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The description of the Gourmet potato variety should begin with its main feature – the purple color of the tubers. Moreover, an unusual color is inherent not only in the peel, but is also clearly manifested in the cut. Color is not the only difference between the Gourmet and the usual potato. Brightly colored tubers have a unique composition and are very useful for the human body. The domestic variety was obtained by conventional breeding methods and does not belong to genetically modified plants.
Description of the Gourmet potato variety
Purple potatoes have been obtained relatively recently and have not yet been included in the State Register, but have already spread throughout Our Country. Today, the variety can be found not only in private plots, but also in the fields of farms.
Variety Gurman belongs to the medium early, the tubers ripen on average in 90 days. Excellent keeping quality will allow you to transport tubers and store them all winter.
Characteristics of potatoes Gourmet:
- the peel is dense, smooth, dark purple;
- the flesh is colored unevenly, the lilac color is diluted with white patches;
- the shape of the fruit is oval, strongly elongated;
- eyes sparse, weakly expressed;
- average tuber weight – 90 g.
Gourmet bushes are medium-sized, not sprawling, the tallest stems reach 70 cm. White potato flowers adorn black stamens. The leaves on strong stems are small, light. Under one bush, on average, from 10 to 14 tubers are tied.
The taste of potatoes
In addition to its exotic appearance, Gourmet is endowed with an unusual taste, which acquires a nutty hue when baked. Raw potato pulp is also eaten. Sliced tubers without heat treatment can be the basis of various salads.
The starch content in tubers is much lower than that of ordinary potatoes. Most often, the indicator does not exceed 13%, which makes the variety suitable for dietary nutrition. The presence of a significant number of carotenes and substances that exhibit antioxidant activity makes it possible to classify such potatoes as products useful for human health.
Gourmet is recommended to include in the diet for diabetes, metabolic disorders, increased body weight. The rich chemical composition of potatoes is useful in the prevention of cardiovascular pathologies, hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease. It is useful to replace ordinary root vegetables with purple ones with a decrease in visual acuity.
Pros and cons of Gourmet variety
Gourmet potatoes, according to amateur gardeners and farmers, have a number of undoubted advantages:
- The ability to bear fruit well in any region suitable for potato growing.
- Preservation of the presentation until spring in 90% of root crops.
- Disease resistance.
- High yield.
Among the shortcomings, susceptibility to late blight in a humid climate is noted. This feature requires additional processing of landings with a Bordeaux mixture during prolonged rains.
Planting and caring for gourmet potatoes
Gurman has few features in agricultural technology. One of them is the need for heat. Air temperature below + 10 ° C is detrimental to the plant. A short growing season allows the Gourmet variety to be grown in various climatic zones, but potatoes develop and bear fruit best in temperate and southern regions.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Potato variety Gourmet prefers slightly acidic soils with a loose, breathable structure. To obtain excellent yields, any soil can be improved.
Several principles for the selection and preparation of beds:
- Peaty, sandy and loamy soils are the best choice for the Gourmet variety. If the sand content is too high, it is required to create a fertile layer artificially, introducing humus, rotted manure into the soil.
- On heavy loams, it is important to ensure the looseness of the topsoil. Sand, peat, rotted leaves are brought to the beds for digging. It is required to maintain the top layer of soil in a loose state throughout the season; mulching copes well with this task.
- Open, sunny areas are preferred for planting, but partial shade is possible in hot climates.
Variety Gourmet loves abundant moisture, with good watering it is able to bear fruit in the hottest climate. Despite this, lowlands with high humidity should not be chosen for planting, where potatoes tend to get sick. In conditions of frequent natural precipitation, Gurman is best placed on slopes with free outflow of rainwater.
Preparation of planting material
Gourmet is a young, unusual variety, the planting material of which is more expensive than the usual potato. If possible, choose large tubers, preferably plant them. Small specimens are prepared as standard, but planted with a slight thickening.
Preplant preparation of Gourmet tubers:
- selection of healthy, intact potatoes without spots and growths;
- pickling tubers in a solution of mineral fertilizers or Bordeaux mixture for at least 60 minutes;
- bookmark for germination in a bright room with spraying of young sprouts every few days.
The appearance of strong, young sprouts about 1 cm long indicates the readiness of the potato for planting. Overgrown shoots should be shortened. Thin sprouts that appear during storage in the dark are best removed.
