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The description of the Gourmet potato variety should begin with its main feature - the purple color of the tubers. Moreover, the unusual color is inherent not only to the peel, but is also clearly visible on the cut. Color is not the only difference between Gurman and ordinary potatoes. Brightly colored tubers have a unique composition and are very beneficial for the human body. The domestic variety was obtained using conventional breeding methods and does not belong to genetically modified plants.
Description of the potato variety Gourmet
Purple potatoes were obtained relatively recently and have not yet been included in the State Register, but have already spread throughout Russia. Today, the variety can be found not only on private plots, but also on farm fields.
The Gourmet variety is a mid-early variety; the tubers ripen in an average of 90 days. Excellent keeping quality will allow you to transport tubers and store them all winter.
Characteristics of Gourmet potatoes:
- the peel is dense, smooth, dark purple;
- the flesh is unevenly colored, the purple color is diluted with white inclusions;
- fruit shape is oval, highly elongated;
- eyes sparse, weakly expressed;
- the weight of an average tuber is 90 g.
Gurman bushes are medium-sized, not spreading, the tallest stems reach 70 cm. White potato flowers are decorated with black stamens. The leaves on strong stems are small and light. On average, from 10 to 14 tubers are tied under one bush.
Taste qualities of potatoes
In addition to its exotic appearance, Gurman is endowed with an unusual taste, which when baked takes on a nutty hue. 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 regular potatoes. Most often, the figure does not exceed 13%, which makes the variety suitable for dietary nutrition. The presence of a significant number of carotenes and substances exhibiting antioxidant activity allows us to classify such potatoes as products beneficial for human health.
Gourmet is recommended to be included in the diet for diabetes, metabolic disorders, and increased body weight. The rich chemical composition of potatoes is useful in the prevention of cardiovascular pathologies, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and ischemic heart disease. It is useful to replace ordinary root vegetables with purple ones when visual acuity decreases.
Pros and cons of the Gourmet variety
Potatoes of the Gourmet variety, according to reviews from amateur gardeners and farmers, have a number of undoubted advantages:
- Ability to bear fruit well in any region suitable for potato growing.
- Preservation of presentation until spring for 90% of root crops.
- Disease resistance.
- High yield.
Disadvantages include susceptibility to late blight in humid climates. This feature requires additional treatment of plantings with Bordeaux mixture during prolonged rains.
Planting and caring for Gourmet potatoes
Gurman has few special features in agricultural technology. One of them is the requirement for heat. Air temperatures below + 10 °C are detrimental to the plant. The 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 a landing site
Potatoes of the Gourmet variety prefer slightly acidic soils with a loose, breathable structure. To obtain excellent yields, any soil can be improved.
Several principles for selecting and preparing beds:
- Peaty, sandy and loamy soils are the best choice for the Gourmet variety. If the sand content is too high, it is necessary to create a fertile layer artificially by introducing humus or rotted manure into the soil.
- On heavy loams, it is important to ensure that the top layer of soil is loose. Sand, peat, and rotted leaves are added to the beds for digging. It is necessary to maintain the top layer of soil in a loose state throughout the entire season; mulching copes well with this task.
- Open, sunny areas are preferable for planting, but partial shade is possible in hot climates.
The Gourmet variety loves abundant moisture and, with good watering, can bear fruit in the hottest climates. Despite this, you should not choose lowlands with high humidity for planting, where potatoes tend to get sick.In conditions of frequent natural rainfall, it is better to place the Gurman on slopes with free outflow of rainwater.
Preparation of planting material
Gourmand is a young, unusual variety, the planting material of which is more expensive than the usual potatoes. If possible, you should choose large tubers and preferably plant them. Small specimens are prepared as standard, but planted with a slight thickening.
Pre-planting preparation of Gurman tubers:
- selection of healthy, undamaged potatoes without spots and growths;
- pickling the tubers in a solution of mineral fertilizers or Bordeaux mixture for at least 60 minutes;
- planting 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 that the potatoes are ready for planting. Overgrown shoots should be shortened. It is better to remove thin sprouts that appear during storage in the dark.
Landing rules
Take the potatoes out into the open air in advance, preferably several days in advance. At temperatures above + 10 °C and sunny weather, the tubers are warmed up, preventing the young shoots from drying out.
On prepared beds, tubers are buried to a depth of 5 to 10 cm. The planting scheme for the Gourmet variety suggests leaving a distance between holes of about 40 cm and 60 cm between rows. Small potatoes are planted more often, at intervals of up to 30 cm.
Watering and fertilizing
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 the Gourmet variety:
- 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, the plantings are abundantly moistened during flowering;
- Regular watering is needed if there is insufficient precipitation during the period when the tubers are gaining mass.
It is convenient to combine watering with fertilizing. It is important to first moisten the soil with clean water and then sprinkle 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
The Gourmet variety is sensitive to the formation of soil crust on the soil surface. After each watering or heavy rain, the beds should be carefully loosened. Treatment is only permissible superficially, so as not to damage the roots or young tubers.
Mulching not only solves the problem of drying out the top layer of soil, but also saves moisture and prevents active growth. weeds. Weeding in such beds can be done less frequently, and after the tops are closed, it can be stopped altogether. You can mulch potatoes with grass clippings or weeds without seeds.
Hilling
An important agrotechnical technique for caring for potato plantings ensures additional root growth, prevents soil and stems from drying out, and increases productivity. Early earthing up of Gurman bushes can protect plants from returning cold in an unstable temperate climate. In this case, it is permissible to cover the sprouts entirely with soil.
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 their height.
Once the plant has formed and the potatoes have set, additional soil may be needed. This is how they form falling bushes or cover surface tubers from the sun.
Diseases and pests
The young purple variety has strong immunity to potato cancer and scab. The variety is relatively resistant to late blight and fungal infections. However, the variety remains sensitive to viral diseases, so measures should be taken to prevent infection.
The following measures prevent diseases in Gourmet potatoes:
- timely weeding;
- destruction of harmful insects that spread viruses using modern insecticides;
- compliance with crop rotation, with regular replacement of crops that do not have common diseases and pests.
Spraying tubers with special preparations, for example, Prestigator or Prestige, also protects against wireworms and major diseases.
Potato yield
The gourmet 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 sq. m get up to 4 kg. Under average conditions and lack of care, the crop is guaranteed to provide 1 kg of tubers per bush.
Harvesting and storage
Gourmand bears fruit well in a variety of soils and is capable of producing early harvests, which distinguishes it from other varieties.The first, young potatoes can be dug up 40 days after the sprouts appear. If the climate allows, then fully ripened potatoes can be harvested after 110 days.
On average, it takes Gurman 85-90 days for the tubers to fully ripen and form a dense peel. After this period, the harvested potatoes are suitable for long-term storage. The variety has good keeping quality and, in a cellar or well-ventilated basement, is perfectly preserved until spring.
The material selected for planting should be greened immediately after collection. To do this, Gurman tubers are kept in a lighted place (avoiding direct sunlight) for at least 10 days. Greened tubers do not germinate in winter, are not damaged by rodents, sprout quickly, and the grown bushes are less sick.
Conclusion
The description of the Gourmet potato variety gives an idea of the unique properties of purple tubers. The few reviews about the crop show that domestic gardeners have not yet had time to fully appreciate its merits. Most gardeners who have tried the variety on their own plots positively assess its productivity and are satisfied with the taste and dietary properties of the grown potatoes.
