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King Edward potatoes were bred in Scotter, Lincolnshire by John Butler and introduced to the UK market in 1902. They are named after King Edward VII in commemoration of his coronation.
They are still one of the best selling potato varieties in the UK and show no signs of decreasing in popularity. An excellent all round potato variety, it's top of the list for one of the best tasting potatoes in the world.
King Edward Potato
King Edward is a maincrop potato variety which is normally ready for harvest during mid to late August in average areas of the UK.
The skin is pale yellow with its trademark pink eyes. The flesh is creamy white and maintains that colour very well when cooked. It is excellent for roasted potatoes, chips and mash but most of the potatoes are too small for use as a baked potato.
The size of the King Edward potatoes is slightly below average for a maincrop potatoes, the shape is oval and they are mostly of an equal size.
King Edward Potato Halved
Disease resistance is slightly above average except for eelworm. If kept in the correct conditions it can be stored for two months.
King Edward potatoes should be grown in the normal manner for Maincrop potatoes. Click here for our detailed page about growing potatoes. We wouldn't advise growing them in containers.
The best time to chit / sprout King Edward potatoes is the first week of March in average areas of the UK.
Sprouted Seed Potatoes
The best time to plant out King Edward potatoes is about the first week of April in average areas of the UK.
Planting out on this date will give the seed potatoes about six 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 King Edward potatoes in the early to mid August 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 King Edward potatoes can be spread over three to four weeks and they can be stored successfully for a couple of months in the correct conditions.
An obvious competitor to King Edward potatoes is Maris Piper which is just as versatile although the taste is not quite as good. For other maincrop potatoes we have tested select one from the drop down list below.
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