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Potatoes - Expert Advice
Growing Potatoes - Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction
Growing spuds is a pleasure. It's easy and deeply satisfying to dig up the crop. And there are all sorts of tips and tricks for growing in urban spaces - such as using recycled containers, buckets, sacks, dustbins and stacks of tyres.

If you're new to growing potatoes (solanum tuberosum), a word of warning - there's lots of weird and unique potato jargon. Here, we'll deal with 'earlies' - the only type of potato worth growing, especially if you don't have tons of space. 'First earlies' are the new potatoes, the first in the season. They are pricey in the shops and do not store well, unlike the larger 'maincrop' potatoes which last through winter. They come in many colours, shapes and sizes. There are also 'second earlies', which are ready after the 'first earlies'.

Planting

Buy 'seed' poatoes - tubers which have been grown high up in Scotland, where they can be guaranteed to be free from blight. They like a fertile soil, ideally slightly acid, although they will tolerate a wide range. Prepare by digging in lots of organic matter.

First, you need to 'chit' the potatoes. This means letting them develop sprouts first. Do this about six weeks before planting. Find an egg box, and place the tubers 'eye' side up. Store in a cool spot in even light, away from direct sunlight. You want three sprouts of around 3cm.

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Next, plant sprouts up under 3cm or more of soil / compost. Do this when the soil has warmed up and is not wet and claggy. Some growers line their potato trenches with comfrey leaves to help them on their way.

Later, as the plant grows, you will need to 'earth up'. This means scooping up soil around the growing plant (the ‘haulm’) when it is about nine inches high. This encourages more tubers to grow., cutting out the light and stopping them from turning green It also protects the stem from frost.

Spacing
Earlies need around 35cm between plants, in rows around 40cm apart..

Growing notes
Botanically, potatoes are a tender perennial. They come from the same plant family as the tomatoe - the Solanaceae family.

Potatoes are a useful crop if you are clearing a weedy patch. You can cover the ground with plastic or cardboard, then plant potatoes through slits in the material, earthing up as they grow. By the time you harvest, you will have smothered many weeds and got a healthy harvest.

Containers

You do need a large container. Some people favour dustbins. An easy method is to buy special potato growing bags. They are often black polythene bags, with a 30 litre capacity. Whatever you choose, it needs to be at least 30cm deep and wide. Use multi-purpose compost, preferably loam-based, as this is more moisture retentive. Keep it moist, not wringing wet, at all times.  Plant a couple of potatoes in smaller pots, up to six in dustbin-sized containers. Earth up as the plant grows. When the leaves come over the top of the container, give it a twice weekly feed with a bit of tomato food, comfrey juice or seaweed extract.

Harvesting
For first earlies, about 75 days to harvest. Dig your fingers into the soil to check their size. You can carefully fish out the big ones and leave the tiddlers to grow if necessary. One indicator for readiness is that  the flowers are fully formed (June / July). With second earlies, wait until July / August. You can leave them in the ground for longer if necessary, as late as September.

Pests and disease
Potatoes cannot stand frost - if one is forecast, cover the crop for protection. Blight is a deadly problem. Scab, potato cyst eelworms, cutworms etc.

Varieties
Belle de Fontenay, International Kidney, Sharpes Express, Arran Pilot. These days, you will also find 'minitubers' - these are produced in a lab and are guaranteed to be disease free. This technique is useful for preserving the rarer heritage varieties. To quote from an RHS leaflet: 'Minituber production starts with laboratory in-vitro micropropagation of the initial microplants. Modal cuttings taken, rooted in sterile nutrient jelly, then moved to a screened compost based or hyrdoponic growing facility.'

Cooking
Keep it simple! If you are desperate for a change, try Sarah Raven's recipe for 'smashed new potatoes'. Roast a few heads of garlic. Boil your new poatoes, drain and crush. Melt some butter in pan, squeeze in the roast garlic cloves, add some finely chopped rosemary, the crushed potatoes, and give it a stir. Then spoon into a baking dish, drizzling the top with olive oil, and roast until the top is crispy.

Did You Know?
Potatoes arrived from South America, where there are thousands of varieties.

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