Potato Terms (Made Simple!)
Tuber – Think of tubers as chunky underground storage units packed with nutrients to help plants power through winter and bounce back in spring.
Seed Potato – Not actually a seed! This is just a potato specially grown for planting, pop it in the ground and ta-da! you get a whole new batch of tubers.
Early Potatoes – These little beauties are your first harvest of the year. They’re small, tender, and ready to dig up in about 13 weeks, perfect for growing in bags or containers.
Maincrop Potatoes – These are much bigger and great for baking and roasting. They take about 20 weeks to reach full size.
Seed potatoes have arrived, and we have lots of varieties to choose from. Whether you’re looking for early, maincrop, or something a little different, there’s something to suit every garden and growing preference. Some of our favourite varieties include ……..
Preparing Your Potato Patch
Potatoes aren’t fussy, they’ll grow in most soils, but they love soil enriched with organic matter, we have……
Chitting (aka waking them up)
For bigger crops and happier potatoes, “chit” your seed potatoes before planting.
You can stand them upright in an egg carton with the rose end (the end with the tiny ‘eyes’) facing up.
Then leave them somewhere cool, bright, and frost-free, like a windowsill, you’re aiming for sturdy little green shoots about 3 cm long.
Planting Time!
Here’s when to get them in the ground:
First earlies: late March
Second earlies: early–mid April
Maincrops: mid–late April
When shoots reach around 3 cm, they’re ready. If you’re planting earlies, rub off the weaker shoots, leaving four strong ones.
How to Plant Potatoes in the Ground
Begin by digging a trench approximately 15 cm (6 inches) deep. This depth helps protect the seed potatoes from light exposure while still allowing young shoots to emerge easily.
Place each seed potato in the trench with the shoots or “eyes” facing upward. Space them about 30 cm (12 inches) apart to give each plant enough room to develop a strong root system and produce healthy tubers.
If you are planting multiple rows, leave 60 cm (2 feet) of space between each row. This spacing improves airflow, allows room for hilling, and makes the plants easier to care for as they grow.
Refill the trench with soil mixed with compost or other organic matter. This enriched soil provides nutrients for strong growth and helps maintain moisture. Gently pat the soil down to remove air pockets without compacting it too firmly.
Growing in Containers
Potatoes are simple to grow and do well in containers, as long as there are drainage holes, you can use standard pots or bags designed specifically for growing potatoes.
Fill the container to one-third with compost, then place 3–4 seed potatoes on top, shoots facing upward, about 10–12 cm deep and spaced apart. Cover them with another 10 cm of compost.
Shoots should emerge in 3–4 weeks, as they grow, continue adding compost to cover the stems.
Water during dry periods and start feeding with a high-potash tomato fertiliser after about a month, (like Vitax Organic Potato Fertiliser, avoid high-nitrogen feeds, those produce lots of leaves but slow down tuber growth).
Once the foliage reaches 10 cm above the container’s rim, top up fully with compost and protect the plants from frost.
Harvest after the plants flower, checking the tuber size by hand, potatoes can be left in the compost for 2–3 weeks; lift them as needed or tip out the container. Allow them to dry before storing in a cool, dry place.
Harvest Time!
First Earlies (June–July, 10–12 weeks)
Pick when the flowers open or buds drop, and when the potatoes are hen-egg sized.
Second Earlies (July–August, 13–15 weeks)
Same indicators as earlies: flowers and egg-sized tubers.
Maincrops (Late August–October, 15–22 weeks)
Wait for foliage to yellow, then cut it off.
Leave tubers in the soil for 10 days, then lift, dry for a few hours, and store.
Common Potato Problems (and how to spot them)
Potato blight – a common disease in wet, warm summers. The initial symptoms are a rapidly spreading brown watery rot, affecting leaves, and stems. Tubers are also affected. Once blight has started it is difficult to stop.
Read more about potato blight here
Potato blackleg – a common bacterial disease which causes black rotting at the stem base. Initial infections cause stunted growth and yellowing stems. If tubers form, the flesh may be grey or brown and rotten.
Read more about potato blackleg here
Potato scab – this disease causes raised scab-like lesions on the potato surface. It does not affect the taste of the potato and is easily removed on peeling.
Read more about potato scab here
Potato rot – tuber rots are a frequent cause of losses prior to, or after, lifting. Significant problems often follow a wet growing season, particularly if the tubers are then lifted from wet soil.