MAJESTIC POTATO

By David Marks
The Majestic potato was introduced to the UK in 1911 and soon became one of the most popular commercially grown potatoes from 1920 up to the early 1990s. It produces lots of spuds per acre and also keeps well. Something of a cooking all-rounder, it is good for baking, boiling and reasonably good for chips.

It lost popularity as a result of intensive breeding programs and has been replaced by Maris Piper as the most popular potato variety for commercial growing.

PARENTAGE

The parents of Majestic are Berry x British Queen.

APPEARANCE, TASTE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MAJESTIC

The Majestic potato

The plants are of medium height so are suitable for growing in most wind conditions. The flowers are white and not produced freely. The skins are quite smooth and this maincrop variety produces mature potatoes a week or two earlier than many other varieties. the flesh is dense and coloured creamy white. First introduce in 1911 Majestic has a heritage of over 100 years but undeniably it is now outclassed in many respects by more recent introductions.

POSITIVE POINTS FOR MAJESTIC
There are however a few reasons to grow this particular variety, a large and regular crop probably being the most important. It also benefits from producing a reasonably early crop making it a good choice for cooler areas of the UK. Good for most cooking uses, it also stores well.

NEGATIVE POINTS FOR MAJESTIC
It is not particularly resistant to any of the common potato pests and diseases and is particularly vulnerable to eelworm attack. If you grow this potato then getting the harvesting time correct is important because they will split in the ground if left there too long.

BUYING MAJESTIC SEED POTATOES IN THE UK

Majestic, in years gone by, was the most popular potato variety in the UK. Nowadays however, it is slowly but definitely loosing popularity. You are unlikely to find it in your local garden centre or in any of the supermarkets and discount store but it is still easily available online.

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 still (a GardenFocused approved supplier) sell Majestic 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 Majestic online. A 2kg bag will contain about 22 good sized seed potatoes.

ALTERNATIVES TO MAJESTIC POTATOES

The key qualities of this variety are high yields and good all round cooking qualities. Many of the more recent varieties outclass majestic so finding alternatives is easy. Try Desiree or Maris Piper, which are in effect the modern equivalents or Arran Victory which is also a heritage variety that has deep purple skins.

If you want to support the continuing existence of older varieties however, give Majestic a try. Maybe in a container, which should cancel out some of its weakness to pest and disease. Appreciate their excellent World War II flavour and their long-keeping capabilities.

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.

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 MAJESTIC 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 Majestic 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 MAJESTIC POTATOES

Majestic potatoes are early maincrop potatoes and they are ready for harvest, if conditions are correct, 17 to 18 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 Majestic seed potatoes 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 MAJESTIC 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 Majestic potatoes to be ready for harvest some time between in your area of the UK.

PEST AND DISEASE RESISTANCE OF MAJESTIC POTATO

The table below sets out how good or bad Majestic 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