Garden & Allotment Use
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Sárpo varieties are ideal for small scale growing, particularly when sprays are not used or are used only intermittently. A range of non-Sárpo vatieties with blight resistance are available but most of these are only useful if blight is not severe. Partial resistance slows the development of blight by a few days or even a week or two but a change to wet weather can quickly devastate the crop. In contast, most of our varieties will grow through any blight outbreak without protection but might show slow-growing blight lesions on the lower leaves. It is advantageous to chit the seed tubers so that the formation of tubers is speeded up. That way, the crop can be harvested before the bad weather sets in. Because our maincrop varieties are indeterminate (like a vining tomato plant) the plants will keep growing taller until cut down by the frost. Although maximum yields will be obtained, the potatoes will tend to be outsized and many will show hollow heart. It is better to dig a few plants at intervals and when tuber size is just what you want, to cut off the foliage and allow the crop to set its skins for three weeks before careful harvesting under dry conditions. Never lift potatoes of any variety when there is blight around the site as the disease will gain entry through nicks and scratches on the skin. You can compost the foliage even if blight is present although there is a small risk that dormant spores may have formed within the leaves and that these may survive composting. It is good to experiment with potatoes of different maturity. Freshly dug Sárpo tubers can be used early in the season as a "new potato" but higher yields of more versatile potatoes will be obtained later in the season. Try to determine if the taste varies over the winter period. Some find that varieties which are bland in autumn are very tasty in Spring. When Sárpo tubers are stored in an unheated shed, they will last for many months, even through to June of the following season when they will still make excellent chips and mash. |
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