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Seed Potato Catalogue - Boiling Potatoes
Boiling potatoes is still the main use for any potato. All first earlies are suited to boiling straight from your garden. Here are a selection hand picked by us for you to grow in your garden. Read our guide about boiling potatoes. More info...
Wash your potatoes and give them a good scrub so that you remove all dirt from the skins. If there are any skin imperfections then you can remove them with your nail or a sharp knife.
Place your potatoes into a pan and fill the pan with cold water so that the potatoes are just covered over by the water.
Place the potatoes onto a hot oven ring and bring to the boil. Once your water is boiling then you should reduce the heat and allow the potatoes to simmer in the pan. Keep an eye on your potatoes and check every 5 minutes with a fork to see if they are ready. It normally takes 25 minutes for medium sized potatoes to boil and can take upto 40 minutes for larger potatoes.
Use your fork to jab the potatoes and if the potatoes are easy to get the fork into then they are ready to be removed from the pan and served.
You now have the choice to serve the potatoes with the skins on which contain all the good nutrients of the potato or to serve them skinless.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
Seed Potato Catalogue - Baked potatoes
Seed Potato Catalogue - Baked potatoes
Jamieson Brothers have selected a great selection of potatoes for you to grow in your garden that will make excellent baking potatoes. The ideal potato for baking should be a large floury variety that grows easily to a large size. Nothing beats the smell and taste of a baked potato when served with a touch of salt and lashings of butter. More info...
To make perfect baked or jacket potatoes you will need to use some large potatoes. You will also need some vegetable oil, some butter and a small amount of salt.
The first thing you should do is pre-heat your oven to approx 180c as this will help speed up the process.
Give your potatoes a good clean under a running tap of cold water so that you remove all traces of soil and then gently dry them with some kitchen towel.
The next important step is to pierce the potatoes several times all over with a fork to stop the potatoes going soft and soggy. This allows moisture to escape during the cooking process and keeps the potatoe dry and fluffy inside.
You can now either brush your vegetable oil onto your potatoes or place them in a bowl and roll the potatoes in the oil before adding a sprinkle of salt to the skin of each potato you wish to bake.
Now that you have added the oil and salt you can place then into your oven on a wire rack. Most people have a cooking tray lined with tin foil place below the potatoes so that any drippings that occur during baking are caught in the tray below.
It will take approx 1 hour for your potatoes to bake in the oven and you will soon see that they have gone lovely and crispy golden brown. At this stage you should remove them from the oven to prepare them for serving.
You can now slit the potatoes length wise and width wise to make a cross shape in the potatoes before serving them with anything you like to add to them. Most people like to add cheese or butter to their baked jacket potatoes.
You have now made perfect baked potatoes to serve to your friends and family.
Jamieson Brothers have selected a great selection of potatoes for you to grow in your garden that will make excellent baking potatoes. The ideal potato for baking should be a large floury variety that grows easily to a large size. Nothing beats the smell and taste of a baked potato when served with a touch of salt and lashings of butter. More info...
To make perfect baked or jacket potatoes you will need to use some large potatoes. You will also need some vegetable oil, some butter and a small amount of salt.
The first thing you should do is pre-heat your oven to approx 180c as this will help speed up the process.
Give your potatoes a good clean under a running tap of cold water so that you remove all traces of soil and then gently dry them with some kitchen towel.
The next important step is to pierce the potatoes several times all over with a fork to stop the potatoes going soft and soggy. This allows moisture to escape during the cooking process and keeps the potatoe dry and fluffy inside.
You can now either brush your vegetable oil onto your potatoes or place them in a bowl and roll the potatoes in the oil before adding a sprinkle of salt to the skin of each potato you wish to bake.
Now that you have added the oil and salt you can place then into your oven on a wire rack. Most people have a cooking tray lined with tin foil place below the potatoes so that any drippings that occur during baking are caught in the tray below.
It will take approx 1 hour for your potatoes to bake in the oven and you will soon see that they have gone lovely and crispy golden brown. At this stage you should remove them from the oven to prepare them for serving.
