Start with how you want to cook your harvest, then choose a cropping season to suit your space. Planting an early variety alongside a maincrop can help spread harvesting across summer and into autumn.
| Variety | Cropping type | Main kitchen uses |
| Foremost | First early | Boiling, steaming, new potatoes |
| Pentland Javelin | First early | Boiling, salads, new potatoes |
| Caledonian Pearl | First early | Baby potatoes, boiling, salads |
| Orla | Early cropping; can be grown on | Boiling when young; baking and roasting when mature |
| Charlotte | Second early | Salads, boiling, steaming |
| Maris Peer | Second early | Boiling, steaming, roasting whole |
| Nicola | Second early | Salads, boiling, sautéing |
| Kestrel | Second early | Roasting, mash, chips |
| Maris Piper | Maincrop | Chips, roasting, mash |
| Cara | Maincrop | Baking, roasting, mash |
| Setanta | Maincrop | Roasting, baking, chips |
| Sarpo Mira | Late maincrop | Baking, roasting, mash |
First early seed potatoes
Choose Foremost, Pentland Javelin or Caledonian Pearl for potatoes to lift young and enjoy fresh. Earlies spend less time in the ground than maincrops, making them useful for smaller plots and large growing bags.
Second early seed potatoes
Charlotte, Maris Peer and Nicola are good choices for summer meals where you want potatoes that keep their shape. For a more floury option suited to roasting and mash, try Kestrel.
Maincrop seed potatoes
Maris Piper, Cara, Setanta and Sarpo Mira need a longer season to develop. Choose them for larger potatoes and, when properly matured, dried and stored, a harvest to use beyond summer.