potato 'Blue Danube'
potato - maincrop, Scottish basic seed potato
Developed at the Sárvári Research Trust, this early maincrop potato has fair foliage-blight resistance and good tuber-blight resistance. It also...
Plant description
Potato 'Blue Danube' has purple-black stems and dark shiny foliage, with spectacular blue-skinned, well-shaped tubers. The flesh is bright white and in the kitchen it has been described by some as 'the best roast potato ever'.
Eventual height & spread
Plant features
Position
Full sun
Rate of growth
Fast-growing
Soil
Moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil, or peat-free general purpose compost
Hardiness
Frost tender
How to care for potato Blue Danube:
First early and second early seed potatoes can be planted outdoors under fleece protection, while maincrops should wait until the risk of frost has eased, usually from mid-April. Autumn and Christmas potatoes are planted straight into trenches or potato bags from late July.
Dig a trench 8-13cm (3-5in) deep and add a balanced fertiliser before planting the tubers 30cm (12in) apart with the shoots facing upwards (if present), then cover lightly with soil. If using potato bags, plant into general-purpose compost with at least 20cm (8in) beneath the tubers.
When shoots reach about 20cm (8in) tall, earth up soil or compost around the stems to cover the lower two-thirds of the plant. Keep plants well watered as this boosts yield and helps prevent scab.
Planting and harvest times depend on the type:
First earlies: Plant mid-March to April and lift 10-12 weeks later (June to early July).
Second earlies: Plant early to mid-April and lift after 13-14 weeks (mid-July to August).
Maincrop: Plant from mid-April and harvest after 15-20 weeks (late August to October).
Autumn/Christmas: Plant from late July and lift from 12 weeks, protecting plants from frost.
Warning
GOES WELL WITH
Buying vegetable plants
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The first signs appear in early summer as brown or black areas at the tips and margins of the leaves, which then curl and wither. It can spread quickly causing the plant to collapse. The spores can also spread from the leaves to the potatoes in the ground
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