All owners of cottages and gardens are primarily interested in potato cultivars. Since most Russians have small allotments, this factor is put at the forefront.
In conditions of uncertain agriculture and unpredictable weather vagaries, it is not advisable that the time and energy to cultivate the land, sow, till, cultivate, and control weeds and pests turn into an insignificant crop - less than what was planted, which is not suitable for food and storage, because the tubers have not grown to the right size.
Therefore, choosing potatoes is an important task, requiring serious study of the characteristics of cultivation, productivity, nutritional properties. Sometimes it will take several years to choose the most suitable variety for a particular locality.
It happens that a good, tasty, productive potato in a separate garden does not show its declared qualities.
Perhaps for him the soil is too dense or, conversely, too nutritious. Or the variety does not tolerate moisture stagnation, and the site is low, marshy. It is important to comply with crop rotation rules and monitor the purity of the seed material. Not for nothing that breeders every year bring forth new productive varieties of potatoes.
About 300 high-yielding potato varieties are regularly grown in different regions.
Potato characterization
Potato varieties vary in maturity: early, middle and late ripeness.
Early types of potatoes, beginning in mid-summer, yield full-fledged fruits in the central zone. Before planting, the seeds are vernalized to form sprouts with green leaves and planted in open ground when it warms up well (to +12 ° C), and the average daily temperature will be +15 ° C.
Shoots will appear 14 days after planting, and the first tubers of some precocious breeding can be harvested already on 40-45 days. Such potatoes manage to reach technical ripeness before nightfall, fog and dew. Therefore, it is less susceptible to late blight and fungal diseases.
The only feature is that it is not suitable for a long lie, it needs to be eaten immediately after excavation.
You can determine the readiness of tubers by the appearance of the bush. If the leaves turned yellow and began to curl, the stems were bare, lay down and dry, then the plant growth stopped, the potatoes ripened. Her further stay in the ground will not increase the shelf life.
Left long in the ground, potatoes of a new crop may begin to sprout. Therefore, its collection, like landing, must be done on time.
If the tubers have grown to a size of 3-6 cm in diameter, potatoes are suitable for cooking.
The taste of potatoes is judged by how it is characterized by frying, cooking, stewing. The most optimal one is that it does not fall apart completely, but cooks quickly until soft, a slightly granular structure is preferred. Not successful are those that have a watery, “soapy” consistency.
Well-cooked and starchy, suitable for mashed potatoes, with thick flesh - for soups and for frying. Universal, for example, is Picasso. Its fruits are smooth, thin-skinned. It is easy to wash and clean. Perfectly even shape will make a dish of ordinary boiled potatoes beautiful.
Popular varieties of potatoes for the Moscow region and central Russia
The middle strip of Russia is characterized by a continental climate and abounds with precipitation, soils are characterized by high humidity. Seasonal weather fluctuations are negligible. There are no elevated temperatures, dryness and severe prolonged frosts.
The average daily temperature in the warm season ranges from + 17 ... +23 ° C. The standard rainfall is 500-750 mm per year. No prolonged rains, frequent rains.
The garden season lasts from May to September. Duration of daylight hours is from 14.5 to 17.5 hours. The bulk of farmland - podzolic and peatlands. The climate is favorable for the cultivation of potatoes. The suburbs are characterized by a temperate climate with rainy, non-hot summers and early frosts.
Suitable varieties with such parameters are zoned, with a short ripening period, resistant to cold and diseases, insensitive to daily and seasonal temperatures, tolerant to high humidity and droughts.
Popular are considered: Nevsky, Lugovsky, Zhukovsky, Romano, Aurora, Latona, Bela Rosa, Sineglazka, Luck and others.
It is desirable that it equally approaches any soil, that it is well stored, does not give sprouts and is successful for cooking, frying, etc. As a rule, the yield of the early will be low, the average - in the later, the highest - in the varieties of medium ripening.
The best potato varieties for central Russia reach an average yield of 200-300 and even up to 600 kg per hundred square meters. Their differences are in the time of sowing and ripening, propensity or resistance to various diseases, taste, shelf life, storage, size and color of tubers.