You can now slit the potatoes length wise and width wise to make a cross shape in the potatoes before serving them with anything you like to add to them. Most people like to add cheese or butter to their baked jacket potatoes.
You have now made perfect baked potatoes to serve to your friends and family.
Growing potatoes - how to grow potatoes
Growing potatoes - how to grow potatoes
The traditional way to plant and grow potatoes is to choose a nice south facing site that is away from tree and hedges. You should try not to plant potatoes in areas that can be prone to frost in low lying pockets.
Ideal soil conditions for growing potatoes are sandy loam soils which can be enriched with lots of organic matter to aid water retention and provide suitable feeding for you potatoes.
Heavy clay soils can be improved by adding sharp sand and lots of organic matter in the autumn of the year so that the new soil mixture can be exposed to frost which will help break up the soil structure and make it easier to work with.
If you are unable to get organic matter you can add compost to the area you wish to plant your potatoes in.
In the early part of spring where weather conditions allow you can broadcast a balanced potato fertilizer at a rate of around 4oz per square yard. Vitax organic potato fertilizer would be suitable for this as it is a slow release fertilizer formulated for potatoes.
Once you have spread your fertilizer you can either fork the soil so that it is well mixed or gently rotovate and leave for around 10 days before planting for the fertilizer to work into the soil structure.
Now to make your potato beds. Dig a trench 6 inches deep and the width of your shovel. Sprinkle 2oz of your potato fertilizer for each metre length of your trench. Again gently fork the fertilizer into the soil in the bottom of the trench.
If you have problems with slugs in your garden them now would be the time to add slug pellets to the trench following the recommended dosage from the manufactuer or use nemaslug which are nematodes designed to attack slugs and stop the problem.
Now to plant your potatoes. First earlies should be planted 12"apart along your drill and the space between drills should be around 24".
Second earlies and maincrops can be planted 15" apart with a space of 28" between the drills.
Now that you have your potatoes in the ground simply use the soil that you had already taken out of the trench and carefully scatter it on top of the potatoes until the trench is once again flat.
Once the potatoes start to grow through the top of the drill you should then start to earth up.
Earthing up is best done with a garden hoe. The aim is to form a peaked ridge with the loose soil at the edge of the trench to prevent your potatoes turning green which would make them inedible.
This might be required 2/3 times a season.
The traditional way to plant and grow potatoes is to choose a nice south facing site that is away from tree and hedges. You should try not to plant potatoes in areas that can be prone to frost in low lying pockets.
Ideal soil conditions for growing potatoes are sandy loam soils which can be enriched with lots of organic matter to aid water retention and provide suitable feeding for you potatoes.
Heavy clay soils can be improved by adding sharp sand and lots of organic matter in the autumn of the year so that the new soil mixture can be exposed to frost which will help break up the soil structure and make it easier to work with.
If you are unable to get organic matter you can add compost to the area you wish to plant your potatoes in.
In the early part of spring where weather conditions allow you can broadcast a balanced potato fertilizer at a rate of around 4oz per square yard. Vitax organic potato fertilizer would be suitable for this as it is a slow release fertilizer formulated for potatoes.
Once you have spread your fertilizer you can either fork the soil so that it is well mixed or gently rotovate and leave for around 10 days before planting for the fertilizer to work into the soil structure.
Now to make your potato beds. Dig a trench 6 inches deep and the width of your shovel. Sprinkle 2oz of your potato fertilizer for each metre length of your trench. Again gently fork the fertilizer into the soil in the bottom of the trench.
If you have problems with slugs in your garden them now would be the time to add slug pellets to the trench following the recommended dosage from the manufactuer or use nemaslug which are nematodes designed to attack slugs and stop the problem.
Now to plant your potatoes. First earlies should be planted 12"apart along your drill and the space between drills should be around 24".
Second earlies and maincrops can be planted 15" apart with a space of 28" between the drills.
Now that you have your potatoes in the ground simply use the soil that you had already taken out of the trench and carefully scatter it on top of the potatoes until the trench is once again flat.
