Nevsky Potato: Variety Description, Photos, Reviews

After learning more about the Nevsky potato, including its variety description, photos, and reviews, gardeners are choosing it. They appreciate its appearance, taste, and ease of soil tolerance.

Characteristic

According to both ordinary people and experts, Nevsky is considered one of the most popular and recognized varieties. It was first developed in 1976 at the then Northwest Research Institute of Agriculture, when two other varieties, Kandidat and Veselovsky, were crossed. The result was extremely successful, boasting good yields and resistance to diseases and adverse environmental factors that sometimes impact the health and yield of the crop.

This potato variety is currently grown on 26% of all the land allocated annually by the state specifically for potatoes. Nevsky is popular with both large producers responsible for supplying potatoes to markets and stores, as well as small, local gardeners who grow their own vegetables.

In terms of maturity, Nevsky is considered a mid-early variety. From the first shoots to full maturity, when the finished harvest is ready, it takes approximately 75-90 days.

Description

Tubers – in addition to the technical component, their appearance is undoubtedly important, as it is what buyers judge them by, as each variety grown must provide a good return on investment. The tubers are oblong, sometimes round, with a smooth, even skin. There are no rough spots or bumps. The flesh is white, with a light yellow tint. The skin is light, brown, or yellowish. The tender flesh is visible when cut; even when unprotected, it retains its natural color for a long time without darkening.

• Starch is somewhere around 10.4 not higher than 14.8%
• Average tubers weigh 90 to 130 g.

Perhaps it's the beautiful, uniform tubers that help Nevsky retain its popular appeal. After all, the potato is pleasing to the eye, easy to wash, peels without difficulty, and retains its shape when cooked, which is no small feat.

The bushes are usually low, with many upright, fluffy stems and extensive branching. The leaves are a pleasant shade of green, sometimes dark or light green, and are usually medium in size. The Colorado potato beetle loves Nevsky as much as humans, but the leaves quickly recover after being eaten, so the bushes do not suffer irreparable damage. Their flowering period is short-lived, but beautiful and abundant, with snow-white inflorescences spreading like a carpet across the entire potato bed.

Yield is another key factor that particularly appeals to gardeners. After all, most gardeners have medium-sized plots, so they look for varieties with maximum yield, ensuring each plant fully justifies its space. Nevsky truly has a high yield. With proper care, a plant will produce up to 8-15 medium-sized tubers, which is already 1.5 kg. The variety has a well-developed potential. It responds immediately to spring fertilizer and appreciates timely cultivation. If conditions are favorable and the owner is attentive, they can enjoy a yield of 60 tons per hectare, which is considered excellent. getting a good potato harvest.

Adaptation is a variety's response to changing environmental conditions. Unfortunately, not every gardener can grow vegetables in protected garden beds. Most simply plant them in open beds, where the seedlings are exposed to sudden frosts, hail, and hard soil. Even the most attentive gardener can't change these factors; they're part of nature. Nevsky is recognized as a drought-resistant variety; it has a powerful, extensive root system that seeks out and absorbs moisture, penetrating deeper into the soil.

The bushes have dense, numerous leaves, which prevents moisture from evaporating rapidly during hot days. When the temperature rises, the leaves may appear wilted; in reality, they simply curl up to reduce the surface area for moisture evaporation. They have a smooth, glossy surface that reflects the sun well. This is truly a sophisticated adaptation mechanism.

Long-term observations have shown that Nevsky tolerates high humidity well. However, yield will be impacted if the humidity is accompanied by cold soil.

Diseases – unfortunately, growing crops often need to be treated to protect them from various diseases common to plants. Nevsky is resistant to mechanical damage typically encountered during digging, transport, sorting, and shipping. It is also less susceptible to fungal, viral, and other diseases.

The variety is resistant to common scab, rarely suffers from potato cancer (yes, this affliction also affects vegetables), rhizoctonia, and blackleg. Most importantly, it reliably resists attacks from the main enemy of nightshades—late blight. Unfortunately, this disease has become a real scourge, forcing gardeners and large producers to treat their crops en masse with harmful fungicides.

Harvest – you'll notice the tops starting to droop and then wither around mid-summer. By the 15th of August, they've completely dried out. This is a clear sign, even for a novice gardener, that it's time to put off harvesting. The weather will cool, the soil will cool, and potatoes don't tolerate this easily. Be sure to dig up the harvest before fall, especially when early frosts occur in the region. Timely harvesting ensures up to 95% of the marketable yield.

Other characteristics

What else, besides a pleasing appearance, yield, and resistance to various diseases, is important for a gardener or large-scale producer? For example, storage. After all, planting potatoesA lot of it is specifically for winter storage. Nevsky potato tubers can easily survive until spring, but then they will begin to sprout vigorously. It's worth keeping an eye on your supplies to avoid missing these moments and begin the next pre-planting preparation on time. Otherwise, the potatoes may not tolerate the forced removal of their sprouts well.

Nevsky will yield a good, abundant harvest if proper preparation is carried out. This should include disinfection and germinating selected tubers in the light for about 2-3 weeks.

This variety thrives in any soil, but prefers fertile sandy loams and light loams. It responds extremely well to fertilizer. Its weakness is prolonged low temperatures. However, this isn't really a problem, as potatoes are planted in spring and harvested before early fall. The key is choosing warm days for the planting period.

Potatoes are excellent in both salads and soups, and they make delicious, beautiful mashed potatoes, though they do require longer cooking. They keep well, staying fresh for a long time, a feature chefs appreciate.

Nevsky is considered one of the best varieties in several countries. It's loved for its flavor, appearance, and stability. People know that even in unfavorable, lean years, potatoes will produce a good harvest, especially if they receive adequate fertilizer.

Reviews

Natalia

"I've been growing Nevsky potatoes for about 20 years now. The bushes are stocky and very beautiful, visible from afar in the garden, like a calling card for the variety. The leaves are larger, wider, and less dissected. The tubers are oval, usually medium-sized, with small pink eyes. They're very convenient; the chance of accidentally mixing them with other potatoes is low. I use them in salads, boiling them in their skins. They're delicious, don't overcook, and don't even crack.

The downside is that sprouting is difficult after breaking off, even if the sprouts are accidentally damaged before planting. Therefore, it's safer to place the tubers selected for planting in boxes, lining the bottom with sawdust. When the time is right, transfer them to the ground. I once accidentally broke off some sprouts, and unfortunately, 1/3 of the plants didn't grow. In the fall, these bushes, which hadn't sprouted properly, only yielded a couple of small potatoes.

Olga

"Part of the garden has long been occupied by Nevsky Prospekt. Of course, I won't give up the entire area; I've noticed the harvest isn't consistent. It's for sale, but we plant more; it sells well for its neat appearance, and the taste is also pleasing. I don't recommend sprouting it; the sprouts break off easily."

We recommend:How to fertilize potatoes for the best harvest

Alexander

"I've been growing Nevsky potatoes for eight years now, and I've noticed they thrive on fertilizer and modern care. You can use hay or straw when planting, or before planting, and mix the prepared soil with rich humus first."