Tom’s tips for planting seed potatoes

Our seed potatoes are now in stock and if you’ve never tried your hand at growing your own, here are my top tips on how to plant them and get the best from your tubers.

How to grow them in a pot?

If you wish to start small, then how about trying a handful in a pot on your patio first?

Start off by putting two or three inches of compost in the pot, sow your potato with the ‘eyes’ or shoots upwards and cover with compost. We would recommend Jacks Magic as a great all round compost.

Add more compost as the shoots poke through until you are within a couple of inches of the top of the pot. The resultant crop should be ‘layered’ throughout the depth of the container.

Growing them in the ground

Traditionally potatoes were always grown in trenches eight inches (in) or so deep with the potatoes 12in apart if first earlies or 18 to 24in if second earlies or maincrop. Try digging a single hole the same depth and do a row like this.

A good fertiliser is important, such as Westland's Organic Potato & Vegetable Feed.  Also ‘earth up’ the plants once they start growing. This means simply raising the soil level around the base of each plant to prevent any potatoes that are near the surface from turning green – green potatoes are poisonous.

Water your potatoes regularly during the growing period or the crop will be small. Some varieties, such as Desiree, are more drought resistant than others as a general rule.