royal jersey potatoes

both spellings get used here I think but I’m a blow-in so could be wrong

 

Is that bladder wrack, Kelp?

 

I get a bit of chat from the missus when I put the seats down in the old Volvo, pop the tarp across and fill up with sea weed or manure. But I crack on with it anyway. I’ve got a hot box to sort shortly as well so more to go.

 

I asked the old farmer who lives next door if they pick specific sea weed for the potatoes and he said no. One of the old fellas at our proper plant nursery disagreed though. He got a bit complicated and said to use bladdered weed to airate soil for eg.

 

Think - quick Google- ‘vrac’ must be the Jersey french (Jeriais) spelling.

 

I’ve been trying to find out about the salt thing: instinctively it feels like it must be a problem.

The old lad mentioned before said it’s fine when using it laid on top (likely you're right about the rain) but said I should wash it before making my barrels of seaweed fertiliser liquid: stuff an old water barrel with seaweed, fill with water and leave for 6 weeks - lid on. The smell is a bit ‘special’ but the resultant liquid is excellent - watered down to about one to 5 or 10.

 

I was surprised to see that International kidney is classed as a maincrop variety, but we eat Jersey Royals as an early variety.

 

Perfect. 8 to 10 weeks sounds great. I wonder if the top-cutting thing is just to keep the spuds to a right size for market, maybe? Anyway - I don't worry about size myself so sounds like one job less. Thanks

 

Jersey Royals are lovely. I did try 'cornish kings' and they tasted very similar.
I'd guess that they are international kidney too albeit not grown on Jersey.

 

A few years ago the first "new" spuds in the supermarkets came from Cyprus or Egypt.
They were followed by Jerseys then we used to get Cornish.
Around late June we would start getting local grown Kentish ones.

Not sure what has gone on, but we get jersey Royals all summer now and to be honest after June they are getting a bit old.
The skins are thick and they have been out of the ground for weeks, they split the bags open and put the open sacks on the counter in Morrisons, the actual sacks have Jersey Royal on them along with a logo.
The sacks are a milky coloured polythene, and when you wash the mud off the spuds at home they are very often green.

 

Yes, the imports weren't good but I dont think at the time there was the choice available that there is now.
New potatoes pretty much all year round.

 

That’s terrible Pete. The real McCoy should come early. We can buy them now locally but that’s too early I think. Should be late Feb at the earliest I suppose? And then in to April. Thereafter either they’ve been planted late or they’ve been left in the ground for ages I suppose (tops cut off?) or harvested and kept - neither gives the beautiful potato that is known and gets the big money. Now you mention it though I think we can buy them for a really extended period too though I never have.
Anyway. I got my compost in and the seed potatoes into trenches this afternoon. And having listened to the advice yesterday, and seen the weather coming in to the north, I’ve covered with some garden fleece and bricked down against the wind. Didn’t have time for seaweed. Fingers crossed.