Early Harvest Potato Varieties
| Grade | Ripening dates (days) | Tuber | Features | Harvest (kg per hundred square meters) | |
| Adretta | 60-80 | 60-80 g - the weight of each. Dark yellow skin, flesh of the same color. | Frost-resistant, gives a good harvest even in cold and rainy summers. | 450 | |
| Idaho | from 50 | Beige, rounded, perfectly flat. | It contains a lot of carbohydrates and starch, endowed with excellent taste. | 500 | |
| Bela Rosa | from 40 | Large, oval, pink, weight up to 500g. Dining room, delicious. | Prefers fertilized soil. In hot regions with long summers, 2 crops are harvested. | 350 | |
| Vyatka | 50-60 | White sectional view, up to 140 g. | Resistant to late blight and other diseases. Harvest, downy. | 400 | |
| Gala | 75 | Round, small, skin and flesh are bright yellow. | German variety, contains little starch and lots of carotene. Used in diet food, excellent taste. | ||
| Zhukovsky | 55-60 | Large, white inside, does not darken after cutting. | Suitable for transportation, well stored, not sensitive to damage and disease. | 450 | |
| Latona | 45-75 | Large, light yellow inside. | It is not susceptible to diseases, resistant to weather conditions, is well stored and transported. | 350 | |
| Red scarlet | 60 | Pink-purple, the shape is an elongated oval. Up to 15 fruits on the bush, creamy flesh | Drought tolerant, tasty. | 350 | |
Popular Mid-Season Varieties for the Midland
| Grade | Ripening dates (days) | Tuber | Features | Harvest (kg per hundred square meters) |
| Gingerbread man | 90-100 | Round, without hollows and large eyes, the skin is rough. Inside is sunny. | Resistant to arid conditions, but suffers from a nematode. Belongs to table grades. | up to 250 |
| Nevsky | 75-90 | Oval, with creamy pulp, tasty. 15 tubers grow on a bush. | Elite, growing everywhere, in any conditions, immune to bacteria, drought tolerant. | 350 |
| Share | 75-100 | Bright beige, sometimes brown, large, weight - 400 g. | Not prone to disease, good cooking characteristics, crumbly when cooking. | 390 |
| Sante | 70-90 | Golden skin and core. Pleasant taste, stored for a long time. | Brought from Holland, almost does not get sick. No fertilizer needed. | 300-600 |
| Pace | 90-100 | Large, flat, starchy. Table, used for the production of starch. | Universal, hardy, moisture-loving. It lies well in storage until spring, tolerant of late blight. | 350-460 |
| Tuleevsky | 80 | The skin and core are yellow, not watery, weight 200-300 g. | Hybrid of Canadian and Russian selection. Grown throughout Russia | 180-300 |
| Luck | 90 | Medium size, thin peel, white, crumbly in section. | Elite, very productive, requires constant care. | up to 950 |
| Fambo | 80 | Sand color, oblong, smooth oval. Inside is beige, with good taste. | Suitable for all soils and climatic conditions, hardy against diseases. | up to 450 |
Best Latest Potato Varieties for the Middle Strip
| Grade | Ripening dates (days) | Tuber | Features | Harvest (kg per hundred square meters) |
| Dauphine | 110-120 | Large. weighing 300 g. 20 pieces on a bush. Does not lose commercial qualities up to 9 months. | Picky, neutral in relation to diseases, adapted for damp areas. | 250 |
| Zhuravinka | 100-115 | Round, red, medium sized, tasty. | Drought-resistant, unpretentious. | 520 |
| Zarnitsa | 130 | Oval, pink, flesh yellowish. | Long lies in storage, tasty. | 520 |
| Kiwi | 125 | The peel is dense, rough, like a kiwi. Inside is white. It is convenient to boil “in uniform” - it will not fall apart, will not crack, it is well cleaned. | It grows on different soils, ready for variable weather conditions. In addition to common diseases, it is not affected by the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm. | 400 |
| Victory | 115-120 | Round golden, with white flesh. Reduced starch content. | Elite, withstands heat and slight drought. | up to 320 |
| Picasso | 110-130 | Pink-white-yellow, 100-150 g. | Good preservation, good taste. | 200 |
The best varieties of potatoes for different regions
The territory of Russia is vast in its area. Naturally, the weather and soil in different areas are different. Therefore, for each locality, potatoes of different characteristics are selected.
For the Urals
The best potato varieties for the Urals should be less susceptible to strong changes in daily temperatures, uneven precipitation, unexpected frosts, and characteristic diseases.
Such varieties are considered Lugovskaya, Bashkir, Bullfinch, Effect.
For Siberia
In Siberia, continental conditions, frosts can strike even in late spring, the summer is short-lived, it is full of rains.
The best varieties of potatoes for Siberia are the mid-early Tuleevsky, Nevsky, Luck, Adretta and others.
For the Middle Volga
In the Volga region, the weather is unstable, the warm season without frost lasts only 150 days. Strong winds and a small amount of moisture are characteristic.
The best varieties of potatoes for the Volga region are drought tolerant, must be ripened in a short time. For example, Zhukovsky early, Volzhanin, Luck, Rocco, etc.
Experienced summer residents grow at least 3 varieties at the same time for central Russia. Early - for eating young potatoes. The latter are left in storage.
Selection is usually carried out empirically. Since varieties in different climatic zones can produce different crops.
In addition, it should be borne in mind that in Dutch breeding, seed material needs to be updated every three years, as it loses its valuable properties.
The potato of Russian breeders from the countries of the former USSR needs updating a little less often.
