Nicola (Salad Variety)

Name: Nicola (Salad Variety)
SKU: OSP-NICOLA-TUBER
Price: 4.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

£4.99

In stock

Nicola is a dream potato for the amateur gardener.

Bred in the early 1970s Nicola is a relatively new salad type – perfect for eating with the skins on. Beautiful thin smooth skin they have too, very clean looking spud.

Number of tubers (seed potatoes): 10

Variety: Nicola (please note, due to availability, this is not an organic variety as advertised in our catalogue)

In the kitchen: Excellent steamed/boiled and served hot or cold in salads.

Delivery Info: Available to order now for delivery in Feb/Mar 2021 through to April/May. Please see FAQs for up-to-date delivery info.

Planting/Growing Advice: Potatoes need a bit of depth, you can grow them in the ground, raised bed or in a deep planter. These should be planted in spring. If you receive them in Feb/Mar, it is best to chit them before planting out in late March/April. If received in April/May you can plant straight away without chitting.

For earlies we recommend planting 30cm apart with 40-50cm between rows and for second earlies and main crops we recommend around 40cm apart with 75cm between rows.

When to harvest: Earlies are usually ready when the flowers open and Maincrops are ready when the leaves have died. Look for these telltale signs to know when your spuds are ready, and then doublecheck by carefully scraping away the earth with your hand or a trowel to see that they’re a good size for harvesting.

*Transplants suitable for organic growing.

Planting Tips
Growing advice
Delivery

The right site

You want well dug soil that is moisture retentive in a nice open position. Potatoes also prefer slightly acidic soil.

Can be grown in....

Potatoes need a bit of depth. You can grow them straight in the ground in a raised bed, or in a deep planter. We’ve known Rocketeers to grow their spuds in a stack of old tyres or even in an old wheelbarrow.

How far apart?

Earlies: about 30cm (12in) apart with 40-50cm (16-20in) between the rows

Second earlies and maincrops: about 38cm (15in) apart with 75cm (30in) between the rows.

When your potatoes arrive....

Your potatoes will arrive in a brown paper bag. Ideally, you’d chit them when they arrive, but this is not 100% necessary, so don’t worry too much.

To chit your potatoes, place them in a clean egg box or tray with the tiny buds facing upwards. Place in a cool, light place (10-15 degrees) avoiding direct sunlight. The chitted potatoes will become slightly wrinkled as they lose some of their moisture.

After 2-3 weeks or when you have good strong shoots (1.5cm to 2.5cm) growing up from the tuber, they are ready to be planted.

Looking after your plants....

You’l get loads more from your potato crop by following the tips below:

If planting straight into the ground...

If planting straight into the ground, you’ll need to dig a trench approximately 15cm deep, and place your potatoes into the trench and then cover with soil.

If planting in containers...

If planting in containers, choose one that’s at least 30cm deep and wide. Half fill the container with multi-purpose compost or good quality, fertile garden soil. Place two seed potatoes on top of the compost and cover with another 10cm of compost.

Earth them up

As the shoots appear, earth up each plant by covering it with a layer of soil so that the shoots are just buried. Continue to do this at regular intervals and by the end of the season each plant will have a small mound around it about 15cm (6in) high. (This is done to prevent light getting to the potatoes, which would turn them green. It’s also good for keeping weeds down!)

Watering them

Potatoes are binge drinkers! So, water them well as soon as you plant them and after that, give them a thorough watering occasionally during dry spells to keep them happy.

They're ready to harvest when....

Earlies are usually ready when the flowers open. Maincrops are ready when the leaves have died. Look for these tell tale signs to know when your spuds are ready, and then double check by carefully scraping away the earth with your hand or a trowel to see that they’re a good size. Be careful when digging them up as you don’t want to spike them with the old garden fork!

Jargon Buster

Earth Up – this basically means covering with a layer of soil – looks a little like a molehill when done!

Tuber – a thick underground part of a stem (e.g. a potato is a tuber) that serves as a food reserve and bearing buds from which new plants arise

First Early – normally new potatoes, this is the group of potatoes that reach maturity fastest, usually 10 weeks. They’ll happily sit in the ground for 3-4 weeks after that. They should be cooked as soon as possible after being harvested.

Second Early – These are another group of early potatoes, usually new potatoes. They take around 12-13 weeks to reach maturity. They can stay in the ground for 3-4 weeks after that and should be cooked as soon as possible after being harvested.

Maincrop – these are bigger potatoes that are generally of the floury texture – good for roasting, mashing & baking. They take around 20 weeks to grow and once harvested can be stored over the winter.

Storage Tips

Earlies won’t keep very long – you’re best to dig ‘em up as you want them. The best way to keep maincrop potatoes is in a paper sack, or hessian, in a dark, cool place. They’ll keep for a good few weeks like that.

Ways to cook

The key to cooking potatoes is choosing the right variety for the right method of cooking…floury potatoes lend themselves to roasting and mashing.

DELIVERY: Please see FAQs for up-to-date delivery information