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Accent is a First Early variety of potato which is decreasing in popularity but is still available online from a few suppliers such as D. T. Brown.
Its decline in popularity is slightly surprising because it has several good points in its favour. Firstly it is a good looking potato of a decent size and mostly regular shape.
The skin is cream coloured and the flesh is light yellow. Taste is good and fresh and the potatoes have the typical waxy texture of First Early varieties making them excellent in a salad.
Accent Potato
Disease resistance appears at first to be about average. However, although Accent is susceptible to late blight this is unlikely to affect it because First Early varieties of potatoes are normally harvested prior to being attacked by late blight.
Accent is notably resistant to slug damage and resists powdery and common scab well. It was first awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1998.
Accent cooks well when lightly boiled but unlike some other First Early varieties it benefits greatly if peeled before cooking. It resists falling apart well when boiled.
If you can't get round to harvesting all the potatoes in the first couple of weeks after they have matured, they store very well when simply left in the ground for a couple of months. They will loose some of their fresh First Early taste but they turn onto a very acceptable Second Early potato.
Flower of Accent Potatoes
Accent potatoes should be grown in the normal manner for First Early potatoes. Click here for our detailed page about growing potatoes. The advice applies to growing potatoes in containers as well as in open ground.
The best time to chit / sprout Accent potatoes is the first week of March in average areas of the UK.
Sprouted Seed Potatoes
Being a First Early variety it is well worth chitting / sprouting Accent potatoes - it will give a more reliable crop although not absolutely necessary. Click here for our advice on how and why to chit / sprout potatoes.
The best time to plant out chitted / sprouted Accent potatoes is about the first week of April in average areas of the UK.
Planting out on this date will give the chitted / sprouted potatoes about four weeks before they reach the surface of the soil. Whilst they are growing towards the soil surface the sprouts will be protected from frost by the surrounding soil.
By the time they do appear above the soil, the danger of frost will have passed and the sprouts will not be damaged by frost.
As with all vegetables, the time for harvest is dependent on many factors such as the weather conditions while they are growing and the general soil conditions.
On average however you can expect to start harvesting Accent potatoes in the fourth week of June in average areas of the UK.
Using the above date as a guide we would advise that a week before that date you use your hand to search through the soil to harvest one or two potatoes. The term often used for this activity is known in gardening circles as "furtling"!
It does almost no damage to the remaining potatoes but allows you to examine one or two of the potatoes to ensure they are of approximately the correct size. If they are, start harvesting, if not wait for two weeks and try again.
Harvesting Accent potatoes can be spread over three to four weeks. First Early potatoes do not store for very long so be sure to read our page on storing potatoes to get the most from your crop of Accent potatoes.
In previous sections of this page we mentioned that Accent potatoes have a distinct advantage over several other First Early potato varieties. This is that they can be left in the ground for a couple of months past their normal harvest time.
During this time the potatoes will loose some their "new potato" taste but they will still be very tasty potatoes.
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