Come and find out about The Yorkshire Gardeners tips on how to grow potatoes.
About Potatoes
There are many different types and varieties of potatoes. These can be earlies and maincrops. These are often planted at the same time but will be ready around the same different times. They also come in different colours.
Recommended varieties of Potatoes
As we said above their are any varieties of potatoes to try growing and taste. You can always try getting the variety which you buy from the supermarket. When growing your own potatoes these need to be seed potatoes, these can be purchased from garden centres or online.
Choosing the best spot to grow Potatoes
Potatoes can be sown in literally any type of soil as long as it’s well drained and sunny. You will get a better crop if the soil is fertile so adding fertilizer a few months before planting will help. Don’t plant potatoes in the same place if you have had them there in the last three years. Pick a new spot to plant them.
Sowing Potatoes
When sowing potatoes you can start them off by a method called chitting. This is when you get your seed potatoes and put them into egg boxes or trays and place them in a sunny warm place (greenhouse or a window sill) Have the eyes of the potato facing upwards. You can watch how to chit potatoes here:-
When you are ready to plant your potatoes are ready after chitting they can be planted out.
Growing Potatoes
To plant out your potatoes you will need to dig a trench around a spade depth deep. You can then place your potatoes along the trench. These need to be around 60cm apart so they have room to grow. IF you plant closer together you will have smaller potatoes. When the shoots start coming through the soil draw the soil around them up over it this will stop the potatoes being exposed to the light which makes them poisonous. You should keep doing this weekly till they are around 30cm high.
If you are planting them in plant pots put some compost in the bottom then place around 2-3 potatoes at the bottom of each bag then fill up to the top with more compost. Add some potato fertiliser to help them.
Watch our video on how to plant potatoes in the ground and bags here:-
Looking after your Potatoes plants
As the shoots start to pop through the soil draw the soil from around the shoot up over it into mounds, keep doing this every week. Keep doing this till its around 30 cms high. Doing this will kill the weeds around it. This will also protect the potatoes growing so that they don’t see sunlight as this poisons them and turns the potatoes green.
Water the plants occasionally and thoroughly. Giving the plants plenty of water early will encourage lots of tubers to grow and a heavy crop of potatoes.
Harvesting Potatoes
Potatoes are ready to pick when they have flowered and they drop off. You can always leave them till the plants die back so you know they will defiantly be ready. When digging them up with a fork be very careful not to spear the potato. Chuck any small ones, damaged or green ones away. Do not leave any in the ground or they will keep growing back for years to come.
