There are thousands of different varieties of potato to choose from, but there's one variety that's particularly popular with the family of BBC Gardeners' World presenter Adam Frost13:55, 22 Jun 2026Potatoes rank amongst the simplest vegetables to cultivate, making them a particularly satisfying crop for beginner gardeners looking to get started with growing their own produce. Rather than simply burying a leftover spud purchased from the supermarket, you'd be far better off sourcing organic, disease-free seed potatoes from a garden centre.‌The potatoes you'll find on supermarket shelves are typically treated with a chemical compound designed to delay sprouting.‌Once you've brought your seed potatoes home, it's worth placing them in something like an egg box in a cool, bright location, such as a windowsill, until they begin to sprout. After that, it's time to transfer them to your vegetable patch or a container.‌Add a little extra compost as the potatoes develop, ensuring only the top few leaves remain visible. This stops your potatoes from turning green and developing a bitter taste.When the leaves begin to turn yellow, you'll know things are progressing nicely. However, Gardeners' World expert Adam Frost maintains that the real secret lies in selecting the right variety of potato from the outset.‌There are a staggering 5,000 varieties to choose from, but one clear favourite stands out in Adam's household.Speaking on the BBC Gardeners' World podcast, Adam disclosed that the Red Duke of York variety proved a resounding hit at home. The Duke of York is a classic heritage potato with roots stretching back to the 19th Century, celebrated for its rich, buttery flavour.He explained: "Different veggies will taste different on different grounds, so some places you'll have to grow really easily, others not.‌"Anyway, this particular Duke of York thing, I grew it and it must have disappeared somewhere and one of the kids said to me 'Where can we dig the potatoes from Dad?' And I said, 'Oh, that bed out there, it's got some Red Duke of York in it.'"."I was away for about a week and a half," Adam added, "I came home, nobody said, 'Hello, Dad, welcome,' none of that. All I got individually from five people was, 'What were those potatoes?' That's all I got, that's all they thought about in the whole time I was away, 'What were those potatoes? Those potatoes were amazing'."The Duke of York variety is a remarkably versatile spud, lending itself well to a whole host of different recipes.‌Broadly speaking, potatoes can be divided into three principal categories: Floury potatoes, such as King Edward and Maris Piper, are rich in starch and relatively low in moisture, making them ideally suited to roasting, baking, and mashing.Waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte or Anya, hold together brilliantly when steamed or boiled, but don't mash particularly well. They work a treat in salads.Article continues belowAll-Purpose varieties, like Duke of York, are a genuine kitchen all-rounder - they retain their shape admirably while also being soft enough to mash. As they develop beneath the soil, potatoes demand little more than consistent watering and can be cultivated directly in the ground, in raised beds, or even in large bags and containers on a patio.A batch of Duke of York seed potatoes can be picked up online for under a tenner, planted at virtually any point between July and September, and harvested in as little as 10-12 weeks.Why not have a go at growing your own, and see whether your family are just as impressed as Adam's were?