Rules of landing
Take out the potatoes in the open air in advance, preferably a few days. At temperatures above + 10 ° C and sunny weather, the tubers are warmed up, preventing the young shoots from drying out.
On the prepared beds, tubers are added dropwise to a depth of 5 to 10 cm. The planting scheme for the Gurman variety suggests leaving a distance between the holes of about 40 cm and 60 cm between the rows. Small potatoes are planted more often, with an interval of up to 30 cm.
Watering and top dressing
For Gourmet potatoes, both excess and lack of moisture are critical. In dry seasons, additional watering will be required at least 2 times during the growing season.
Rules for watering varieties Gourmet:
- from the moment of planting until the emergence of seedlings, additional moisture is not required for potatoes;
- the first watering can be carried out when friendly shoots appear;
- the second time abundantly moisten the plantings during flowering;
- regular watering is needed when there is insufficient rainfall during the period of mass recruitment by tubers.
Watering is convenient to combine with top dressing. It is important to first moisten the soil with clean water, and then shed it with fertilizers so that the mineral compounds do not burn the tubers. It is best to feed potatoes with superphosphate, saltpeter, urea, potassium chloride, nitrophoska, diluted according to the instructions.
Loosening and weeding
Variety Gurman is sensitive to the formation of a soil crust on the soil surface. After each watering or heavy rain, the beds should be carefully loosened. Processing is permissible only superficial, so as not to damage the roots or young tubers.
Mulching not only solves the problem of drying out the topsoil, but also saves moisture and prevents weeds from growing actively. Weeding on such beds can be carried out less often, and after closing the tops, stop altogether. Potatoes can be mulched with cut grass or weeds without seeds.
Hilling
An important agricultural technique for caring for potato plantings provides additional root growth, prevents the soil and stems from drying out, and increases yields. Early hilling of Gourmet bushes can protect plants from recurrent cold weather in unstable temperate climates. In this case, it is permissible to cover the sprouts with soil entirely.
The next hilling is carried out depending on the growth rate of the bushes, preferably before the onset of the flowering phase. Gourmet stems can be sprinkled with moist soil up to half of their growth.
After the plant is formed and the potatoes are set, additional soil may be required. This is how collapsing bushes are formed or surface tubers are covered from the sun.
Diseases and pests
The young purple variety has strong immunity to potato cancer, scab. The variety is relatively resistant to late blight and fungal infections. However, the variety remains susceptible to viral diseases, so measures should be taken to prevent infection.
The following measures prevent diseases in gourmet potatoes:
- timely weeding;
- the destruction of harmful insects that spread viruses with the help of modern insecticides;
- compliance with crop rotation, with a regular change of crops that do not have common diseases and pests.
Spraying tubers with special preparations, for example, Prestigitator or Prestige, also protects against wireworm and major diseases.
Potato yield
Gourmand is highly productive. With full agricultural technology, up to 15 tubers are tied under each bush. With sufficient moisture and soil fertility, one potato can grow larger than 100 g.
The overall yield of the variety is higher than the average for potatoes: from 1 square. m receive up to 4 kg. Under average conditions and lack of care, the culture is guaranteed to provide 1 kg of tubers from one bush.
Harvesting and storage
Gourmet bears fruit well on various soils and is able to bring early harvests, which distinguishes it from other varieties. The first, young potatoes can be dug up 40 days after the appearance of sprouts. If the climate allows, then fully ripened potatoes can be harvested after 110 days.
On average, it takes Gourmet 85-90 days for the full maturation of tubers and the formation of a dense peel. After this period, the harvested potatoes are suitable for long-term storage. The variety is distinguished by good keeping quality and in the conditions of a cellar or a well-ventilated basement it is perfectly preserved until spring.
Material selected for planting should be greened immediately after collection. To do this, Gourmet tubers are kept in a lit place (avoiding direct sunlight) for at least 10 days. Greened tubers do not germinate in winter, are not damaged by rodents, sprout quickly, and grown bushes get sick less.
Conclusion
The description of the Gourmet potato variety gives an idea of the unique properties of purple tubers. A few reviews about the culture show that domestic gardeners have not yet had time to fully appreciate its merits. Most gardeners who have tried the variety on their own plot positively evaluate its yield, are satisfied with the taste and dietary properties of the grown potatoes.