Once the potatoes start to grow through the top of the drill you should then start to earth up.
Earthing up is best done with a garden hoe. The aim is to form a peaked ridge with the loose soil at the edge of the trench to prevent your potatoes turning green which would make them inedible.
This might be required 2/3 times a season.
Seed Potato Growing Instructions for First Earlies, Second Earlies and Maincrop
Seed Potato Growing Instructions for First Earlies, Second Earlies and Maincrop
After purchase carefully empty seed potato contents into shallow boxes or trays,egg boxes or apple trays are ideal. Keep away from frost and store in a cool area.
6 weeks before you want to plant your early potatoes you should move your potatoes into a light area of about 10 degrees celsius to produce a strong, thick sprout, making sure that the potatoes are rose eye upwards.
The potatoes will turn green when exposed to the light but do not worry as this is normal. If you wish to grow large potatoes you can carefully cut out some of the eyes on the potatoes so that only a few chits are formed and the potato will produce larger but fewer tubers.
If you wish to grow many small tubers to eat like baby potatoes then leave all the eyes intact and plant the potatoes at half the distances shown below.
How to prepare the bed
With the use of a garden fork simply turn the soil over and work in some well rotted manure to provide essential nutrients for your potatoes. If you are unable to use manure then specialized potato fertilizer can be used but the fertilizer should be placed below the potato and a layer of soil or compost put in between so that the potato roots grow down into the soil to establish properly.
The potato bed should be a trench about 4-6 inches deep and you place the potato into the trench and cover with soil so that good peak is formed. I have videos below that you can follow for even more information.
First Earlies can be planted 12" (30cm) apart with 24" (60cm) between each row.
Second Earlies and Maincrop can be planted 15" (37.5cm) apart in row widths of 28" (70cm).
Always make sure the eyes are facing upwards and planted at a depth of between 4-6" (10-15cm).
Watch a video on how to plant potatoes.
Watch a video on how to earth up potatoes.
Grow seed potatoes in a container.
You will need a container of around 40 litres to grow a good crop of potatoes from 5 seed potatoes.Make sure your container has adequate drainage holes in the bottom.
Do not use garden soil. You can buy good general purpose compost from a garden centre.
Add a layer of 15cm or 6 inches of your compost to the bottom of the container.Place your seed potatoes with the eyes upwards about 5cm or 2inches into the compost.
Your potatoes will require water and fertilizer. The key to growing potatoes is the correct amount of water, not too much at first but once they are 16" high they should be kept moist.
Potatoes grow upwards so cover your potatoes with more compost as the weeks go by and your crops get bigger to stop the crop turning green and render them inedible.
Watch a video on how to harvest potatoes.
When to plant: The normal time to plant potatoes is mid-late March dependant on weather conditions.
Harvest times: Subject to weather and climate.
First Earlies: 10-12 weeks
Second Earlies: 13-15 weeks
Maincrop: 15-22 weeks
Fertilizer:
Apply 135g/sq.m (4oz per sq.yd) to the soil before planting and gently work into the soil.
For container growing add at a rate of 140g/sq.m (4oz/sq.yd) Equivalent pot size is 30cm (12in) diameter pot - 35g. 38cm (15in) diameter pot - 50g. 50cm(20in) diameter pot - 80g.
For our grower bags we would recommend adding 180g.
THE FIVE MAIN SOIL TYPES
LOAM- A loamy soil is the ideal blend of clay and sand. It has the advantage of two types and none of their disadvantages. The presence of sand allows the water to percolate through quickly and the presence of the clay helps to keep the soil moist.
CLAY- This a smooth silky soil to touch and even when it is well drained it is inclined to be cold and wet. This type of soil should be worked in the autumn and left over the winter to break down.
SANDY- A sandy soil is light and easy to cultivate with a fork. It is a warm soilbecause it accepts the sun's rays much more easily. Sandy soils require plenty of organic matter as they are low in plant nutrients.
