Did you know that the humble potato has been voted as the Nation's favourite vegetable. Whether mashed, sautéed, roasted, boiled or baked, potatoes take top spot of them all.
So if (almost) everybody loves potatoes, why not give it a go at growing your own this year?
Seed potatoes are easy to grow, really rewarding and fun to harvest! There are several different varieties which can be grown for all different uses, and harvest can start from the Early Summer right into the Autumn months.
One seed potato will produce many many potatoes to harvest.
First Earlies:
Plant in March
10-12 weeks
Harvest in June/July
Use soon after harvest, they don't store for long
Second Earlies:
Plant in March
14-16 weeks
Harvest in July/August
Use soon after harvest, they don't store for long
Main Crop:
Plant in Mid-Late April
16-22 weeks
Harvest in August to October
Can be stored for a few months
Seed potatoes are easy to plant. Before planting, seed potatoes need to be ‘chitted’ or ‘sprouted’ for about five weeks. This means leaving them in a light, cool, frost free place to develop short, stocky shoots, from which the plant grows. If space is limited, choose the early varieties, as they take up less room.
Simply pop your potatoes into the ground or in a large container with nutrient-rich compost and some manure and water regularly through the dry warm months. When the plants start getting bigger, earth up the soul around them to cover the base of the plants again. This will increase the length of their underground stems and promote growth.
Head to our handy How To Guides section of our website for more tops on growing your own seed potatoes!
Our top tip: Plant some salad seeds around the seed potatoes to maximise the space.
Comments