your beds for other veg.
January 30, 2011 at 9:56 am
Janet/Plantaliscious
You people lead me astray! I’ve already succumbed and ordered Lady Christl, Charlotte and Anya to go with Swift. At this rate I will need three full size plots to plant all the stuff I am buying in…
January 30, 2011 at 11:31 am
Damo
Hi Janet, sorry if you read this you’ll end up buying loads more than you need that’s one of my faults. Saying that we get through a lot of potatoes and I’m going to grow most of them in bags so I have space freed up in the beds.
January 30, 2011 at 10:21 am
Jo
Sounds like you enjoyed your day, and Rach and the girls got something out of it too. I would have liked to visit the West Yorkshire Potato Day, but it falls on my son’s birthday. Maybe next year.
January 30, 2011 at 11:33 am
Damo
One for next year Jo, it’s well worth a visit for the number of varieties there is.
January 30, 2011 at 10:53 am
Sue
It will be interesting to see how everyone’s choices of potatoes fare. At first I thought when you said the girls got a free potato that it was baked – did they have any cooked potatoes so you could rtaste them too?
January 30, 2011 at 11:35 am
Damo
They may have had in the cafe are Sue but I didn’t get that far. The older boys who were stocking the baskets were very knowledgable on varieties for either showing, taste, crop yields etc. Wish I’d have got some Salad Blue’s now though, there’s always a variety you want that you don’t have!
January 30, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Lucy @ Smallest Smallholding
I’m not pushing the boat out here – just gone for one small bag of Charlotte this year to plant up, but it’ll do me! Mum swears by Picasso for main crop (I think), got to enjoy them last year and they’re a pretty good all-rounder. As long as main crops make fluffy/crispy (in the right ratio) roast potatoes and good mash, I’m happy as can be.
January 30, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Damo
I’m with you there, roast spuds are the test for a good maincropper, I’ll look out for Picasso next time. You can’t go wrong with Charlotte, my favourite salad potato and seems to crop well when I’ve grown it both in bags and on the plot.
January 31, 2011 at 8:59 am
Mo
Sounds like a good day. Love that the kiddie-winks got free spuds, catch ‘em early
January 31, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Damo
Absolutely Mo, they’ll be over the moon with their own potato plants!
January 31, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Simon baldwin
Damo, I’m well jealous of you and Darren!!! A potato day looks great!! I’m sure Sarah wouldn’t like it though, so i’d end up treating the pub lunch route aswell!
Hope your Rubesse turn out well mate! I just got a pck of Mayan gold in the post today!! Woohoo!
January 31, 2011 at 8:23 pm
Damo
Thanks Simon, best of luck with your Mayan Gold. Everytime I talk about potato varieties I hear a new one!
February 1, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Darren
You should be, we had a great day lol
February 1, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Lucy Corrander
Do you know Colleen at Rus in Urbis? She’s been doing something similar.
http://www.rusinurbis.com/2011/01/couch-potato.html
Lucy
February 1, 2011 at 6:05 pm
Damo
I don’t Lucy, but thanks for the link I’ll check it out.
February 1, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Mark Willis
Hi Damo; Thanks for your comment on my blog. A little milestone for me – yours was the 1000th comment.
February 1, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Damo
Thanks Mark, 1000 comments is some going, here’s to the next 1000!
February 2, 2011 at 10:23 am
Flighty
It sure sounds and looks like you had a good time!
Some one told me that going to one of these days is like a young child going into an old fashioned sweet shop!
February 2, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Damo
That’s a good analogy Flighty, there’s too much choice so you can go a bit crazy and buy far too many if you’re not careful!
February 4, 2011 at 10:17 am
Bridget
Great idea to give the children a potato each. What a great event. Wish we had something like that here in north-west Ireland.
February 4, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Damo
Hi Bridget, yes it was a nice touch for the children. Shame they don’t have one of these events near you, it was well attended.
January 10, 2012 at 7:55 pm
Potato Days « Two Chances Veg Plot Blog
[...] year I visited the Hampshire Potato Day at Whitchurch which was excellent with 100s of varieties of potatoes plus onion sets, shallots, [...]