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Pink Fir Apple is one of the oldest potato varieties still in commercial production today. It can be traced back to 1850 and probably pre-dates that. Its parents are unknown but it was first imported to the UK from France.
Up to the very late 1900s Pink Fir Apple was not really recognised as an outstanding potato variety, maybe because this is a truly unusual and ugly looking potato. But then, thirty years ago, it started to become very popular.
Pink Fir Apple Potato
Pink Fir Apple is a late Maincrop potato variety which produces a very good crop of elongated and often knobbly potatoes. The skin is a pink and light brown colour and the flesh is cream coloured.
There are normally several eyes on this potato and their depth is very variable. This is not a variety which encourages peeling although they can be partially peeled. The skin is not thin like a first early potato but still quite edible.
Although a Maincrop variety the potatoes are waxy, firm and very dense. The taste is a distinctive nutty flavour which most people find very pleasant.
Pink Fir Apple has low disease resistance, especially bad for blight, but it does resist scab well. We would suggest growing it in a large container to minimise the risk of infection.
As far as cooking goes, their principal use is for boiled potatoes and salad potatoes. Some say they make good chips when served whole but you would need to enjoy extremely chunky potatoes for that to make sense.
Pink Fir Apple potatoes are very prone to blight so we would suggest growing them in a large container - two seed potatoes to a 35 litre container. Click here for our detailed page about growing potatoes.
Main crop potatoes like Pink Fir Apple benefit little, if at all, from chitting. However, if you really do want to chit this variety, the best time is the first week of March in average areas of the UK. Comprehensive details about how to chit potatoes can be found here.
Sprouted Seed Potatoes
The best time to plant out Pink Fir Apple 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. Comprehensive details about how to plant out potatoes can be found here.
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 Pink Fir Apple potatoes in mid to late 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 one or two weeks and try again.
Pink Fir Apple flower
Harvesting Pink Fir Apple potatoes can be spread over three to four weeks and they can be stored successfully for a three months in the correct conditions. Comprehensive details about how to harvest and store potatoes can be found here.
Pink Fir Apple is a rather unique potato variety and has no equivalents. For other maincrop potatoes we have tested select one from the drop down list below.
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