Potato variety Gypsy: characteristics and description, photos, reviews

The Gypsy potato is a type of vegetable crop distinguished by its delicate pulp and violet-blue skin. The vegetable is excellent for boiling and baking, is sold well on the market, and is used for preparing restaurant dishes. It is considered a prominent representative of the nightshade culture.

Gypsy is an exotic variety of potato with an unusual color.

History of appearance

This variety is a representative of folk selection. Such popular species as the Blue Danube and the Black Baron were used as a prototype for it. Potatoes are in quite high demand in the cities of the Russian Federation, as well as Ukraine. More suitable for growing on small personal farms, not recommended for planting on an industrial scale.

Comment! Gypsy is not listed in the State Register.

Description of Gypsy potato variety with photo

The Tsyganka variety is considered a mid-early, productive, table variety and produces a good harvest.It is noteworthy that it has excellent immunity to almost all diseases, but suffers greatly when cleaning mechanically. In addition, Gypsy does not cope well with drought and does not tolerate long-term transportation. It is preferable to grow the variety in areas where the climate is continental or temperate.

Bush

Potato Gypsy is a non-spreading bush of compact size. The stems are strong, slightly bluish in color, covered in moderate quantities with dark green leaves with wavy plates. During the flowering of the crop, which usually occurs in early summer, rather large blue buds appear on the bushes, collected in neat inflorescences.

Tubers

The Gypsy potato is considered a medium-fruiting variety. The mass of tubers is usually 100-120 g. Each bush produces up to 14 root crops, the third of which consists of small specimens weighing up to 100 g. The shape of the potato is elongated-oval, the color is purple with a hint of blue and a pearlescent tint. The peel is thin, shiny, the surface is smooth with a few eyes. The flesh is cream or white, sometimes with a slightly purple tint.

Attention! The delicate skin does not provide the tubers with protection from mechanical damage.

The Gypsy potato harvest must be dug up very carefully.

Characteristics of the Gypsy potato

Purple potatoes of the Gypsy variety have excellent characteristics and many advantages. The plant has good germination, good yield, and excellent taste.

In addition, the culture shows good resistance and can be cultivated in most Russian regions.

Taste qualities of Gypsy potatoes

The variety is famous for its excellent taste. Its pulp has a delicate consistency and does not darken after cutting. When cooked, the tubers boil well. Gypsy potatoes are suitable for baking, stewing, boiling, but are not recommended for fried cooking because they do not acquire a crispy and golden brown crust.

Comment! Thanks to its interesting color, the variety is used for decorating holiday dishes.

The starch content in Gypsy potatoes is 12-14 percent

Ripening time

In the southern regions, the variety is considered early ripening and ripens approximately 70 days after the appearance of the first shoots. In the middle zone, Gypsies begin harvesting 100-110 days after planting. Sometimes these dates may shift depending on weather conditions.

Productivity

Gypsy is considered a productive variety of potato. From one hectare you can collect up to 25 tons of tubers, and from one hundred square meters about 250 kg.

Important! The amount of potatoes harvested depends on compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, as well as on weather conditions.

Growing regions

It is best to grow the Gypsy variety in areas with continental and temperate climates. If the area where you plan to plant this type of potato is hot, then it will have to be provided with frequent and abundant watering. Recommended areas for cultivation are: Ukraine, southern and central regions of Russia, Belarus.

Disease resistance

Judging by the botanical description of the Gypsy potato, it is insensitive to the main diseases of nightshade crops. The variety is not afraid of viruses, cancer, and scab. It is quite rarely affected by late blight and gray mold.But as a preventative procedure, summer residents advise treating planting material with fungicidal agents and the soil with disinfectants, and also changing the planting location every three years.

Advice! The best predecessors of the Gypsy potato are considered to be phacelia, legumes and radish.

Among the pests, the variety is often attacked by click beetles and the Colorado potato beetle; therefore, the soil should be treated with insecticides before cultivation. In the event of an insect attack, take measures to destroy them.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Gypsy potato has many advantages, but when planting it, some disadvantages should be taken into account.

