Rocket
A popular choice for a quick crop of new potatoes. Lift the tubers young and enjoy them freshly cooked rather than expecting a long-term storage crop.
Useful for: early harvests and container growing.
Best Potato Varieties for UK Gardens and Allotments
Growing potatoes · UK gardens and allotments
Best potato varieties for UK gardens and allotments
From fresh new potatoes to proper roasties, choosing the right variety makes a difference. Here are some reliable options and how to choose the ones that suit your space and your dinner plate.
There is no single potato that is best for everything. Some hold their shape beautifully in a salad, while others turn into lovely fluffy mash. Before buying seed potatoes, think about how you want to cook them, how much space you have and when you would like to harvest.
First earlies, second earlies or maincrop?
First earlies
These are the quickest group to crop and are usually lifted young for new potatoes. They are a useful starting point for containers, smaller gardens and anyone keen for an early harvest.
Second earlies
These follow first earlies and include several excellent salad potatoes. They offer a useful middle ground between an early crop and potatoes that need a longer growing season.
Maincrop
Maincrop potatoes stay in the ground longer and generally need more space. Many are good for roasting, baking and storing once they have matured and been dried properly.
Salad potatoes
“Salad” describes how a potato cooks, rather than a separate harvest group. These potatoes tend to have firm, waxy flesh that holds its shape when boiled.
Good first early varieties
Swift
A compact-growing variety worth considering where space is limited. It is particularly suited to growers who want an early crop without the sprawling growth of larger maincrop plants.
Useful for: pots, potato bags and small gardens.
Charlotte? Not quite!
Charlotte is often grouped with new potatoes in shops, but it is a second early variety. If you want to compare harvest timings, check the growing group on the seed-potato label.
Remember: a cooking description is not a planting timetable.
Pentland Javelin
A familiar first early with white flesh, commonly grown for boiling as new potatoes. A sensible option if you want a straightforward early variety to try.
Useful for: new potatoes and everyday boiling.
Good second early varieties
Charlotte
A well-known salad potato with yellow flesh and a firm texture. It holds its shape well when boiled and is useful for warm potato salads or serving simply with butter and herbs.
Useful for: salads, boiling and containers.
Maris Peer
A familiar variety for smaller boiling potatoes. It is worth considering if you want a useful kitchen crop rather than very large baking potatoes.
Useful for: boiling, steaming and summer meals.
Kestrel
Recognisable by its purple eyes, Kestrel is a useful choice for growers who prefer a more floury potato. It offers different cooking qualities from waxy salad varieties.
Useful for: roasting, chips and general cooking.
Ratte
An elongated salad potato valued for its flavour and firm texture. A good one to try if you enjoy growing something a little different from the usual supermarket selection.
Useful for: salads and serving whole or sliced.
Good maincrop varieties
Maris Piper
A familiar floury potato and a popular choice for chips, roast potatoes and mash. Give it enough growing space and do not assume that a well-known variety is automatically resistant to disease.
Useful for: chips, roasting and mash.
King Edward
A traditional floury variety with creamy skin and pink markings. If roast potatoes are high on your list, this is an obvious variety to consider.
Useful for: roasting, baking and mash.
Desiree
A red-skinned potato with yellow flesh and a useful place in the kitchen. It is worth considering when you want a versatile crop for more than one type of meal.
Useful for: roasting, mash and general cooking.
Sarpo Mira
Often chosen for its strong resistance to potato blight. The plants can be vigorous, so allow plenty of space. Resistance is helpful, but you should still check the crop regularly.
Useful for: growers prioritising blight resistance.
What would I start with?
Keep the first year simple. Choose one early variety for fresh potatoes and, if you have room, one maincrop for later meals. There is no need to buy six different bags before you have worked out where they are all going to fit.
Choose potatoes to suit your space
| What you want | Varieties to consider |
|---|---|
| A quick crop in containers | Swift, Rocket or Pentland Javelin |
| Firm potatoes for salads | Charlotte or Ratte |
| Roast potatoes and mash | King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree |
| Greater blight resistance | Sarpo Mira |
| A mix of early and later harvests | One first early plus one maincrop variety |
Before buying seed potatoes
- Buy certified seed potatoes from a reputable supplier.
- Choose varieties you will actually enjoy eating.
- Check whether they are first early, second early or maincrop.
- Allow enough space for the mature plants.
- Look for firm tubers without mould, soft patches or rot.
- Check the supplier’s disease-resistance information.
- Remember that harvest timing depends on weather and growing conditions.
Grow for your dinner plate
A huge harvest is not much use if you do not enjoy eating it. Choose potatoes that suit your space and the meals you cook, look after them well and make a note of what you would grow again.