And the results are in ...

​

One of the highlights of the gardening club calendar is the annual potato competition. At our February meeting, members are given a seed potato which is chitted and then planted in a container. At the end of July the potatoes are harvested and the member with the heaviest crop wins £10 and chooses the variety for next year’s competition.

The variety that we planted this year, Saxon, was provided by Joan Palmer. This was a new variety for many of us. They are a second early variety, with strong resistance to diseases. They hold the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit for their performance and reliability. Saxon is considered a great all rounder, so can be boiled, roasted, chipped or mashed and is highly regarded as one of the best tasting potato varieties.
Nationally this year, potato crops have been poor due to the sustained heatwaves, the driest July on record and in some areas extreme drought conditions. However, this did not stop Judy Robertson harvesting an impressive 1.36kg and Joan Palmer with a close second harvest of 1.14kg. Many members however reported small crops with barely enough for one meal, but very tasty potatoes. As for me, well there is always next year.​