But not this year. Unusually cool weather, and a fair bit of rain, has left the crop in the ground for a bit longer. 

In seven to 10 days Matthew Dennis’ sebago potatoes will be ripe and ready to pick and his crop is shaping up to be a cracker – but don’t go jinxing anything just yet, he said.

“It can all change so quickly, we can get a bad storm, a flood, or too much rain, and it’s gone,” he said.

“If the skin goes soft they’re no good. At the moment things are looking good. We could get 10 tonnes an acre, but it could be five tonnes or 15.”

Bad weather in western and southern NSW, and in Victoria, has destroyed potato crops and late plantings in Tasmania has also contributed to a potato shortage across the country.

These misfortunes have put Mr Dennis, and the handful of other potato growers in Maitland, in the box seat where they will be able to shop around for the best wholesale price. 

But the competition from imported potatoes, which are cheaper, is still hampering their efforts.

He said takeaway shops and restaurants often opted for imported potatoes to take the hassle out of washing, peeling and cutting fresh potatoes. 

“A lot of frozen chips are imported and that affects us,” he said.

“Most of the frozen chips you buy at the supermarket are imported, they can come from anywhere.”

Mr Dennis said the shopper’s psyche also saw them overlook sebago potatoes because of their appearance, but that won’t entice him to plant another variety.

He has been growing sebago potatoes at his East Maitland farm for the past 25 years.

He said shoppers needed to think about where their food came from and to buy local whenever they could.

“[Sebagos] are beautiful to eat, they’re an all round potato – that’s why we grown them – they’re good for chips, mashing, and baking but people go for the red ones,” he said.