Solanum tuberosum 'Picasso'

RHS Plant Profile
potato 'Picasso'

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A high-yielding early maincrop potato variety with pale, golden skin and red eyes. Good disease and drought resistance

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1 year
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H2

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Solanaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Harmful if eaten; except potato crop. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (dogs): Harmful if eaten; except potato crop - for further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus
Solanum can be annuals, perennials, evergreen or deciduous shrubs or twining climbers, with simple or pinnately lobed leaves and star- or bowl-shaped, 5-lobed flowers with prominent stamens, followed by fleshy fruits
Name Status
Accepted

How to Grow

Cultivation

Plant out in April with 35cm between tubers. Select an open site with deep, fertile, moisture-retentive soil. Draw earth up around the stems as the emerge, to exclude light and prevent the potatoes from becoming green. See potato cultivation for further information and Potato late maincrop trial 2024-2025

Propagation

Propagate from seed potatoes which have been chitted prior to planting

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

May be susceptible to cutworms, slugs, wireworms, and potato cyst eelworm

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), Potato blight, Potato blackleg, potato scabs and potato tuber rots