Permapotes

Potato

The potato, Solanum tuberosum, belongs to the Solanaceae family, alongside tomatoes and aubergines. It is generally grown as an annual for its tubers, which contain stored reserves. The name refers both to the plant and to these organs used in cooking. Their flesh offers very different textures according to variety, from firm potatoes to more floury types. Texture is an important part of their culinary character.

A tuber is not a root: it develops from the swelling of an underground stem called a stolon. Its “eyes” are buds capable of producing new shoots. This structure explains the usual propagation from tubers. Seed potatoes intended for planting are therefore different from botanical seeds, which can form after flowering. Below ground, roots and stolons have different roles rather than being two names for the same structure.

Above ground, the plant develops stems bearing compound leaves with several leaflets. Flowers may be white, pink or purple, with yellow centres. Some plants then produce small green berries containing seeds. These fruits and the foliage are not the parts used as vegetables: the desired food crop consists of underground tubers. The presence of flowers or berries differs between varieties, so it is not identical on every plant.

Tubers can be round, oval or elongated. Their skins may be pale, yellow, pink, red or purple; flesh colour does not necessarily match skin colour. Eye depth, size and uniformity are further varietal differences. ‘Bintje’, ‘Charlotte’, ‘Ratte’ and ‘Amandine’ illustrate the range of names encountered, with characteristics and uses that are not interchangeable. Similar-looking tubers can also behave differently when cooked.

Earliness and storage suitability are two other characteristics. New potatoes are young tubers, generally with thin skins, rather than a separate species. Storage varieties reach a more advanced stage with better developed skins. The course of development depends on the selection and conditions. The word “early” does not describe cooking texture on its own, and maturity groups are distinct from culinary categories.

Firm-fleshed potatoes such as ‘Charlotte’ hold their shape well in salads and steamed dishes. More floury types suit mash and certain baked preparations. Potatoes also feature in gratins, soups and stews. In a vegetable garden, substantial foliage contrasts with a crop hidden below the soil, whose diversity becomes most apparent in the tubers themselves.

View the cultivation calendar
Potato
Potato
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Slightly Frost Sensitive
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
  • Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 10 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 25 cm
  • Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : High
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Division