By Doclee
Guernsey 
I live in the Channel Islands and so have an early start to the growing season. This is the 3rd season in which I have grown potatoes, Charlotte & Veronica, in the same plot. The earth is well-composted and organic fertilizer added beforehand and kept well-watered once the foliage has appeared above ground. Most of the tubers that I have harvested so far this season are first class - large, clean, thin skinned and with a good taste on boiling. However a few are quite obviously different, being smaller and with darker roughened skin which, on boiling produce watery, almost translucent flesh which is clearly harder/crisper on the bite with a noticeable absence of flavour. They are not worth eating.
What might be the cause? I just wonder whether they are last year's potatoes which which were missed at the harvest and, for whatever reason, have not grown this year.
Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Tony Lee
9 Jul, 2011
Did all the potatoes receive the same amount of water? Lack of water can produce the potatoes you have described and the way to cook them is to steam. Any potatoes left in the ground from the previous year will have grown automatically. It is recommended that you grow your potatoes in a different area of your garden each year.
9 Jul, 2011