The variety is best suited for small garden plots

Advantages:

  • taste characteristics;
  • high productivity;
  • early maturation;
  • good disease resistance;
  • non-degeneracy;
  • exotic color.

Flaws:

  • thin peel;
  • impossibility of transportation over long distances.

Landing rules

To plant Gypsy potatoes, choose the largest healthy tubers. Before starting work, the material is pickled, treated with stimulants, dried, and laid out in a bright place for germination. Planting is carried out only at the moment when the soil warms up to at least +12 ° C. This usually happens in the last days of April, at the beginning of May. Before work, the area is loosened, wood ash and humus are added to the soil, holes are made at a distance of 30 cm from each other with an interval between rows of 0.7 m. Since Gypsy is demanding on the soil, a site for it is chosen with nutritious and light soil, neutral acidity, which allows water and air to pass through well.In addition, the area should be well lit by the sun and protected from strong winds.

Sprouts on Gypsy potatoes appear together; you can plant not whole tubers, but cut off parts with eyes

How to care

Agrotechnical rules for caring for Gypsy potatoes provide for a number of procedures that are recommended to be followed if you want to get a good crop harvest. Techniques include:

  1. Hilling. During the season, the variety requires performing this work twice, during which high ridges are formed.
  2. Hydration. The plant does not tolerate drought well and needs regular watering. Plantings should be irrigated at least once every six months. First, the procedure is carried out by drip, and after the first hilling, water is poured into the rows.
  3. Loosening. An important procedure for caring for a variety is organizing oxygen access to the roots of the crop. The soil should be loosened after watering and heavy rainfall.
  4. Removing weeds. Weed the beds as the weeds grow.
  5. Fertilizer. After the sprouts appear, humus and urea are added to the soil. For 1 square meter take 300 g of the first component and 30 g of the second. When flowers appear on the bushes, fertilize with ash and potassium sulfate in a ratio of 9:1. At the moment of tuber formation, fertilize with a mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (60 g each) with nitrophoska (30 g). Dilute the components in a bucket of water.
Comment! Seven days before harvesting the Tsyganka potatoes, all the tops are cut off from the bushes.

Harvest and storage

They begin harvesting Gypsy potatoes at the moment when the above-ground part of the bushes has completely withered.This usually happens in August, 2.5-3 months after the appearance of the first shoots, but the first digging can be done already in mid-summer. Although experienced vegetable growers advise waiting until the tops wither so that the tubers are as saturated with useful elements as possible. They harvest the crop with a pitchfork or shovel, while trying to be careful so as not to damage the tubers.

Attention! It is impossible to delay the harvest of potatoes of this variety in order to prevent it from becoming infected with late blight.

After the work, the tubers are dried in the shade, calibrated and stored in a ventilated and cool room. They are usually stored in bags or in bulk in boxes.

The keeping quality of the Gypsy is good – 92%

Conclusion

Gypsy potatoes are a tasty and nutritious variety of crop, differing from most other types in the interesting color of the tubers. The variety is highly valued in food production and is used for preparing various dishes. In addition, it rarely gets sick, does not degenerate and brings a decent harvest.

Reviews from gardeners about Gypsy potatoes

Myasushkina Marina, Saratov
I planted Gypsy potatoes at the dacha a couple of times, but I can’t say anything special about them. Regular potatoes, interesting colors. The harvest is normal, the endurance is at the level, but there are also more productive varieties. I didn’t really like it in soup, so I preferred another variety.
Eremeev Vitaly, Tambov
I’ve been planting Gypsy potatoes for five years in a row and I can’t complain about them. A very tasty variety, tender, the harvest is excellent, the tubers are mostly large, there are few small things. I like that the peel is thin and can be easily peeled with a vegetable peeler.
Drozdov Ilya, Voronezh
Gypsy is a variety of potato with an unusual color. I plant several rows.Cooked in the oven it has a unique taste. I heard that it is often served in restaurants. I give it 4 points out of 5, since the variety still has some shortcomings.

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