PEATY SOIL- Some times referred to as mossland peaty soil can become waterlogged and contain very little plant food but plenty organic matter. Fertilizers must be used with this soil type to maximise results.
LIMEY SOILS- Chalky or limey soil is usually shallow. It is lacking in humus and plant food, such soils are dry and sticky and unpleasant to cultivate when wet. Plants growing in these conditions can often suffer from stunted growth and lime induced chlorosis. Growing potatoes in limey soils is not highly recommended.
After purchase carefully empty seed potato contents into shallow boxes or trays,egg boxes or apple trays are ideal. Keep away from frost and store in a cool area.
6 weeks before you want to plant your early potatoes you should move your potatoes into a light area of about 10 degrees celsius to produce a strong, thick sprout, making sure that the potatoes are rose eye upwards.
The potatoes will turn green when exposed to the light but do not worry as this is normal. If you wish to grow large potatoes you can carefully cut out some of the eyes on the potatoes so that only a few chits are formed and the potato will produce larger but fewer tubers.
If you wish to grow many small tubers to eat like baby potatoes then leave all the eyes intact and plant the potatoes at half the distances shown below.
How to prepare the bed
With the use of a garden fork simply turn the soil over and work in some well rotted manure to provide essential nutrients for your potatoes. If you are unable to use manure then specialized potato fertilizer can be used but the fertilizer should be placed below the potato and a layer of soil or compost put in between so that the potato roots grow down into the soil to establish properly.
The potato bed should be a trench about 4-6 inches deep and you place the potato into the trench and cover with soil so that good peak is formed. I have videos below that you can follow for even more information.
First Earlies can be planted 12" (30cm) apart with 24" (60cm) between each row.
Second Earlies and Maincrop can be planted 15" (37.5cm) apart in row widths of 28" (70cm).
Always make sure the eyes are facing upwards and planted at a depth of between 4-6" (10-15cm).
Watch a video on how to plant potatoes.
Watch a video on how to earth up potatoes.
Grow seed potatoes in a container.
You will need a container of around 40 litres to grow a good crop of potatoes from 5 seed potatoes.Make sure your container has adequate drainage holes in the bottom.
Do not use garden soil. You can buy good general purpose compost from a garden centre.
Add a layer of 15cm or 6 inches of your compost to the bottom of the container.Place your seed potatoes with the eyes upwards about 5cm or 2inches into the compost.
Your potatoes will require water and fertilizer. The key to growing potatoes is the correct amount of water, not too much at first but once they are 16" high they should be kept moist.
Potatoes grow upwards so cover your potatoes with more compost as the weeks go by and your crops get bigger to stop the crop turning green and render them inedible.
Watch a video on how to harvest potatoes.
When to plant: The normal time to plant potatoes is mid-late March dependant on weather conditions.
Harvest times: Subject to weather and climate.
First Earlies: 10-12 weeks
Second Earlies: 13-15 weeks
Maincrop: 15-22 weeks
Fertilizer:
Apply 135g/sq.m (4oz per sq.yd) to the soil before planting and gently work into the soil.
For container growing add at a rate of 140g/sq.m (4oz/sq.yd) Equivalent pot size is 30cm (12in) diameter pot - 35g. 38cm (15in) diameter pot - 50g. 50cm(20in) diameter pot - 80g.
For our grower bags we would recommend adding 180g.
THE FIVE MAIN SOIL TYPES
LOAM- A loamy soil is the ideal blend of clay and sand. It has the advantage of two types and none of their disadvantages. The presence of sand allows the water to percolate through quickly and the presence of the clay helps to keep the soil moist.
CLAY- This a smooth silky soil to touch and even when it is well drained it is inclined to be cold and wet. This type of soil should be worked in the autumn and left over the winter to break down.
SANDY- A sandy soil is light and easy to cultivate with a fork. It is a warm soilbecause it accepts the sun's rays much more easily. Sandy soils require plenty of organic matter as they are low in plant nutrients.
PEATY SOIL- Some times referred to as mossland peaty soil can become waterlogged and contain very little plant food but plenty organic matter. Fertilizers must be used with this soil type to maximise results.
