PARENTAGE

The parents of Kerr’s Pink are Fortyfold x Smith’s Early.

APPEARANCE, TASTE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF KERR’S PINK

The Kerr’s Pink potato

This is a potato with a bit of character, the shape is generally round but it’s quite irregular. The skin is mainly light brown with the areas surrounding the eyes a definite pink colour. Because of its low water content it keeps for several months. This is not a potato variety for those living in windy conditions because the plants grow very tall.

It was first introduced in Scotland in 1907 by J. Henry and only ten years later in 1917 did it appear in in Ireland. A Mr Kerr (the variety was initially called Henry’s Seedling) grew it commercially and only now is it beginning to lose favour compared to other varieties. Kerr’s pinks is excellent for roasting, wedges and boiling.

POSITIVE POINTS FOR KERR’S PINK
It’s slightly irregular shape and deep eyes can be considered a positive or negative – for us it gives this potato character. They are floury, starchy and have low water content which makes them one of the best keepers of all.

NEGATIVE POINTS FOR KERR’S PINK
The deep eyes make peeling cleanly a problem and when boiling timing is key – a few minutes too long and they will start to fall apart, a few minutes too short and they will be undercooked. Good for mashing and chips as well

BUYING KERR’S PINK SEED POTATOES IN THE UK

Kerr’s Pink are not available in many garden centres or discount shops but they are available from several online suppliers.

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.

ALTERNATIVES TO KERR’S PINK POTATOES

The key qualities of this variety are flavour and keeping qualities. On that basis Desiree would make a good alternative. The keeping qualities match those of a Kerr’s Pink and at the same time it produces a decent sized potato.

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 KERR’S PINK POTATOES

In all the tests we have conducted and those we have researched, there is no detectable difference between maincrop potatoes which are chitted and those which are planted directly in the ground. However if you want to stick with tradition and chit your Kerrs Pink potatoes, we recommend that you start chitting / sprouting this variety 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 KERR’S PINK POTATOES

Kerr’s Pink potatoes are maincrop potatoes and they are ready for harvest, if conditions are correct, 18 to 20 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 Kerr’s Pink 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 KERR’S PINK 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 first and third weeks of August in your area of the UK.