Potatoes Northern Lights care how to grow

Potatoes Northern Lights. Today it is difficult to imagine your diet without potatoes. This delicious, and most importantly healthy vegetable is held in high esteem and respect in our country. He has such fanatical admirers who are ready to use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and snack in between … try to guess what. That’s right, potatoes too. But you will not surprise some gourmets with simple tubers, serve them something refined, non-trivial.

It is these whims that an unusual variety of dark purple potatoes can satisfy. Moreover, this shade is clearly visible not only outside, but also inside the tuber. Its pulp does not lose color during cooking; in soups and salads, it looks unusual and very appetizing. And dark blue chips and french fries are actually something amazing, you want to try them immediately.

Breeders have produced many varieties with purple flesh. They differ in terms of ripeness, taste characteristics, size of tubers, length of storage period and some other features. Let us dwell in more detail on one of these varieties called “Northern Lights”.

🥔 Description of the Northern Lights variety

It has been 300 years since the purple-fleshed potato was produced. At first it was considered a mistake and did not begin to cultivate, but today it is ubiquitous in rural gardens and suburban summer cottages.

The bushes of this variety are low, spreading, and the stems are thick and strongly branched. The leaf is green, medium-sized. The flowers are light purple in color. Tubers are oval, elongated, with small eyes. Another distinctive feature of the fruit is its dark rind and rich purple flesh with small white veins.

potato flower

The vegetable is resistant to late blight, common scab and banded, wrinkled mosaic. It is moderately resistant to leaf curling, rhizoctoniae, blackleg, potato crayfish and ring rot.

The mass of one potato ranges from 100-215 grams, the average yield is 30-35 c / ha. The quantitative starch content in tubers is 12,5-14,5%. From one bush, you can collect from 10 to 15 bright potatoes.

The Northern Lights are early-maturing table varieties. It tastes good.

northern lights potatoes

🥔 Positive characteristics

The Northern Lights are a low-starch potato variety and are therefore considered a dietary food. But in its pulp there is a large number of carotenoids and anthocyanins, which contribute to the better assimilation of food in all biochemical components. In addition, the purple-colored tubers, which have 2,5 times more carotenoids than those with creamy and whitish flesh, help prevent the development of cataracts. The fruit also contains the insulin needed by diabetics. Lilac puree can be considered a remedy for people with diabetes of any type.

mashed potatoes northern lights

The reason for the development of cancerous tumors and diseases of the cardiovascular system are oxidative chemical elements that enter the human body with food. Purple potatoes contain many antioxidants that counteract these dangerous compounds. They also slow down the aging process in the body. Of course, they are not able to return youth, but they can suspend the wear and tear of the body.

🥔 Features of cultivation

Seed potatoes Northern Lights can be purchased at any online store specializing in seeds and other garden products. Those who do not trust resources on the Internet should look for planting material in large garden centers or visit an exhibition-fair (these are often held in large settlements).

When growing this variety, you must follow all those agrotechnical recommendations that are relevant when breeding ordinary potatoes. It is possible to plant tubers in the ground not earlier than the moment when it warms up to + 5-8 degrees. Fertilizer is applied directly to the hole and planting material is laid out on it. The bushes of the Northern Lights are low and spreading, if you plant them too narrowly, then it will be difficult to process. The optimal distance between rows and bushes is about 30 cm.

Hilling and weeding should take place in a timely manner. It is important to know that the purple cultivar requires more water than the regular cultivar, especially during dry periods. Its tubers are more watery and need a lot of moisture to grow. And the soil must be loosened regularly so that the root can “breathe”. Thanks to this agronomic technique, the yield will be much higher.

hilling of potatoes

The variety also reproduces well by seeds. Recommendations for this method of breeding can be found on the packaging in the section “Northern Lights. Potatoes. Description”. They are very simple and take place in several stages:

  1. Sowing germinated seeds in a small container with loose soil.
  2. Regular moistening of seedlings.
  3. Picking seedlings into separate containers.
  4. Grow young plants.
  5. Hardening on the balcony.
  6. Landing on a permanent place of growth.

The listed procedures accelerate the formation of tubers and have a good effect on the yield.

purple potatoes

🥔 Recognition

I received a potato variety Northern Lights reviews from all over our country, grateful summer residents simply cannot praise them. Scientists also did not stand aside. They conducted a number of studies that proved that the tubers of this variety absorb much less nitrates that enter the soil with fertilizers and chemicals. Therefore, such potatoes are considered one of the safest products; they will definitely not cause any harm to human health.

Instead of “harmful chemistry”, colored fruits contain a lot of vitamins, microelements, macronutrients and other useful substances. This is probably why dishes from purple potatoes can increasingly be seen not only in restaurant menus, but also in home cooking. It is used to prepare salads, casseroles, soups, stews, pancakes and even such youth food as chips.

potato chips northern lights

🥔 Usage

Potatoes with a bright purple-whitish pulp are used:

  • for medicinal purposes;
  • in cooking for the preparation of exquisite dishes;
  • in dietetics;
  • to obtain natural dyes;
  • in the chemical industry

✍ Conclusion

Many lovers of delicious potatoes claim that the purple variety is much tastier and healthier than ordinary tubers. We do not yet produce it in large quantities, but for the sake of experiment, you can grow a little in the garden or summer cottage. Without a doubt, neighbors in the country, relatives and acquaintances will definitely want to plant such a curiosity on their plots. To do this, they only need to try the dishes from this bright vegetable once.

📽 Potatoes Northern Lights video

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Anna Evans

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