LIMEY SOILS- Chalky or limey soil is usually shallow. It is lacking in humus and plant food, such soils are dry and sticky and unpleasant to cultivate when wet. Plants growing in these conditions can often suffer from stunted growth and lime induced chlorosis. Growing potatoes in limey soils is not highly recommended.
Seed Potato Catalogue - Heritage Seed Potatoes
Seed Potato Catalogue - Heritage Seed Potatoes
Jamieson Brothers have the largest unique range of Heritage/Conservation potatoes in the Uk. More info...
We grow all of our own heritage potatoes and supply them to many other retailers.
Some of these potatoes pre-date the 1900s and have their own unique taste qualities to give you the taste like they used to feeling that so many people ask for.
Jamieson Brothers have the largest unique range of Heritage/Conservation potatoes in the Uk. More info...
We grow all of our own heritage potatoes and supply them to many other retailers.
Some of these potatoes pre-date the 1900s and have their own unique taste qualities to give you the taste like they used to feeling that so many people ask for.
Seed Potato Catalogue - First Early
Seed Potato Catalogue - First Early
Join the new potato forum - www.growingpotatoes.co.uk - The best place to talk about potatoes. Potatoes are classified according to the length of time they take to mature, but this can be influenced by weather. First early potatoes mature in 60-110 days. Planted towards the end of March, they are ready for lifting from late June or early July. Potatoes can be planted from mid March onwards as a rough guide dependent on weather. More info...
Compared to maincrop potatoes, first and second earlies are lower yielding, usually have smaller tubers, need less space and escape some of the diseases, such as blight.
They are generally eaten as soon as harvested - enjoyed as 'new potatoes' - while maincrop cultivars can either be used fresh from the ground or stored for winter use in hessian sacks.
Our 2.5kg packs contain approximately 25-30 tubers graded at 35mm x 60mm. All stock updated on a weekly basis.
How to grow potatoes
Join the new potato forum - www.growingpotatoes.co.uk - The best place to talk about potatoes. Potatoes are classified according to the length of time they take to mature, but this can be influenced by weather. First early potatoes mature in 60-110 days. Planted towards the end of March, they are ready for lifting from late June or early July. Potatoes can be planted from mid March onwards as a rough guide dependent on weather. More info...
Compared to maincrop potatoes, first and second earlies are lower yielding, usually have smaller tubers, need less space and escape some of the diseases, such as blight.
They are generally eaten as soon as harvested - enjoyed as 'new potatoes' - while maincrop cultivars can either be used fresh from the ground or stored for winter use in hessian sacks.
Our 2.5kg packs contain approximately 25-30 tubers graded at 35mm x 60mm. All stock updated on a weekly basis.
How to grow potatoes
Arran Pilot | First Early | Seed Potato Catalogue
Arran Pilot First Early Seed Potato Catalogue
Arran Pilot is the nation's favourite garden-grown variety. Arran Pilot has been around since 1930 and has remained popular due to its excellent taste and early boiling ability.
Pilot produces high yields of white skinned tubers with shallow eyes. The flesh is pure white and is among the best boilers available.
Great resistance to all forms of scab and scores a high 9 for spraing resistance.
Culinary uses are boiling and chipping.
Arran Pilot is the nation's favourite garden-grown variety. Arran Pilot has been around since 1930 and has remained popular due to its excellent taste and early boiling ability.
Pilot produces high yields of white skinned tubers with shallow eyes. The flesh is pure white and is among the best boilers available.
Great resistance to all forms of scab and scores a high 9 for spraing resistance.
Culinary uses are boiling and chipping.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Cristmas Presents Despatched
We have had to take the only chance we have before Christmas to send out the parcels that were requested as Christmas presents. They should all be delivered before the big day and hopefully that will let people give them out as presents.
It has to be the coldest start to a potato season ever and things will have to warm up quickly so that we can keep sending the orders out.
It has to be the coldest start to a potato season ever and things will have to warm up quickly so that we can keep sending the orders out.
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