There are few things that work as hard as the humble potato – they can be mashed, boiled, served as a jacket potato.
Not to mention how they are used for everything from crisps and chips to vodka.
If you want to grow your own spuds this year, whether it’s a way of saving some money with the price hikes impending, just doing something to be more sustainable and eco-conscious or something to do with the kids, when should you plant potatoes and how do you go about growing them?
When to plant potatoes
First, we need to understand what types of potato can be planted.
Potatoes are classified as being either earlies or maincrops.
Earlies are ready to harvest much sooner than maincrops and are what we might refer to as new potatoes. Maincrop varieties are in the ground a lot longer and produce a larger yield.
The best time to plant each crop of potatoes are:
- First earlies – around late March
- Second earlies – early to mid-April
- Maincrops – mid- to late April
However, planting times vary across the country – planting in northern areas should be delayed by a couple of weeks, depending on temperatures and risk of frost.
In warmer regions it’s possible to plant a second batch of maincrop potatoes in late summer, which will yield a crop of delicious potatoes for Christmas.
How to grow your own potatoes?
Grow your own potatoes from seed potatoes, which are small potato tubers rather than actual seeds.
You can buy seed potatoes from late winter from most horticultural retailers, like Dobies, Suttons and many more.
Sadly, you can’t just grow potatoes from old potatoes left in your bag or on the veg shelf at the supermarket, as they won’t produce reliable crops.
Before planting, you need to chit your potatoes. This involves letting the potatoes grow shoots, which will give you a bigger potato crop.
To chit a potato, you must place seed potatoes in trays or egg cartons with the end that has the most eyes facing upwards. Stand in a cool, light spot until 1-2cm long shoots have formed. This could take up to six weeks.
What soil is best for potatoes?
Potatoes are best grown in well-drained, deep, loose soil, high in organic matter.
This means that you, ideally, will have an outdoor space to grow them – an allotment, or a corner of your garden.
How often should I water my crop of potatoes?
Once planted, you must water your potato crop regularly, especially during warm, dry spells, and keep the soil weed free.
As the potato plants grow, use a spade to cover the shoots with soil to stop the developing tubers becoming green and inedible. This process is called earthing up.
Leave the top few centimetres poking out the top. As plants continue to grow you will need to earth them up again.
When to harvest the potatoes
You might be eager to tuck into your homegrown ‘taters, but when should you expect your crop to deliver the goods?
- First earlies should be ready to lift in June and July
- Second earlies in July and August
- Maincrops from late August through to October
MORE : How to grow herbs and food from balconies and window boxes if you live in a city
MORE : How to start composting at home – easy tips and best products
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