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PLANTING
Jersey Royal new potatoes are the most famous of all potatoes and are renowned for the being the first and tastiest new potatoes that herald the start of spring.
The very earliest crops are planted in December in glasshouses or polytunnels.
The earliest outdoor fields planted are the very steep south facing coastal slopes called côtils. These côtils are planted in the first or second weeks of January. Because of their steepness, aspect and proximity to the coast the soil is generally light, free draining, warms quickly and has some frost resistance. The steepness of the fields means that they are unsuitable for machinery and so they are ploughed and planted using hand ploughs pulled by a winch cable from the top of the côtil. These fields are therefore highly labour intensive and command the highest prices .
The next fields to be planted are generally the lighter sloping soils of the western and southern coastal plains and the northern coastal fields. These are planted from mid January through to mid February.
Planting then moves to the heavier inland soils which produce the later crops and the seed crops for the following year’s production. These fields tend to be larger and flat.
Harvesting begins at the end of February in limited volumes from the glasshouses and polytunnels. Earliest outdoor crops are available from early April with peak volumes through May and June. Supply then continues through to the end of July.
Genuine Jersey Royal New Potatoes are available throughout the UK through specialised green grocers and major supermarkets.
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