Grow your own potatoes
Enjoy home-grown spuds this season.
You don't need a garden to enjoy a crop of homegrown potatoes, just enough space on a sunny balcony or patio for a large pot. Rather than using potatoes from the greengrocer, you'll get better results planting seed potatoes from the garden centre, which are certified disease-free. For more expert advice on growing your own vegetables visit GardenersWorld.com.
You will need...
- Large pot, at least 30cm (1 ft) deep
- Multi-purpose compost
- Seed potatoes
1. Choose a good sized container, checking that it has several drainage holes in the bottom. Fill one-third full with multi-purpose compost.
2. Space potatoes about 30cm (1ft) apart, with most sprouts on each potato facing upwards.
3. Cover potatoes with multi-purpose compost until the container is about half full, then water. Put the container in a warm sunny place.
4. As the potato foliage grows, continue adding multi-purpose compost the container to bury the stems. Keep on doing this as the plants grow until the pot is full.
5. By mid-August the foliage will start to turn yellow - a sign that the crop is ready. Empty the pot, clean off the compost and enjoy the spuds! Potatoes should be ready to harvest in August, and four seed potatoes will give a crop of around 2.3kg (5lb).
Good varieties to try...
- Charlotte - Tasty, waxy potatoes with good disease resistance.
- Anya - The nutty flavour of 'Pink Fir Apple', but much easier to peel.
- Maris Peer - Firm, creamy potatoes with delicious yellow flesh.
More spud inspiration...
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