Potato Growing Guide

Planting Out

1. Treat your seed potatoes carefully and try not to damage or bash the delicate sprouts.
   
   
2. Have a quick check and remove any that have started to rot but don’t worry about a few little spots or blemishes.
   
   
3. Plant them in a sunny, open spot as soon as possible after you get them, and after frosts have passed.
   
   
4. You can grow them in a container (tho’ the yield will be less) or directly in the ground, ideally where potatoes haven’t grown in the last year. This will help to limit soil-borne pests and disease.

Plant directly in the ground

1. Dig over your soil to break it up. Ideally this is done the previous autumn but if you’re new to gardening, now’s as good a time as any. Fork in some compost afterwards to improve the soil structure and add nutrition. Working your soil should be done on a dry day.
   
   
2. Dig a trench to a spade’s depth, then lay in the seed potatoes with the eyes or sprouts upwards - 30cm apart for ‘earlies’ and 38cm apart for ‘second earlies’ and ‘main crop’ which grow larger and need more space. If planting multiple rows, these should be 60cm apart for ‘earlies’ and 75cm apart for ‘main crop’.
   
   
3. Cover with 3cm of soil and wait for the shoots to grow.
   
   
4. Once the shoots are 10-20 cm high, rake the soil up to bury them again.
   
   
5. Let the shoots emerge, then repeat this earthing up process two or three times. The plants should be well covered; if too near the surface and sunlight, the potatoes will turn green and spoil.
   
   
6. Your potatoes should be quite self-sufficient now they are in the ground. But if dry weather is prolonged, water well every few days – potatoes are a thirsty crop. Feed with seaweed extract or a general-purpose fertiliser at the relevant concentration.
   
   
7. Harvest ‘earlies’ when the open flowers start to fall, usually July – August. Otherwise wait until the stems have yellowed in the Autumn, then cut this away to near ground level. You can harvest straight away or leave the crop in the ground for another 10-14 days. This toughens up the skins so they can be stored for longer.
   
   
8. Ensure you dig up all your crop.

Grow in a container

1. Find or make a container of around 20 – 30L e.g. a large, deep pot or tall bucket. You can buy potato growing bags from your local garden centre or a good option is to simply recycle an empty 40-50L compost bag.
   
   
2. Whatever you choose, ensure it can drain freely. Make holes at the bottom if necessary. You don’t want soggy soil nor your container sitting in a puddle, otherwise your potatoes might rot.
   
   
3. Use growing medium to cover the bottom of your container to a depth of 15 cm and then bury your seed potatoes just below this. Space them out as much as you can – perhaps just two or three in a 20L bucket; four in 40L and six in a 50L bag.
   
   
4. When the shoots appear and are 10-20cm tall, add in more growing medium to cover them. Repeat as the shoots reappear until your container is full.
   
   
5. Check your plants regularly. Containers can dry out quickly and potatoes do need plenty water. But if they are too wet, you might need to move your container to a drier site or raise it up slightly. Look at the leaf colour too; if it’s pale and yellow, your plants may need feeding. Use a high potash fertiliser or seaweed extract.
   
   
6. Harvest ‘earlies’ once the open flowers have begun to fall, usually July – August. Otherwise, harvest when the leaves and stems have yellowed and begun to collapse. Cut this away for composting. You can either dig up your potatoes to enjoy straight away or leave in the container for another 10-14 days.