Potatoes are probably one of the eastiest vegetables to grow and ideal for new gardners as they also help to break the soil down aiding the development of a vegetable plot or allotment. Delicious boiled, roated, chipped, fried or baked.
When to sow Potatoes: March to May
When to harvest Potatoes: July to October
How to grow potatoes:
Prepare the ground by adding well rotted manure, dig trenches to a depth of 10-15cm and use any excess soil to create ridges between rows.
Space the potatoes out 25cm apart for earlies and 30cm apart for mains, with 60cm gaps between rows.
Back fill the trench with soil and manure.
As the foiliage starts to appear earth the potatoes up by pulling the soil over the foilage, this will protect from late frosts but also aides crop size.
How to Harvest Potatoes:
When the plant has flowered the foilage will start to die down, using a fork start lifting the soil about 30cm away from the plant. Lift all potatoes in the ground otherwise they will regrow the following year. Leave the newly harvested potatoes in the sun for an hour or 2 so that they dry and harden up a little.
Below are some recommended seed potatoes and further down we have descriptions of each potato variety.
