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This video explains the difference between first early, second early and maincrop potatoes and how each type grows. It shows how harvest times vary and why choosing the right type helps you plan your growing season.
The guide covers planting timing, spacing, growing duration and expected harvest periods, along with tips for succession planting. It also explains which types are suitable for containers, small gardens and larger plots.
If you want to grow potatoes successfully, this video provides practical beginner-friendly advice to help you choose the right potato type and improve harvest results.
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0:00
What are first earies, second earies,
0:03
and main crop potatoes? That is the
0:05
question that I get asked a lot. What is
0:07
the difference between them? So, welcome
0:09
to Gardening with Ben. And in today's
0:10
video, we're going to be explaining what
0:12
first earies, second earies, and main
0:14
crop potatoes are and what the
0:17
difference is between them all and why
0:19
they're called that type of potatoes. So
0:23
the reason why they call that type of
0:24
potatoes is because they take longer to
0:26
grow at different rates and produce
0:30
different types of crops. So first
0:33
earies are usually ready between 10 to
0:35
12 weeks once they've been planted
0:38
outside and that's if you've chitted
0:40
them first they might be a bit faster in
0:43
growing. If you've not watched our video
0:44
on what chitting means make sure you
0:46
have a look at that and see what
0:49
chitting is. Why should you grow first
0:51
early potatoes? Because they're the
0:53
first potatoes of the year. First earies
0:56
are usually small. They've got tender
0:58
skins and they're great to be boiled or
1:01
steamed. And they're quick to grow, less
1:04
risk from blight, and they're ideal for
1:06
small spaces. So, they're great to be
1:08
grown in pots and containers as well.
1:10
The only issue is that they don't store
1:13
very well. The examples of firstear
1:16
early potatoes are Rocket, Swift,
1:18
Pentilant, Javelin. That's the varieties
1:21
of first early potatoes. So, next up is
1:25
second early potatoes. And these are
1:28
usually ready between 13 to 15 weeks.
1:31
You plant them between March and April,
1:34
and they're usually ready to harvest
1:35
around July time. The way I usually
1:38
realize how potatoes are ready to be
1:40
harvest is that the plant has died back
1:43
on top. That's usually when they're
1:45
ready to be harvested. So, I know people
1:48
always like to say, "Oh, are they ready
1:49
yet? Are they ready yet?" But just wait
1:51
until the plant dies off and that's when
1:53
I usually know that they're ready to be
1:54
harvested. They will store well in the
1:57
ground as well. So, just usually let the
2:00
plant die back and then you know that
2:01
they're ready for harvest. Why should we
2:03
grow second early potatoes? They're
2:06
slightly bigger than the first earies,
2:08
so you get more fun with the potato. And
2:11
they're still usually fairly quick to
2:12
crop. They're good allrounder potatoes.
2:16
And yeah, the only issue is that they're
2:18
still not long-term storage potatoes, so
2:21
they don't store too long. So yeah,
2:24
you've got to eat them pretty fast. The
2:27
varieties of second earies that you can
2:29
usually grow are Charlotte, Maris,
2:32
Piper, Pier, and Jazz. So that's
2:35
Charlotte, Maris, Pier, and Jazzy. I'll
2:38
be growing Charlotte and Jazzy this
2:39
year. Those are two potatoes that I will
2:42
be definitely growing this year cuz
2:44
they're absolutely gorgeous potatoes.
2:46
I'll put links below for you to see
2:48
which varieties I'm growing. And last up
2:51
is main crop potatoes. These are late
2:54
potatoes. So this is probably one of the
2:57
most what a lot of people will tend to
2:59
be growing as well. These take between
3:02
18 to 22 weeks. So they're a long time
3:05
growing. So this will use up one of your
3:08
beds probably for the whole growing
3:10
season down at the aotment. So these are
3:12
large potatoes, usually great size
3:15
potatoes, and they're ideal and best for
3:17
storage. These are usually ready to
3:20
harvest between August and October, and
3:22
you plant them around April time.
3:26
They produce high yields. You can store
3:29
them for months and they're perfect for
3:31
winter potatoes as well, like Christmas
3:33
potatoes if you're growing Christmas
3:34
potatoes like I do. The only issues with
3:38
is that they're longer in the ground.
3:39
So, make sure that you've got a bed
3:41
dedicated to growing them and they've
3:43
got a higher risk of blight getting to
3:47
them. So, just watch out for that as
3:49
well. The examples of
3:52
main crop potatoes are Maris Piper, King
3:56
Edward and Desiree potatoes.
3:59
I will be growing the Maris Piper. That
4:01
is my main crop potato that I'm growing
4:04
this year. So yeah, that is the
4:06
difference between first earies, second
4:08
earies, and main crop potatoes. I hope
4:11
you found that useful, and I hope that's
4:13
helped you realize the difference
4:14
between them all. So they're already at
4:16
different stages. So, I usually get one
4:19
of each so that you're harvesting them
4:21
all summer and you've got plenty to keep
4:23
you going throughout the summer period
4:25
and into winter as well. So, yeah, I
4:27
hope you've enjoyed that. Make sure you
4:29
drop us a follow to stay up to date with
4:30
all our videos and we'll show you us
4:33
chitting our potatoes, getting them all
4:35
ready for the growing season. Until next
4:37
time everyone, remember keep smiling,
4:39
keep shining and keep gardening with bed
4:41
everyone.
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