PARENTAGE

The parents of Maris Peer are 120 / 13 x Ulster Knight.

APPEARANCE, TASTE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MARIS PEER

The Maris Peer potato

Maris Peer is a second early potato with plenty of flavour. Although they can be used for mash they are best reserved for boiling. One huge advantage they have over many other potatoes is that they stay firm if you gently boil them.

POSITIVE POINTS FOR MARIS PEER
They have high resistance to splitting, remaining very solid potatoes. They have medium to good resistance against powdery and common scab. They are an excellent variety for planting in August and cropping in late October to mid December.

NEGATIVE POINTS FOR MARIS PEER
If potato eelworm / potato cyst nematode is a problem in your area then maybe Maris Peer is not the variety for you because they have very low resistance to this pest. Nicola, another excellent second early, has significant resistance to this pest.

BUYING MARIS PEER SEED POTATOES IN THE UK

Maris Peer is a particularly common variety and can be bought online, in garden centres and the diy stores. They are also sold by some of the discount supermarkets at low prices – most years they appear in Lidl, Aldi, Wilkinsons and even Poundland from the middle of February.

We recommend buying your seed potatoes from certified suppliers because those sold in supermarkets for consumption can be a source of disease and pest. We would avoid buying them from online general retailers such as as Amazon or E-bay unless you know exactly who is supplying the seed potatoes.

Buying seed potatoes from the discount store can be a good deal but it can also result in a sub-standard crop. The discount stores take the second quality seed potatoes whereas the more specialist suppliers take the best quality. Unfortunately you will only find this out after you have carefully tended your crop for several months.

Crocus (a GardenFocused approved supplier) sell Maris Peer seed potatoes (and many other varieties) which are not only correctly certified but they are graded by size to avoid unduly small seed potatoes being sold. Click here for more information and to buy Maris Peer online. A 2kg bag will contain about 22 good sized seed potatoes.

ALTERNATIVES TO MARIS PEER POTATOES

The key quality of Maris Peer is flavour. Charlotte is a also a full flavoured second early which we can recommend. Try also Nicola or Kestrel which also boils well.

For other potato varieties which we have fully reviewed, click the drop down box below, select a variety and then click the More Information Button.

Choose a potato varietyAccent 1st earlyAmour MaincropAnya 2nd earlyArran Pilot 1st earlyArran Victory MaincropCara MaincropCharlotte 2nd earlyDesiree MaincropEstima 2nd earlyInternational Kidney 2nd earlyJazzy 2nd earlyKerrs Pink MaincropKestrel 2nd earlyKing Edward MaincropLady Christl 1st earlyMajestic MaincropMaris Peer 2nd earlyMaris Piper MaincropMaxine MaincropNicola 2nd EarlyOrla 1st EarlyPentland Javelin 1st EarlyPink Fir Apple MaincropRed Duke of York 1st EarlyRocket 1st EarlySarpo Axona MaincropSetanta MaincropSharpes Express 1st earlySwift 1st earlyValor MaincropVitabella 1st / 2nd earlyVivaldi 2nd earlyWilja 2nd earlyWinston 1st early

The planting and harvest dates used below are correct for the UK average. If you want them to be even more accurate and adjusted for your area of the UK click here. It only takes a minute and the adjustment affects every date in this site and lasts for six months.

WHEN TO CHIT / SPROUT MARIS PEER POTATOES

We recommend that you start chitting / sprouting Maris Peer potatoes in. the third week of February This will give them four to five weeks to develop healthy sprouts just at the time when they are ready to be planted out. Keep the potatoes in cool but light conditions to ensure they grow short, green sprouts. Click here for our page dedicated to chitting / sprouting potatoes in the UK and Ireland.

WHEN TO PLANT MARIS PEER POTATOES

Maris Peer potatoes are second earlies potatoes and they are ready for harvest, if conditions are correct, 15 to 17 weeks after the seed potatoes are planted. The key factor governing the time for planting all potatoes is the date of the last frost in your area. Even a touch of frost can damage potato plants if their foliage is above ground, an unexpected severe frost can kill them completely.

The date for planting Maris Peer potato seed can be calculated on the basis that seed potatoes will take four weeks before they appear above ground. Given also that you want them to appear above ground only when the danger of frost has passed (the last week of April is the UK average ) the last week of March is about right time to plant them.

WHEN TO HARVEST MARIS PEER POTATOES

The harvest date for all potatoes is not only dependent on when you plant your seed potatoes, it also depends on the weather conditions throughout the growing season. But on average you can expect your potatoes to be ready for harvest some time between

The planting and harvest dates used below are correct for the UK average. If you want them to be even more accurate and adjusted for your area of the UK click here. It only takes a minute and the adjustment affects every date in this site and lasts for six months.

in your area of the UK.

PEST AND DISEASE RESISTANCE OF MARIS PEER POTATO

The table below sets out how good or bad Maris Peer potato plants are at resisting common pests and diseases in the UK. The 0 point is average with minus (red) values showing lower than average resistance and plus values (green) showing higher than average resistance.

	-5	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5
Late blight – foliage
Late blight – tubers
Common scab
Powdery scab
Slugs
Potato Cyst Nematode (pallida)
Potato Cyst Nematode (rostochiensis)
Blackleg
Splitting
	-5	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5

 

SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF MARIS PEER

TYPE: Second early

USE: Best for boiling as new potatoes.

SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Light brown with a few eyes

FLESH COLOUR: Very white

TASTE AND TEXTURE: Full of flavour, smooth slightly waxy texture.

STORAGE: Stores for up to two weeks

POTATO SIZE: Slightly smaller than average

REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Regularly produces a good crop

AWARDS: None

SPECIAL FEATURES: Lots of flavour