potato 'Sarpo Mira' (PBR)
potato - maincrop, Scottish basic seed potato
A high yielding, red-skinned late cultivated maincrop variety, ‘Sarpo Mira’ (pronounced Sharpo), produces a good amount of weed-smothering foliage, but it...
Plant description
Years of research at the Sárvári Research Trust (SRT), which is a not-for-profit company based at Bangor university in North Wales, has produced a couple of new cultivated varieties with high levels of blight resistance - and this one is regarded as one the best.
it is a good all-rounder in the kitchen and has a floury texture that is great for baking, roasting and making chips. It also has good crop yields and stores well.
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 Sarpo Mira (PBR):
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
If you just want to grow a few vegetables or have suffered losses with early sowings, buying plants is a great way to play catch-up. Buying plants also allows you to grow vegetables if you do not have the facilities to raise them from seed yourself or whe
Read full articlePotato blight
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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