Spring is here, and with it comes our gardening cravings! Have you decided to plant potatoes in your vegetable garden? Great choice! But are you sure you’re selecting the right variety? Not all potatoes are created equal.
Some offer a delicious taste as early as summer, while others store better for winter. Here are the best potato varieties to plant at the beginning of spring for a successful harvest.
Which early varieties to choose for enjoying your potatoes this summer?
If your goal is to savor those first tubers quickly, opt for early potato varieties with a short growing cycle, ranging from just 70 to 90 days. Why wait when you can enjoy delicious new potatoes in salads or steamed as early as July?
Here are three must-have early varieties with incomparable flavor:
- Amandine: Creamy, sweet, and slightly nutty, perfect for summer salads.
- Belle de Fontenay: Firm and delicate, ideal for creating refined and elegant dishes.
- Sirtema: Strong and easy to grow, particularly resistant to diseases.
A helpful tip: For potatoes that grow quickly and robustly, consider pre-sprouting them as early as February-March by placing them in a light-filled area but cool location. Then, plant them in a sunny spot with well-drained, light soil.
When to plant midseason and late varieties for long harvests?
If you prefer varieties that store well, you should choose midseason and late potatoes to plant at the beginning of spring. Their growing time is a bit longer (90 to 150 days) but promises a generous, long-lasting, and high-quality harvest.
Among these essential varieties are:
- Charlotte, midseason variety: Offers a perfect texture regardless of the cooking method.
- Monalisa: Excellently balanced between firmness and creaminess, it’s the family potato par excellence.
- Bintje, late variety: Famous for making delicious fries and homemade mashed potatoes.
- Désirée: A highly productive potato that is disease resistant.
Why wait to plant? The mild spring temperatures will help them root better, ensuring great production at harvest time.
Errors that can ruin your potato harvest
Growing potatoes may seem straightforward on paper. But are you sure you’re doing everything right? Here are some mistakes to watch out for:
- Do not plant too early or too late: Cold soil can harm your plants, while late planting shortens their growing time. Wait until the temperature is at least 10°C.
- Prepare your soil properly beforehand: Loosen it thoroughly, add compost, and avoid wet soils that could rot your potatoes.
- Buy certified seed potatoes: Planting potatoes from the supermarket could introduce diseases into your garden.
- Respect spacing: Leave 30 to 40 cm between each plant and 60 cm between rows to ensure proper growth.
- Don’t forget to mound: Regularly mound soil around stems to keep the sunlight from making your potatoes toxic.
- Water sparingly: Potatoes dislike both overwatering and drought. Be moderate, especially during summer.
- Practice crop rotation: Replant in different locations each year to avoid diseases and maintain soil fertility. Change locations every three years.
Ideal planting schedule for potatoes based on their varieties
To make things even easier for you, here’s a simple and effective planting schedule to follow this spring:
- March to April: Perfect for your early potatoes.
- April to May: The right time to plant midseason varieties.
- May to June: Ideal for planting late potatoes that will provide stores for winter.
To launch your vegetable garden successfully, consider alternating between early, midseason, and late varieties. This way, you’ll always have fresh potatoes at hand!
And now, it’s your turn! Have you already planted potatoes in the spring? Which variety do you prefer to cultivate and why? Do you have any special tips or gardening anecdotes to share with us? Feel free to leave a comment; your experience interests our entire community!
