Grow Your Own Potatoes

**migimoo** · 01-03-2013, 05:11 PM

Mine came yesterday...mindees were super UNenthusiastic.

"but why can't we buy them at the shop like mummy???"

**bunyip** · 01-03-2013, 05:44 PM

If you didn't register in time, all is not lost.

1. Get yourself some seed potato. Ideally from a small local family seedsman or market stall that will let you buy a few. If you go to the garden centre, you'll probably be obliged to buy a kilo or more and they'll almost certainly be over-priced. Wilko's and some £-stores sometimes sell little bags of 5-6 tubers.

2. If really desperate, you could try growing some that are sold for kitchen use. This is not ideal, but can work. The reason it's best to grow from proper seed potato is that they are raised to be free of viruses, pests, etc. Kitchen potatoes can harbour disease which might reduce or destroy the quality or yield. If you grow them in open ground (garden/allotment soil) they could infect the soil for years to come. So, if you use kitchen potatoes, only grow them in pots/bags of compost and dispose of the compost afterwards - do not dig it into your soil. Some kitchen potatoes are treated with an anti-sprouting agent, to stop the eyes growing and so lengthen their useful storage life in the kitchen. That will make the treated ones hard or impossible to grow. There's no way of knowing if your potato have been treated so. The safer way (no guarantees) is to buy them loose from a proper greengrocer, rather than use supermarket pre-packs.

3. Use a '1st early' variety. These crop most quickly to give small boiling potatoes. Don't bother with the late or 'maincrop' types whcih give big tubers for jackets, etc. They need far more time and space and are susceptible to more diseases. Ideal varieties are 'Rocket' and 'Swift', which have the added benefit of very little top-growth, so the plants don't get top heavy and tip the containers over.

4. Potato growing bags are all the rage for the credulous middle classes with money to burn. If you really must have one, try Poundland (or Wilkos do them for about £3something.) The plastic-weave bags used by many councils for glass recycling collections are almost identical once you punch a few holes near the bottom. You can also use a big plantpot (at least 12" diameter) for 1 or 2 potatoes. Whatever you grow them in, you'll need compost which (amazing this) comes in a bag! I've successfully grown potatoes in a compost bag, turned inside-out so the black surface soaks up the sun, and a few holes punched near the base. The only thing with this is to make sure it doesn't get tipped over, as it's less stable than other containers. Whatever you use, don't forget the drainage holes.

5. Chitting. Don't worry if you don't have time for this. It seems to produce an earlier crop, but not necessarily a bigger one. I personally feel it's only necessary cos seed potato is sold way too early - and if you don't buy early, then the range and choice becomes limited. Place potatoes in egg boxes/trays in a cool, frost-free, airy, dry, light spot, out of direct sunlight. Findig such a place in modern centrally-heated homes is the hardest part of modern potato-growing.

6. Planting can be done anytime you like now, just so long as they aren't exposed to frost. I start mine in the greenhouse Feb-March then move them outside when the weather picks up. 1-2 in a 12" pot, 2-3 in a bag. About 6" of general-purpose compost under the potatoes. Place them sprouting-side up if you can tell, don't worry if you can't tell. Add more compost until potatoes are covered, but no need to fill the container at this point. Water gently, add more compost if the watering has exposed the potatoes. Chuck in a handful of general-purpose feed, such as Growmore - don't worry if you have none.

7. Keep the compost moist. Never wet. Never allow it to dry out. As the green leafy bits (haulms) grow, cover them almost but not quite completely with more compost until the container is almost but not quite full.

8. As a rough guide, 1st early potatoes should be ready to eat in about 13 weeks. Some varieties flower (and quite pretty they are, too) when the tubers have swollen sufficiently, but don't wait for this to happen as not all varieties will flower at all. You can feel around in the pot/bag to see if they've reached a decent size for boiling (ie. hen's egg sized approx.) Children love tipping the pots/bags out (preferable onto a plastic sheet) and rummaging for potatoes. Gloves are recommended. If your garden has an ant problem, stir the compost a little with a hand fork/trowel and take a close look: few things are worse than a child whose arm is covered in biting ants.

9. Eaten fresh, your potatoes should be lovely. They'll keep for a few days, but the early types are not there to be stored at all. Let the children take some home if there's enough, though the really fresh ones (straight from garden, into the plan) are what it's all about.

10. Consider yourself hooked.

**bunyip** · 01-03-2013, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by migimoo

Mine came yesterday...mindees were super UNenthusiastic.

"but why can't we buy them at the shop like mummy???"

That's cos Mummy is a Philistine, darling.

**watgem** · 01-03-2013, 07:13 PM

thanks Bunyip I will give it a go

**karens knippers** · 01-03-2013, 07:29 PM

ours arrived wednesday and children were very excited. got us in mood for planting different veg.

**jayne** · 02-03-2013, 01:46 PM

Mine came on Thursday and started chitting them yesterday I had forgot I had registered the little ones can't wait to plant them this is our 4th year

**mrstom** · 02-03-2013, 01:51 PM

Mine arrived today

Two boxes of them - they are now chitting!

<ridiculously excited at the prospect of growing my own potatoes>

**jo.jo76** · 02-03-2013, 02:55 PM

Mine arrived too! :-) So lovely last year, being able to say "oh shall we have potatoes? I'll just go in the garden and get some!"

**pinky33** · 02-03-2013, 03:43 PM

I'm seriously hopeless at growing anything so good luck all x

**Carol** · 02-03-2013, 05:16 PM

Mine came last month then almost forgot to chit them, but they were chitting nicely in the box lol

This time had a box with holes on a lid to sit them on.
Got 3 little ones this time so not as excited about them, but bigger ones are!!

Good Luck everyone.

Carol

**mushpea** · 02-03-2013, 05:32 PM

mine arrived Friday and are now 'chitting' never normally chit them for the allotment but as we are doing these with the kids I thought i had better follow the instructions with them.
I have just spent all morning barrowing 1 ton of top soil in to the borders of the greenhouse! not compost because I make my own from the rabbits waste and add to this , now I cant wait to start growing. I have also filled a pot each for each of the children and filled our hippo sand pit after my son drilled holes in the bottom of it so we can grow some lettuces in the him,,,, the hippo,,,, not my son

**Gemma Smithson** · 02-03-2013, 05:35 PM

Haven't got mine yet, but planted cress, sunflowers, beet root, peppers and tomatoes with lo during the week and spent today sorting garden and weeding etc, found loads of plants springing up yipee hope the sun stays with us now!

**LauraS** · 02-03-2013, 09:14 PM

Gah, when will mine come?

We have chosen our seeds this week, children have chosen about five different.types of flowers, two types of sunflowers (giant and dwarf), plus parsnips, carrots, peas, sweetcorn, two types of pepper, two types of tomato, squash, pumpkin, cucumber onions caulis and beetroot. Some has gone in already, some not.

Just need the potatoes!

**JulieA** · 03-03-2013, 01:01 PM

Mine arrived yesterday morning. waiting for the mindees to arrive tomorrow and then off to garden centre for some compost (it is an inset day so lots of big ones help!).