Customer Reviews

Invaluable guide for the kitchen gardener - By: , 22 Oct 2005
Every vegetable is availablein a number of different varieties. But which varieties to choose? In the case of most veg, choosing is fairly simple & is fun; it usually takes a couple of evenings going through the seed catalogues when preparing next season's seed order. But potatoes are special. Knowing - really knowing - about the different varieties available, along with their strengths & weaknesses, is necessary, fascinating, fun, rewarding & strangely addictive. And of course this reseach really pays off come harvest time. The best way to learn about potatoes - the varieties available, their characteristics, the difference between 1st earlies, 2nd earlies, maincrop, the growing techniques, etc. - is to read this invaluable book. It is a greatly expanded & updated version of Romans's legendary "Guide to Seed Potato Varieties" booklet. (This precious, slim, green volume lives by my bedside. We used it this year to choose the potatoes being offered to members of our Allotment Society.) In comparison with the booklet you have updated & enlarged information, a larger number of potato varieties covered, a greatly expanded History section, a lot more information on Microplants, & so on - but best of all there are photographs! Yes, lovely colour photographs of all the varieties featured.

Perhaps most important is the information about different varieties' susceptibility/resistance to various pests & diseases. Whereas most peoples' current concern is with blight, I find that slug damage is a much bigger problem. I need to grow varieties that have high slug resistance (as well as the other characteristics I'm looking for); this book tells me which they are.

In short: if you want to grow spuds, get this lovely book by a top British expert & read up on the varieties before puttingin next year's order.